Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

67 reviews

kristy_lyn's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Heart wrenching. Eye opening. A beautifully delivered telling of what aboriginal children experienced at the hands of Residential schools in Canada. We follow the stories of five children and how their paths weave, stumble, and intertwine. From the horrors of residential school, to the friendships and the strength required to survive it, to the impact and scars it leaves on their lives  - we get an humbling look at the resilience required, the demons fought, and the reality of how deep the damage truly ran. 

Characters you’ll fall in love with, cheer for, weep for, that your heart will break for. So many heavy, dark moments, but so many beautiful ones. This should be required reading in Canadian schools. So well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual harassment

seductive_cactus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

A VERY emotional and reflective book - seriously, I cried on the plane while reading this (I’m so sorry to the people who were sitting next to me).
This book gives the reader a raw look into what the Indian Residential Schools were like and holds nothing back. In the author acknowledgements, Good mentions that part of the situations in the books were based on her own mother’s personal experiences. 
This is not for the faint of heart, but is definitely something that needs to be discussed. I only picked it up because my book club choose this book for January - and I’m glad I did. I knew that the Indian residential schools were bad, but never to this level of detail. While the character journey and development is the big driving plot point, it can be a bit confusing to read at times. Some of the POVs jump around a bit without warning and can give you a bit of whiplash.
The book follows five children and their trauma as they go from “graduating” from the schools to becoming adults. Recovering from a childhood of trauma is not easy, and this book puts an emphasis on the lifetime and generational scars this caused.
Other than the sometimes confusing chapter jumps, I highly recommend giving this a read, and taking a look into other historic sources.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Violence, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, Addiction, and Violence

librarianaaryn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-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? No

5.0

A brilliant and heartbreaking novel about five survivors of Canada's residential schools.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

zoelynn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape

theolivetree's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, and Racial slurs

abbie_tratch's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Suicide, Genocide, and Drug use

parismia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I really loved this book. The importance of healing is so evident throughout the novel. It was heavy to read, but worth getting through to see the power that strength and resilience plays in trauma responses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Addiction

stevierae5's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

averymyers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault