Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

48 reviews

arieloley's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A lot of really reflective and important topics covered in this anthology of short stories. Lots of twists that weren’t expected in a very clever and dark way. Made me think of Black Mirror but as a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Abortion, and Murder

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

jesromas's review

challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wow. This is the best short story collection I’ve ever read. Probably going to write a full review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Abortion, and Murder

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

emory's review

challenging dark reflective tense

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

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

Minor: Torture and War

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

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

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

Moderate: Child abuse and Racial slurs

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