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stellahadz's review
dark
sad
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
4.25
It feels wrong to say I enjoyed this book -- it's an unflinchingly sad story of a young woman's struggles with her mental health. I will say it's a brilliant book, though. The writing is sharp and vivid, and I loved the mixed-media format. The narrative is interspersed with pages from a zine created by Sahara's aunt, stage directions, and chapter names that reference popular songs. Based on the description, I thought the book would be more of a mystery about the titular Unfortunates, Black women classmates of Sahara's who have disappeared or died, but ultimately it was more of an exploration of Sahara's own mental space and how she learns the value of care. It has a similar vibe to books like My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but The Unfortunates is definitely more self-aware (and better, in my personal opinion -- and I say that as someone who likes R&R!) J. K. Chukwu is so talented, and I look forward to reading more of her work. I absolutely recommend this book, but I'd advise checking the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Racism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Eating disorder
karemark's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Racism, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
aishallnot's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.75
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
This was such an interesting novel following sahara and her journey as a 20 something in college. There were moments (to a certain extent) i definitely related to her of being "halfrican" (half african and half african-american) and feeling this disconnect from our culture to being in our head a lot and not being present in the moment. While this is a dark comedy, this could also be classified as dark academia where we see black characters go through challenges at a pwi in the midwest (the main one being that black students are dying) There are some heavy moments in this book (the mc is suicidal, deals w/ self-harm, and sometimes ed in addition to institutionlized racism), so id be mindful of that.
Seeing how the story ends honestly puts into perspective of how much sahara has grown as a character. At the beginning, she was very depressed and constantly relied on bad coping mechanism, but >spoiler< after experiencing the loss of her friend/crush, she almost feels hopeless. / However with the help of one of her friends, she is able to go to therapy, be more open about her struggles, and finds the courage to live and not become a victim or one of the "unfortunate". The writing in this book is written like a thesis statement which I thought was interesting to see as a reflection of the mc. After reading this book and knowing why she (sahara) written the thesis statement, it makes sense bc she is showing how she almost gave up but didn't and this was almost like a huge f you to the school she is attending.
What I wish we saw from the story was that we see sahara at the end of the school her and how she is doing especially with her family. It wasn't until around 80-85% where we see her development and I kind feel like an epilogue would be nice to see more of her progress. Another thing that kinda gives me this rating was that there were a lot of abbreviations which can get confusing at times. I listened to this one audio majority of the time (which I honestly LOVED the narration), but I think reading the physical at the beginning would have been helpful.
Overall, this was a great story and definitely deals with real life issues that unfortunately continue to happen. I'd say I recommend this book and would be interested to see what the author writes next.
This was such an interesting novel following sahara and her journey as a 20 something in college. There were moments (to a certain extent) i definitely related to her of being "halfrican" (half african and half african-american) and feeling this disconnect from our culture to being in our head a lot and not being present in the moment. While this is a dark comedy, this could also be classified as dark academia where we see black characters go through challenges at a pwi in the midwest (the main one being that black students are dying) There are some heavy moments in this book (the mc is suicidal, deals w/ self-harm, and sometimes ed in addition to institutionlized racism), so id be mindful of that.
Seeing how the story ends honestly puts into perspective of how much sahara has grown as a character. At the beginning, she was very depressed and constantly relied on bad coping mechanism, but >spoiler< after experiencing the loss of her friend/crush, she almost feels hopeless. /
What I wish we saw from the story was that we see sahara at the end of the school her and how she is doing especially with her family. It wasn't until around 80-85% where we see her development and I kind feel like an epilogue would be nice to see more of her progress. Another thing that kinda gives me this rating was that there were a lot of abbreviations which can get confusing at times. I listened to this one audio majority of the time (which I honestly LOVED the narration), but I think reading the physical at the beginning would have been helpful.
Overall, this was a great story and definitely deals with real life issues that unfortunately continue to happen. I'd say I recommend this book and would be interested to see what the author writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, and Racism
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, and Racial slurs
midnightmarauder's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
The Unfortunates follows Sahara Nwadike, a depressed college sophomore who no longer wants to live. Sahara attends an unnamed PWI that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, yet their black students are constantly dying, disappearing, or both.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 noticesSahara's self-harm scars , and without asking her why she did what she did or caring about helping her stop, changes the subject back to herself. She was, by far, my least favorite character in the book.
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,it is revealed that she suffers from a health issue that she seeks help for from the university's hospital, but they constantly ignore her. Eventually, the issue is shown to be fibroids and she goes into emergency surgery, only to die from complications later.
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 notices
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racism and Eating disorder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Blood, Body shaming, and Misogyny
bookrecsondeck's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Self harm, Eating disorder, and Death
tjminus's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
First, definitely check the trigger/content warnings before reading this book. It is a DARK comedy. The writing style/presentation was so unique and creative and I truly enjoyed it. I just felt like the last 80 or so pages rushed to complete the plot and the book easily could have gone another 20-30 pages to match the plot pace of the first 2/3rds of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Racism, Death, and Classism
mmmmmm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i honestly don't know how to rate this, but it was a propulsive reading experience and like nothing i've ever read before. the experimental style and inclusion of the zine was so creative and interesting. extensive trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
dominmuenster's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Self harm
Moderate: Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Medical content, Drug use, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Vomit
seullywillikers's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Initial thoughts: raw, intelligent, funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, beautiful.
Updated review: EVERYONE should read this book, but most especially, if you have anything to do with higher education AT ALL, whether as student, teacher, administrator, or volunteer, you must read this book. Obviously, as a white woman, I did not identify with all of Sahara's identities; I did identify with some of her story, though. This has got to have the most real portrayal of depression and suicidal ideation in a fiction that I have ever read. Throughout, Sahara's humor, sadness, and rage burn brightly, so that you are in the midst of it, and feeling it too. The POV of a Black woman in a PWI is poignant and important-you can logically 'know' a thing, but to see it through this window is another thing entirely. Certainly, I'll never understand on a fundamental level, but having the books and other media that represent these true stories (fiction as truth-teller) is so important for everyone in today's America.
The framework of a satirical Master's thesis is brilliantly conceived and executed in this book, and is well used to highlight the insufficient, ineffective, and hypocritical policies and facades of towering institutions that don't actually do the work to raise up anyone except their donors and benefactors. This book touched not only on systemic racism, but also everyday microaggressions, inequitable health-care and the dismissal of Black people's pain, trying to figure out your life as an LGBTQIA+ person, depression and self-harm, dysfunctional families (even if there is love there), and just trying to figure out yourself in college. That is SO much to cover, but this book doesn't feel bogged down, sloggy, or hindered in achieving to carry all of that.
Also, Sahara has awesome taste in music. 5 stars.
Updated review: EVERYONE should read this book, but most especially, if you have anything to do with higher education AT ALL, whether as student, teacher, administrator, or volunteer, you must read this book. Obviously, as a white woman, I did not identify with all of Sahara's identities; I did identify with some of her story, though. This has got to have the most real portrayal of depression and suicidal ideation in a fiction that I have ever read. Throughout, Sahara's humor, sadness, and rage burn brightly, so that you are in the midst of it, and feeling it too. The POV of a Black woman in a PWI is poignant and important-you can logically 'know' a thing, but to see it through this window is another thing entirely. Certainly, I'll never understand on a fundamental level, but having the books and other media that represent these true stories (fiction as truth-teller) is so important for everyone in today's America.
The framework of a satirical Master's thesis is brilliantly conceived and executed in this book, and is well used to highlight the insufficient, ineffective, and hypocritical policies and facades of towering institutions that don't actually do the work to raise up anyone except their donors and benefactors. This book touched not only on systemic racism, but also everyday microaggressions, inequitable health-care and the dismissal of Black people's pain, trying to figure out your life as an LGBTQIA+ person, depression and self-harm, dysfunctional families (even if there is love there), and just trying to figure out yourself in college. That is SO much to cover, but this book doesn't feel bogged down, sloggy, or hindered in achieving to carry all of that.
Also, Sahara has awesome taste in music. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood
abbie_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for a review!
Boy oh boy was this book an emotional rollercoaster! I need to preface this by saying that I highly recommend it but if you are currently struggling with depression and/or self-harm, please take care of yourself if you read it!
Boy oh boy was this book an emotional rollercoaster! I need to preface this by saying that I highly recommend it but if you are currently struggling with depression and/or self-harm, please take care of yourself if you read it!
.
The Unfortunates is told in the style of a thesis written by Sahara, a queer, half-Black half-Nigerian sophomore who is in the grips of debilitating depression. As well as her depression, Life Partner or LP as she refers to it, Sahara is also grappling with all of the exhaustion that comes from being a young Black woman in an Ivy League college entrenched in institutionalised racism. Other Black students are ‘graduating early’ at an alarming rate, driven to suicide, dropping out, or failed by the medical professionals supposedly charged with their care. Courtney @busyblackbookworm put it perfectly in her review - the racism Chukwu exhibits in her book is not explicit, but rather the focus is on the everyday micro-aggressions and ignorance prevalent at mostly-white institutions. Slowly but surely, this form pervasive racism wears down the Black students (and other students of colour, as briefly explored with Sahara’s best friend, but the chief focus is on Black students), forcing them to drastic, devastating measures.
.
Chukwu does an incredible job of showing the oppressive reality of being a Black depressed woman in a mostly white sphere. At one point Sahara despairs over how to explain to her parents ‘why [she is] incapable of simply learning for four years’. When in reality there’s nothing simple at all when your depression is making existing seem like an impossible task, coupled with fighting back against an institution that is doing its very best to erase Black students.
.
There is some also humour through the despair, as well as intriguing zine illustrations which I mostly felt too dense to ‘get’. Overall a candid & challenging read and I look forward to what’s next from debut author J.K. Chukwu!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts