Reviews tagging 'Death'

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

4 reviews

mrsfishreads's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? No

4.0

This was a tough read.  I think what I wanted is it to flow better, for the POV to stay the same.  There were times I didn't know whose point of view it was coming from..  the mother, the daughter, a stranger?  Beyond the writing, the story was heartfelt and heartbreaking.  The evacuating of Japanese- Americans during WWII was an absolute crime.   One America has never really paid for.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Deportation, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, War, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Racism, Murder, Bullying, Death, Deportation, Child death, Confinement, Grief, and Rape

spacerkip's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

A powerful story about a part of US history it's tried so hard to ignore. The detached and impersonal writing style wasn't quite to my taste, so it didn't have as hard of an impact on me. I can definitely see it appealing to fans of more literary fiction. Emotions don't come across through the words on the page, but more through the things that aren't said/described. That being said, I think it will linger with me for quite a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Animal death, Confinement, and Death

Minor: Racial slurs, Torture, and War

rohnstrong's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I cannot recommend this breathtaking novel enough. It was tragic and absorbing. Its matter of fact writing style paired perfectly with grizzly subject matter we’re not often taught.

Please read this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Minor: Racism and Racial slurs

wai's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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

5.0

This book is slim and a very quick read but one that stays with you. I found the end particularly poignant, discussing the surrealism of returning to society after internment and facing both overt and covert forms of racism and complacency in the white majority. The family survives but the trauma they all faced in imprisonment and the current social climate has taken its toll and begs the question - how much did they really survive? 

I'm a quarter Japanese American and this just reminded me of all the history classes I've taken that discussed WWII, how little they all discussed Japanese internment and how much justification we were given for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. More of this rhetoric exists still today than people realize and is hard for Japanese diaspora and their families.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Confinement, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Dementia

Minor: Vomit