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sassmistress's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
5.0
Wow. I really dropped the ball not reading this one until now. I'm sure it's much more impactful as a parent, though. Gripping, emotional ride from start to finish. Such perfect detail I had to keep reminding myself that it's a work of fiction.
Favorite fictional father so far! Just wow. And the slow unfolding of events as understood by a child overhearing things and not fully grasping the implications of situations is just perfection.
Favorite fictional father so far! Just wow. And the slow unfolding of events as understood by a child overhearing things and not fully grasping the implications of situations is just perfection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Classism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Racism, Physical abuse, and Police brutality
Moderate: Incest, Animal death, Sexism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Ableism, Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Stalking, and Terminal illness
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Suicide, and War
This book is for adults. It centers around a rape trial in which a black man is (falsely) accused of assaulting a white woman in a heavily segregated Alabama town.It's deeply immersive, in a culture where racism is woven into the culture and impossible to avoid. The KKK and the "War Between the States" are part of recent cultural memory. Black defendants are always convicted no matter what. Lynching and mob violence are a very near threat.
Expectedly, the n-word abounds, among other racial slurs. Other language is not infrequent, including he**, g-d-, b****, wh*re, d**n, sl*t, etc. Lord's name in vain quite a few times.
Lots of death--not gory, but as close as it gets without actually witnessing it. Old age, and talk of the body being carried out of the home. Death penalty discussed often. A man dies:
Domestic violence:
Morphine addiction is discussed and withdrawals are shown.
Both respectable and "unrespectable" poverty are shown.
Schoolyard bullying and fights, neighborhood verbal abuse and gossip about many culturally relevant "deficiencies" like unladylikeness, mental illness, intellectual disability, not being sufficiently racist, etc.
Lots of portrayals of Christianity. Some are good, including the nearest relationships to the MC, but many are not. A neighbor reports that a different sort of baptist told her she was going to hell, MC loses "confidence in pulpit gospel" when thinking on what a good person the neighbor is. "Foot-washers think women are a sin by definition. They take the Bible literally, you know." The ladies' missionary society talks about global cultures with pity and exaggeration, often conflating spiritual issues with cultural differences. A white employer tells her black housekeeper she's not being a good Christian when she is visibly affected by a serious injustice in the local community and nearly fired her for it. Etc, many more.
Other spiritual content: Kids spook each other with talk of spirits on dirt roads. "Dill was a villain's villain: he could get into any character part assigned him, and appear tall if height was part of the devilry required. "
Besides the rape trial and moderately explicit testimony, which includes brief mention of domestic SA, there's other, more minor sexual content. Incest in local families is mentioned very specifically a few times. There's a quick joke about infidelity. Kids lie and say they were playing strip poker, which gets them into trouble (less because they played with matches instead of cards). There's a "swift" kid kiss, and a boy climbs into bed with a girl he keeps promising to marry some day, but it's platonic.
"I'll tan you" and many other such comments, severe corporal punishment for children being an expected part of the culture. Kids laugh when the teacher gives "quick little pats" on the hand when they realize it was meant to be a "whipping".
gloria_zeee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read for school, now one of my favorite books
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Alcoholism
Minor: Classism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
nayeliv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cursing, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Domestic abuse
c_e_w's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Animal death, Incest, Violence, Bullying, Grief, Sexism, Death of parent, and Rape
rachelefelli's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
leonormsousa's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery
bookish_bry's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I enjoyed this book, though the beginning was a bit slow. I already knew the ending of the court case considering that we'd watched (part of) the movie in an English class when I was younger, but it was still an intriguing aspect of the book.
While, of course, we all wanted the court case to go the other way, I think the doomed from the start case where they couldn't overcome it in the end aspect was very good. It speaks to Atticus Finch's character that he did his best despite the odds. It also illustrated the social issues at the time very well.
I also liked the ending with Boo (Arthur) Radley quite a bit. I think it really spoke to Scout's new perspective about how to think about and treat people developed in the book.
While, of course, we all wanted the court case to go the other way, I think the doomed from the start case where they couldn't overcome it in the end aspect was very good. It speaks to Atticus Finch's character that he did his best despite the odds. It also illustrated the social issues at the time very well.
I also liked the ending with Boo (Arthur) Radley quite a bit. I think it really spoke to Scout's new perspective about how to think about and treat people developed in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Rape and Misogyny
martin27's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I fully understand why this book is considered to be so important. It’s incredible, with a lot of meaning and heart in every word. Some parts move so quickly that you can’t put it down, and some go slowly not because they’re boring but because it’s the kind of story you want to savor. I cannot recommend it enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
The novel has a fairly heavy premise: a black man on trial for the rape of a white woman in Alabama during the Jim Crow era. All trigger warnings that can think of are present, but I think that for the most part Harper Lee handles them very well.ibshaver's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Death, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
brynhayes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Violence, Racism, Blood, Death, Racial slurs, and Rape