Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

14 reviews

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I understand this is a reimagining of the H.P. Lovecraft book, The Call of Cthulhu. I haven't read any Lovecraft books, but I suspect they are reflective of the time during which they were written and not as socially conscious as many modern readers would prefer. In The Ballad of Black Tom, author Victor LaValle has established a racially biased and unequal setting where the main character, Tom Tester, lives a life where he is subjugated to the white population, despite his significant intellect and social charms. Tom is a street hustler, but skillful knowing when he must humble himself to survive, such as when he's questioned by the white police for no good reason. Tom knows how to play the part while an anger of discontent wells up within him, brought to a boil when his gentle, elderly father is gunned down during a baseless home invasion perpetrated by the police.

The author tells a story that answers the question, how far would a man go to flip the order and come out on top of his oppressors. Could someone be beat down so badly and feeling such grief for the loss of their contentment that they would strike a bargain with the devil? This novella is rich in world building and creates a very palpable dynamic between the main characters. There are a lot of eerie scenarios described in the book and experienced by Tom, but always looking for the best opportunity, Tom keeps a clear head and weighs his odds to come up with the decision that's best for him.

This book blends historical fiction, horror, and fantasy, but it's never taken too far outside the natural world we know. That happens just enough to catch glimpses into the possibilities that entice Tom and others to gamble on leaving the life they know to pursue the glory that can be found in other dimensions. It's a clever story and I was thoroughly entertained. I listened to the audiobook and found the narration of Kevin R. Free to be mesmerizing and especially suited to this story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol

Minor: Grief

duckizza's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence

e_l_k's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The dedication reads "For H.P. Lovecraft, with all my conflicted feelings." Little else can summarize what is special about this little book. It turns Lovecraft's fear rooted in bigotry on its head to tell a story of hidden magics and the aggressions of society, and the hell they unleash within one poor Black man. "What was indifference compared to malice?"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Suicide

zoe_celeste123's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

This is a wonderful rendition of Lovecraftian lore that captures the essence of eldritch horror while also addressing and critiquing the racism and xenophobia in Lovecraft's original stories. This is a story I will remember for a very long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Xenophobia, Murder, and Hate crime

pizzaisjesus98's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Hate crime

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Stalking, Slavery, Confinement, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Deportation

grimdark_dad's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism

emilineopines's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racism

bookish_slagathor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was damn brilliant! I’ve got no words how amazing it was, I just wish it was longer and had more story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Hate crime, Blood, Racial slurs, and Death

billyjepma's review

dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

Intoxicatingly excellent. In barely a 100 pages, LaValle tells a story that upends the grotesque xenophobia of H.P. Lovecraft and exposes how real evil isn’t found in the cosmic unknown, but in the very known prejudices and violences American society uses against its own people. 

This isn’t a horror story, at least not in the traditional means, but it is a horrifying story. The Lovecraftian elements are fantastically unsettling, and are easily elevated by LaValle’s crisp, humanistic, almost poetic writing style. It’s that writing that makes the all-too-familiar racism and violence—spearheaded by society’s elite, the police force, and the foundation of our country— cut so deep, too. I wish the it had a little more meat to it, because there’s so much left to mine, but I can’t wait to read a helluva lot more of LaValle’s work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence

dosymedia's review

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Torture