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joannalouise's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
cynicalplankton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
roaming_reader's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
alienskiesabove's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Police brutality and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Blood
hankatcol's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Violence, Homophobia, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Rape, War, Vomit, and Deadnaming
backaswords's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The alternate timeline where Gore is elected aptly shows how a green movement wouldn’t be anti-racist and would still bend to capitalism and racism. The cast is diverse with lots of queer characters, which I love.
I would not recommend this to a BIPOC person as the depictions of police brutality and the lessons the MC learns might be triggering and honestly annoying. She’s a white lady learning her privilege and that was often annoying for me, but mostly because it reminded me of my own journey and how annoying I was (and probably still am).
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Sexual assault
lettuce_read's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, and Deadnaming
Minor: Transphobia
caseythereader's review
- 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
- THE FREE PEOPLE'S VILLAGE is unlike any book I've ever read before. I never thought a book about the internal struggles of a group of activists would rivet me, but I absolutely could not put this down.
- This book is entirely from the POV of Maddie, a young white woman joining a Black-led movement to preserve a Black neighborhood. She doesn't always handle new information and situations perfectly (or even well), and she eventually has to reckon with her place in the movement and take accountability for actions she does or does not take. I think Kern struck the right balance here - Maddie is not a white savior, but she is given space to catch up on the history and politics she does not know (and even then, she is reprimanded for never bothering to learn these things!)
- Looking at this book from a wider perspective, I appreciated how Kern took the fork in the road that we often romanticize - Gore winning the 2000 election - and showed how even if there was massive movement on the climate, our society would still find a way to use those changes to enrich white people and push out poor and BIPOC people. Honestly, this book is one to give to white liberals who you wish would consider leftist ideas.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Rape, Blood, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Police brutality, Vomit, War, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide attempt
Minor: Pregnancy and Deadnaming
kays_reading_journal's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Police brutality, Transphobia, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Addiction, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Deadnaming, Grief, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Rape, and Suicide attempt