Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

12 reviews

nanimao's review against another edition

challenging sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual content

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

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Body shaming, and Racial slurs

Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder

draculaspoolboy's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault

jayisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

Jonny Appleseed is a messy and beautiful coming-of-age (of sorts) novel. This was such an unflinching reflection of the titular character’s understanding of his life, relationships, and identity. And all of this was at the forefront, while the story of him having to go back to the reservation for a funeral played out in the background.

I was really taken to how Whitehead explored gender and colonialism through Tias and Jonny, and how colonial ideas of the gender binary (especially masculinity) impacted these two young adults. I also enjoyed how so much of this was explored through Jonny’s life as a cyber sex worker, with Whitehead writing with such ease about sexuality and more. Something else I utterly enjoyed was seeing the amount of love and acceptance Jonny received from his mother and his kokum, especially.

Lots to think about in this book. It is messy in the emotional sense (it’s all over the place from funny to heartbreaking), but also that it’s not quite clear where Whitehead wants to take the reader at times. But, you know, sometimes not knowing is the journey. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Colonisation, and Death

Minor: Body shaming

deinonychus's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

This is an excellent book, reflecting on the love and healing that is found between moments of intense pain. About being honest to one's self and the consequences that brings, the ways that community is both essential and the source of our greatest hurts. Joshua Whitehead also pulls no punches with the issues facing First Nations communities in Canada (and the US), from the lasting trauma of the residential school system to MMIW to the destructive effects of foster care that persist to this day. Definitely plan on adding this to my physical library.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Violence

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Homophobia, and Chronic illness

Minor: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury

Absent parent, prostitution, f slur, residential schools, MMIWG2S, injured animal, broken bones, mention of lynching, e slur, child birth death, overdose,

nkmustdie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Cultural appropriation, Transphobia, Vomit, Grief, Child abuse, Body shaming, Blood, Animal death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Dysphoria, Cursing, Classism, Racism, Bullying, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Colonisation, and Chronic illness

arsenic_'s review

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault

Moderate: Grief, Death, and Colonisation