Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

51 reviews

melanie_reads's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Whoa, this collection of stories is intense. These stories are a bit violent for my tastes, but honestly exposes a lot about how Black people in America are treated. 

With more focus on raising the minimum wage, I also appreciated the perspective of retail workers that's rarely captured in today's literature. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Mass/school shootings

emily_mh's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Gore, Racial slurs, Rape, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Lynching, colourism, loss of a loved one (including a child), eugenics, menstruation, trampling, sick parent, homophobic slur, nuclear bombing

amykuc's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This book was unlike any I've ever read before. The writing is tight and the stories are often difficult to look into. We start off with The Finkelstein 5 where a trial beyond understanding ends with a horrific verdict. And once you're in, it's impossible to climb out. Amusement parks, retail shopping, and school shootings are all written about from a voice we have never heard before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Toxic friendship

mateoj's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

2.0

life tip: 'I should have stopped reading after the one about aborted fetuses' will always be a true statement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

kyarabereading's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I think Adjei-Brenyah does a good job of mixing in commentary of very real social issues with very absurd elements of fantasy. It's those crazy twists that each story has that really drew me in as a reader and helped me want to find the meaning behind each story. The book covers really dark topics that make you want to put the book down because they can be hard to stomach, but Adjei-Brenyah's writing style is so beautiful and haunting and interesting that I couldn't bring myself to do so. Also, some stories shine more than others, but I think that's expected of any short story collection. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I will definitely be reading it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Abortion

inmegslibrary's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, and Suicide

hpfan9501's review

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, and Abortion

Minor: Animal death

bookishdov's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Abortion

carrotchimera's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings

tam's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Oof. Intense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Racism

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Cannibalism