Reviews with content warning for Racism - Heads of the Colored People

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

13 reviews

happyblkhippie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.0

This was a random pick of short stories that was meant to help break up the heavy, dense sociology books I've been reading recently, but ended up being different than I thought. However I enjoyed it more than thought I would. It's fairly quick and what I really like about it being short stories is you can read them in any order if you want. A few of them do have some overlap with characters.

It's definitely witty, dark, satire and makes you laugh, but not in a hahaha way more like a snicker. I found the characters to be quite the bunch of irreverent, sometimes cringe, insufferable and beautifully flawed people.

My Fave shorts

Fátima: The Bilquist: A Transformation Story
Suicide Watch
Belles Lettres
The Subject of Consumption
Whisper to a Scream

I enjoyed how the author showed a range of different nuanced experiences of Black people and the Black experience from a middle and upper class perspective. It does tackle some heavier topics in a satirical way, but check the trigger warnings. Overall it's a good niche selection of shorts.

Content Warnings

madisonn's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

Content Warnings

jayisreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.25

Smart, dark, and humorous, this was a really fascinating collection of short stories that had me snickering one moment, followed by a heartbroken sigh. Thompson-Spires has a vibrant cast of characters, some making reappearances, that reveals the struggles of modern Black Americans in various spaces. I was really drawn to the the decisions Thompson-Spires seems to have made to create Black characters taking part in activities and be in careers that so frequently exclude them. Whether it be anime or academia, it was wonderful that she never failed to assert the presence of Black people.

Content Warnings

jordynkw's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

madelinequinne's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. It was very informative about the lives of black people in this day and age, and I feel like I learned a lot from it. I definitely recommend to anyone interested in reading about the experiences of black people in the modern world

Content Warnings

heybrownberry's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

Content Warnings

leahb88's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

I loved the writing style of this collection and found the voice to change a bit, depending on who was narrating. Each story building on each other and the ways that they became connected as you read was super interesting. I found the stories to read as very introspective and kind of live within the minds of the characters, but taken together this collection is a reflection on the ways that Black bodies exist in society.

Content Warnings