Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

35 reviews

basicbookstagrammer's review

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism

esophagus18's review against another edition

emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

one of the first books i’ve binge read in a very long time time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, and Abandonment

jojo_'s review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Police brutality, Stalking, and Death of parent

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-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

4.25

This book was honestly not what I was expecting at all…but I still loved it.
Such a Fun Age follows Emira, a black women, as she is accused of kidnapping the white child she is babysitting. Alix is the mother of the child, and vows to make things right with Emira. What follows is a story of class, race, obsession, and family.
This book handled important conversations very well, which led me to reflect on my own life. Fetishization is a topic often overlooked in literature, but Riley explored its effect on relationships in such an interesting way. Overall, my favorite aspect of the novel is the two contrasting narrators which offer distinctly different experiences surrounding American life.
After checking trigger warnings and age ratings, I would definitely recommend picking up Such a Fun Age as your next read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Slavery, and Pregnancy

jen1804's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted 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

Enjoyed the themes it explored around race and the perspectives of the different characters existing in different skinned bodies.
Very character focused book as opposed to plot focused, on reflection not a great deal happens during the book.
Heartwarming relationship between Emira and Briar.
Satisfactory ending? No.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

laurataylor's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

lauren_holtry's review

challenging emotional reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Alcohol

mandi4886's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Sexism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation

cultbyproxy's review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-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

3.0

This is a book I thought I would absolutely love and I was slightly disappointed to find it merely okay. 

Something about the writing style just didn’t connect with me and made it difficult to build any sort of connection with the characters because it felt like I was being given sporadic fact-filled paragraphs instead of scenes that flowed. Overall, Such A Fun Age is a decent novel and very clear in its approach to racism, micro aggressions, fetishisation and other topics. The fact that most of the main characters are unlikeable is something I appreciated because it really showed how in these sort of discussions most people (especially white people) don’t always come across as the most knowledgeable, accommodating, or trustworthy, no matter how convinced they are of their moral standing. The white saviourism was heavily present yet introduced with a real life nuance that is to be valued. 

My favourite part of the book would probably be the relationship between Emira and Briar. Their moments were the most beautiful interactions in the book and truly a saving grace for me. Regardless, I would still recommend this book because it lays a good foundation for important conversations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation

cheesepuppy's review against another edition

challenging reflective

4.0

For a book with the word “fun” in it, this was not fun.

The writing is great. The story is done well. 

Fellow white people, I hope you pick this up and take it to heart. The author did a wonderful job making this story feel so real. It feels like a friend could have told me this happened. I think it was really smart how the white main characters both say each other is racist. The visual drawn of them pointing at each other with blame is perfect. We are all part of the problem. 

BIPOC friends:
I wouldn’t dream of telling non-white people to read this. To anyone not white, this book is full of traumatic shit. If you don’t want the triggers of racism, appropriation, and all that comes with it, skip this book. Know that it may be a good suggestion for your white friends and move on. Please go read something that won’t be painful.

Overall, I honestly wish this story had told us more about our main character and less about the overtly racist secondary characters. Though, I understand that would’ve changed the point the author was trying to make.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Vomit