Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

27 reviews

nerdyprettythings's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective

4.0

A couple of these missed the mark for me, but most of them are five stars, and I can’t wait to read Adjei-Brenyah’s novel! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Cannibalism, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Murder, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, and Drug abuse

bay22's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Death, Hate crime, Medical content, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Ableism, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Animal death, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Addiction, and Child abuse

Minor: Eating disorder and Fatphobia

savvylit's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

All of the stories in Friday Black are skillfully crafted speculative fiction; each one focuses on a slightly exaggerated version of the real world at its worst. There's a whole lot of dystopia: an amusement park where people can live out their most violent fantasies, a clothing store on Black Friday where the customers fight to the death over their desired purchases, a Groundhog Day-style pre-apocalyptic event... Adjei-Brenyah flawlessly creates realms that are both surreal yet terrifyingly reminiscent of all-too-ordinary scenarios. Overall, Friday Black is a remarkable and unforgettable commentary on morality, racial injustices, and peak-capitalist consumerism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Abortion, Violence, and Hate crime

tey_lynn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Suicide, Abortion, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, and Violence

lain_darko's review

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Abortion, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: War and Torture

cati's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

It's been a while since I read this collection, but after finishing another one by another author I had to write my review. This is probably the best collection I've read in my life, so far. There are stories in here that I remember even now, months later after finishing this. I would give it a full 5 stars, but the first story, The Finkelstein 5, felt like it dropped the concept of

Emmanuel rating his Blackness on a numerical scale

towards the end, but maybe I took this concept too literally instead of it being something that exists inside his head.
Lark Street had a good premise, but I thought

the talking fetuses was too silly

.
Through the Flash is the story that will stick with me, and has stuck with me, for a very long time. In conclusion, I enjoyed the stories dealing with dystopian settings or satirical political commentary like Zimmer Land the ones set in a retail store. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, Mass/school shootings, Violence, and Abortion

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

apiersonsmela's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did. What I feel it does well is to draw attention to many pressing issues in modern (American) society, but where it falls short is in the length and nuance of the stories, so that many are just “wouldn’t it be messed up if this happened?” Personal favorite is Through the Flash, but I wouldn’t recommend other stories to my friends. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Racism, Suicide, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Terminal illness, and Gore

mackinseyjoy's review

challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Murder, Child death, and Racism

viaviaggi's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Gore, Police brutality, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, and Death

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed each of the story stories. They were really attention grabbing and different from one another, but still displaying similar messages to the reader.
I'm not often drawn to short stories and if this wasn't a group read, I don't think I would have found and read this. I'm glad that I did get a chance to be introduced to this book and will have to keep an eye on the author for any upcoming writing he has.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Abortion, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse and Racial slurs