Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

19 reviews

sarahmackenziey's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Cannibalism, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death, Hate crime, and War

Minor: Domestic abuse

catsbreadbikes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was not for me, but that's my own fault as i didn't seek out any information about the content warnings for this book. It was really well-written, and vivid in detail though! Some of the stories i liked vetter than others, but even when i didn't lile a particular story, it was still worth listening to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Gore, Cursing, Violence, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Racial slurs, Body horror, Xenophobia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Abortion, Homophobia, and War

cheazcakeguy's review

challenging dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

This is a collection of short speculative fiction. There is a decent amount of variety, but there are a few stories that tackle similar themes/topics, especially consumerism and racism. Many of the stories are set in a world similar to our own, where one or more aspects of our own world have been exaggerated to the point of absurdity. As a result, the stories often have an extremely dark sense of humor and expose the absurdity inherent in real-world concepts like racism, violence, consumerism, and truth. Some of the stories have a different tone, but I never quite felt the emotional weight behind the ones with a more pensive, poignant feel. To me, the writing was much better at evoking feelings of rage, shock, despair, and defiance than sadness or regret.

Some stories were more interesting than others. A couple were a bit dull, but my favorites were the ones that really leaned in to the ridiculousness. I especially liked The Finkelstein 5, Friday Black, Zimmer Land, and Through the Flash. Nothing really blew me away, but this book was certainly unique and unexpected. Overall, this is a pretty thought-provoking, well-written collection of stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Torture, Cannibalism, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Police brutality, Suicide, and Domestic abuse

literaryintersections's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A lot of this I loved:

The finklestein 5 is an unbelievable story. Heartbreaking and sad. Feels realistic and also highlights the ends people will go to try and get some kind of justice. To get people to say their names. 

Lark Street was WEIRD but also sad. Maybe a take on abortion overall but more a take on how women are impacted by abortion. 

Zimmer Land was disgusting and horrifying and felt like the early stirrings of Chain-Gang All-Stars. The idea of doing something good when really it’s stripping of humanity. 

Friday Blsck - capitalism and materialism. 

Light Spitter - honestly heartbreaking all around. 

Some were so strong and others not as strong. But overall, such a great read. I want a full Finklestein 5 and full Zimmer Land story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Abortion, Police brutality, and Gun violence

Moderate: Gore

wanderingtones's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Hate crime, Violence, Classism, Racism, and Gore

Moderate: Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

Minor: Mental illness, Torture, and Self harm

jdamae11's review

challenging dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Police brutality, Abortion, Body horror, Death, Mass/school shootings, Domestic abuse, and War

hnagarne's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Gore, Abortion, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Violence, Death, Suicide, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Torture

cyborgforty's review

challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Police brutality

dchaseb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I'm usually not one for short story collections because if one is good, it feels it ends too soon. If there is one I don't like, it feels like it will never end. Additionally, they often feel random and full of abrupt endings. This felt more like the creation of a sort of FBU (Friday Black Universe). 

Having several stories share the same or similar location gave me the feeling that I was entering an alternate dimension of a world I had just visited (akin to different story arcs of comics perhaps). In terms of the writing, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah has an ability to pull you in and never let go. Each new story had a sensation of being kidnapped where you hope you are never rescued. There were only a few stories that were not my favorites but the majority of them had me longing for full blown book series that take place. 

"Finklestein 5" is the first story and if no one reads this entire book, everyone should at least read that one. It makes you sad, angry, ashamed, hopeful, and so much more. A relevant and riveting story focusing on race relations and the justice system. "Zimmer Land" hits on these topics as well. "Light Spitter" looks at school shootings and bullying/harassment. "Through the Flash" is a crazy Groundhog's Day type story where every day ends with an atomic bomb being dropped in a dystopian future. 

A few stories gave me the vibe that I dislike with some short story collections where they feel like they are trying super hard to be incredibly allegorical or metaphorical to a point where I don't care as much. Even with that, the stories are definitely unforgettable and resonate. (I kept so little from my short descriptions because I think everyone should go in blindly like I did. 

Great way to start my year of books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Violence, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Bullying and Addiction

jessthanthree's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Abortion, Police brutality, Death, Violence, Racism, Ableism, Suicide, Hate crime, Murder, Grief, and Child death

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Racial slurs