Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

37 reviews

readingpicnic's review against another edition

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

My god, what an incredible book! This is also the horniest book I think I’ve ever read lol. The writing was beautifully weird, the narrator was so funny and blunt, and the relationships with the main character and the women in their life were so deep and lovely.

The final scene with Jonny crying at their Kokum’s grave made me cry so much. It was such an emotional and impactful scene to have towards the end of the book to really emphasize how their relationship transcends death with their imagined conversation (or real conversation since Jonny used to see spirits). This scene hit me like a truck.

I wrote down and highlighted the fuck out of this book. I’m going to recommend this to everyone. It’s so unabashedly queer and sex positive, and I can’t wait to devour the rest of Joshua Whitehead’s books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Transphobia, and Adult/minor relationship

djbobthegirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Addiction, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Outing, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Cancer, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Racism, Vomit, Excrement, and Infidelity

dawntin's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.5

This book was unabashedly horny, funny, and cringey. Jonny goes through so much crap, being stuck in the double bind of anti-indigenous sentiment from white people, and homophobia from native people. Still, he owns his identity, even when he’s doing questionable things, like wearing his native regalia for his clients. I think the story jumped around too much for me to fully get into it and understand the timeline. But as jarring and confusing as it was to read from Jonny’s perspective, I was still rooting for him.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

innocentce's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

avasadored's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Blood, and Hate crime

Minor: Vomit and Classism

moviemagus's review

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Grief, Child abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Alcoholism

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Body shaming

tenderbench's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

journey2's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

Jonny Appleseed is the story of an indigiqueer 2 spirit (self proclaimed NDN glitter princess), Canadian living in Winnipeg. 

This is the story of Jonny, who has left the rez he grew up on and is now living in Winnipeg. He's working as a cyber sex worker and getting by digital date by digital date, becoming whoever it is that his clients need. 

Jonny is faced with having to return to the rez for his stepfather's funeral. In the week before he heads home he is lost in recollections of the past. Of his mother, of his kokum, and of his on again off again lover since they were preteens. His lover who's not gay. Never. He just likes to be close to Jonny. 
 Jonny visits with him and his girlfriend, both of whom he loves very dearly. 

This book is sad, beautiful, romantic, and heartbreaking on many levels. It deals with love and loss and pain and suffering and discrimination and the mundaneity of life. 

It also deals with family and love and connection and heart. I listened to this on audiobook and I was completely enraptured. It made me think and it made me cry. If you're looking for a sad but beautiful story that will make you very introspective and touch your heart, than this is definitely the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Death, Racism, Drug use, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Reference to residential schools and their lasting impact on survivors

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

A lyrical and moving character study of a 2S Cree teenager in search of home. I liked this one a lot. It was razor sharp, confrontational, and emotional. It reminded me a lot of "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" in form. So if you loved that, you'll probably love this. As I said above though, it is very much a character study, so the plot is thin, sometimes a little too thin for my *personal* tastes. But the characters are beautifully drawn and compelling, and the prose is beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Animal death, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse