Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Paper Names by Susie Luo

7 reviews

vaekay's review against another edition

sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Heavy groomer/borderline pedophilic (maybe not-so-borderline pedophilic) content. Stuck in extremely gross, misogynistic mens' point of views for the majority of the book. Bounces from the POV of a 9 year old Tammy to an adult Tammy having sex with her fiancee then back to a childhood Tammy. Lots of casual racism towards Black and brown people of color as well as other Chinese people. I understand that the internalized Sinophobia/racism is a plot point of the book, but myself and my Chinese partner were very disturbed by it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Death of parent, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Fatphobia

Minor: Gun violence, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, and Islamophobia

tiak143's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty

tfpjr492's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Tammy is the main character in the book “Paper Names.” She is a mere fourth-grader when her parents move the family of three from China to America. The parents struggle with limited income in their new life, and Tammy has a tempestuous relationship with her father. 

There are times when Tammy suffers physical abuse from her father. She speaks about one incident. 

“I didn’t cry. I didn’t even blink. I stared him down until he took a step backward.” 

Tammy is no ordinary girl, and her father knows that she has special qualities. 

“She had a ferocious curiosity beyond her years. And a stubborn will that impressed him as much as it ignited his temper.” 

Tammy puts those skills to good use as she excels in school, attends Harvard, and gets a law degree. The journey is difficult, but the family pulls together despite the strains. It is in Tammy’s young adulthood that the story’s pace quickens and her personal challenges grow. 

This book is a quick read. It is emotional, and it provides plenty of insights for reflection, particularly regarding social status. It is recommended for those readers, who enjoy a tale with strong family characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Car accident, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

tdesy20's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Drug use

telepathyjmin's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

For the most part, this was a pretty good read. I don't normally like books that change pov and show flashbacks/jump around, but i like the way it was done in this.

Lots of moments showing morally ambiguous characters, which i always find interesting to see.

The main reason i didn't give this a higher rating is for the last part of the book. 

The pacing was pretty steady for most of the book, but all of a sudden all these major plot points start happening. Tony's dad dying, Kip running over Tony, Oliver hiding it all from Tammy etc. 

I wish we would've gotten to see more of Tammy visiting China after her father's death, as i feel that would had provided a more satisfying(?) ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Medical content, and Physical abuse

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Violence

archamrm's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent