Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Missing from the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System that Failed Toronto's Queer Community by Justin Ling

11 reviews

belletex's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.5

Fantastic book about true events and the unfortunate failure to stop a serial killer terrorizing Toronto’s gay community.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Police brutality

ruthlessreads's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

This is one of the best, most thoughtfully done true crime books I've ever read. Ling takes great care to represent the victims honestly and to include interviews and permissions from family members. He also discusses the exploitative nature of true crime, as a genre, and the ways in which telling the stories of crimes against & within marginalized communities is valuable. 

Using over 5 years of research, the author outlines how a serial killer hunted & killed members of Toronto's queer community, how that community responded, and the egregious mismanagement of these cases by local police. He also humanizes the victims, providing a window into their lives through the interviews of their family & friends. This account of loss, grief, and systemic discrimination against race, gender, and sexuality speaks to current societal issues while also highlighting the real human cost of failed policing & marginalization of personal identities.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Hate crime

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, Biphobia, Alcohol, Drug use, Deportation, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Torture

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

This book was written with tact and empathy for the victims and their families. The author made sure to seek the help of those whose loved ones he was working to memorialize, to ensure that the attempt at enshrining them wasn't instead causing harm. Missing from the Village addresses issues of community, and the explores the amorphous idea that community exists inherently among people who share a marginalized identity. The book calls into question the organization and priorities of the Toronto police, and offers solutions to the issues inherent in how the current system treats cases outside of the purview of general policing, especially missing persons cases. These issues allowed a killer to slip away from punishment for decades. Despite living in an area of the United States that is close to Canada, I don't have much more than a cursory insight into Canadian social issues and politics, and I'm astounded by the policing, harassment, and profiling issues that still plague queer and other marginalized populations.
I'm glad to have read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Racism, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Cannibalism, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Gun violence

alanna17's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia

tracey1981's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This book about the serial murder of eight or more queer men in Toronto is a sad cautionary tale and call for community care and action in the face of murders of queer men and other marginalized folks. The author’s empathy for the victims and their families and his thoughtful critique of society, police, media, etc. really shine here. If I’m going to read a true crime story, I want to learn something and for it to have a deeper purpose, not just a gruesome, sensationalized story. This book definitely had a larger purpose and I’m glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, and Homophobia

paronomaniac's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

ellaspring's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction

fredasvoice's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

3.5

A friend lent me this book knowing I like to read true crime, and this one was sort of local to me. I live 40 minutes from Toronto, so when this happened it was all over the news. I was definitely curious to learn more about this case and the killer.

Wow!

I thought I knew about the cases against Bruce McArthur, but after reading this book and learning the gruesome details I am floored and shocked. I will never understand how someone can do such indignities to another human.

Let's discuss the writing though.... Easy to read because the author knows how to put the story out there for the reader. However, I felt like the ending had stuff in it that not only wasn't relevant to the story but highly unneccesary to be included. If it has nothing to do with the crime at hand or connected in any way, why include it in the book? 

Other than that it was a good read. True Crime fans will devour this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, and Murder

bookishdi's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Violence

notthatlibrarian's review

dark emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Stalking, and Xenophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Pedophilia

Some of the victims were not out as queer at the time of their death and were outed during the investigation. Although many details of their lives are public record, it is still uncomfortable at times to read about, knowing they cannot give consent. Although the information related to the victims is handled sensitively, and the case is not sensationalized, it is difficult to read about certain events and details regarding the case without major discomfort.