Reviews tagging 'Racism'

How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin

24 reviews

dreamerfreak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Classism, Infertility, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Murder, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, War, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence

bmpicc's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

"Read outside of your comfort zone." I say this at the library ALL the time. I decided to take my own advice. This is my guys favorite author, but even he admitted her books would be too much for my sci-fi/fantasy challenged brain. Then I realized Jemisin had a book of short stories. Could I do it?

Turns out I could! I read this with a friend as a buddy read and it was the BEST experience. We broke down each story. The writing, what it seemed the author might be trying to say, how it relates to us and our lives, was the amount of fantasy just enough or too much and why... We talked about everything. She might very well be the reason I finished too. There were 3 stories in here, that if they had placed earlier, I might have DNF'd. 

This may be more of a 3.5, but the buddy read experience upped it to a 4. Do not let my fears of sci-fi/fantasy take away from the fact that Jemisin has a way with words that I deeply respect. I was very impressed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Death

Moderate: Police brutality and Violence

jayisreading's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.5

This surprisingly large collection of short stories really showcased Jemisin’s talent in storytelling and her control in crafting stories from different genres and timelines. Many of these stories aren’t particularly long, yet she managed to breathe so much life into them that made me want to read more about some of these worlds. (I’m also aware that a few of these stories were prototypes—of sorts—for actual novels, which I need to check out!) I was really taken to the pervasive Afrofuturist elements in many of these stories, the way they dreamed for something more.

Like most short story collections, I found some to be more compelling than others, but all-in-all, I know any fan of science fiction/fantasy will be able to find at least two stories that will stick with them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Body horror

Moderate: Violence and Animal cruelty

Minor: Misogyny, Classism, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

quantumponies's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Animal death and Rape

talonsontypewriters's review

adventurous reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Death, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Sexism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Classism, Infertility, Sexual content, Gun violence, Violence, and Bullying

Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Child death, Slavery, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Drug use

tomatocultivator's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-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

A solid collection, with some real bangers in the back half! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective fast-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? It's complicated

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I absolutely adored this collection of short science and speculative fiction stories! Some stood out to me or impacted me more than others, but that's just how short story collections go. NK Jemisin is such an excellent writer, and I will continue to read anything by her, even her grocery shopping lists!

My favorites were:

• The Ones Who Stay and Fight
• The Effluent Engine
• Cloud Dragon Skies
• The Trojan Girl
• The Storyteller's Replacement
• The Brides of Heaven
• The Elevator Dancer
• On the Banks of Riber Lex
• The You Train

I listened to the audiobook and I *highly* recommend that format. All of the narrators (Shayna Small, Gail Nelson-Holgate, Robin Eller, Ron Butler, Kevin Stillwell, Je Nie Fleming, Jeannette Illidge) were fantastic!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Gun violence, Animal death, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality, Slavery, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual content

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a powerful selection of works. Many I wish were longer but most are long enough to keep a reader satisfied. I recommend the audiobook edition but I will be seeking out a print edition to reread slowly and treasure every detail given life upon the page. There are dark topics within the works but they are not done in a graphic or offensive way. Their purpose isn't to jump scare or get a shock reaction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Animal death, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Police brutality, Slavery, and Racial slurs

mxpringle's review against another edition

challenging inspiring medium-paced

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

3.75

This is my first book from N. K. Jemisin and it honestly just made me want to read some of her longer form fiction. I love her writing style and the concepts that she lays out, but I feel like a lot of the plot and character growth could've been improved in a longer form novel. However, that is kind of part of the nature of short stories for me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

mythian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Death

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexism