Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza, Abby Sher

11 reviews

lcl_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

One thing I will say about this book is that I do not think it should be marked as young adult. While the main character is a teenage, it tackles some pretty traumatic events.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Abandonment, Violence, Rape, Deportation, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child death, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Murder and Trafficking

maevedora's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Grief, Deportation, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Confinement

Minor: Blood and Cursing

paigereitz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

Damn. This book was intense and hard and important. A near-set dystopian future in which Americans are chipped and undocumented immigrants are hunted by the government. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Deportation, Police brutality, Death, Racism, Trafficking, Child death, and Hate crime

Moderate: Blood and Sexual assault

kshertz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

I loved this book. It’s dystopian but just barely. The genius is in just how not far out in the future it feels. People who are not born in America being marked and tracked, forced to try to get to California for Sanctuary. It so clearly connects you to the main characters and you root  for everyone. It breaks your heart over and over again. But it’s so important. I wish I could make everyone read it. Especially my students from conservative households. The empathy is essential. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Trafficking, Blood, Child death, Deportation, Genocide, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, and Rape

theroastedbookery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Wow.  This book was a hard read.  Not in the difficulty of the writing but in the subject matter.  The main character's journey is one of pain and suffering.  It is not a world that is too hard to imagine, though I hope it never comes to pass.  The political messages in the book are clear and present.  This book could serve as a warning for what could happen should Americans choose to turn a blind eye to immigration, climate change, and rhetoric rather than working to help and solve problems in a peaceful and inviting way.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Deportation, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Vomit, and Cursing

Minor: Sexual violence and Rape

funkylitchick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Rape, and Racial slurs

dtvanderwoude's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I'm a teacher, and I was looking for a novel to teach to my 12th graders involving immigration.  When a co-worker suggested Sanctuary, it seemed perfect. 

This is a beautiful story about the struggles many immigrants face today, exaggerated, but not by much.

This broke my heart on so many levels. The fact that this is so close to reality.  The loss they go through, the need for survival.

I can't wait to read it with my students, I feel like it opened my eyes to SO much. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Abandonment, Grief, and Trafficking

reads_cats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Hate crime, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, and War

happilyeveralli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I can't describe how much I love subtle dystopias. Sure, the Hunger Games is an almost-masterpiece, but sometimes I just want a dystopia that feels so much like our world that it makes you shake in your boots. That's what Sanctuary is. It feels like a nightmare—far from our world, but sadly not unreachable. Listening to the book also gave it another layer of emotion. I cried and laughed with the characters; felt their joy and pain. It's very likely and basically impossible that I'll ever experience anything like the main characters, but I could only hope that in their world, they end up just fine. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Trafficking

abookandaspotoftea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Child death, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Trafficking, and Sexual violence