Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward, Jesmyn Ward

37 reviews

cara_on_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Car accident

booksandcoffeerequired's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty and Mental illness

rachaeldamms's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, and Car accident

saviorcomplex's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction

poursandpages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Men We Reaped is Jesmyn Ward’s memoir, & did it EVER punch me in the gut. She weaves her story in & out of the stories of 5 men in her life that died within a few years of each other.

The title comes from a Harriet Tubman quote that is presented to the reader before the book starts: “We saw the lightning and that was the guns. We heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped."

F u c k.

This is Jesmyn’s story, but it’s not a unique one, & that’s the truly horrific part. I was REALLY forced to sit with my privilege with this one. In particular, I had a visceral reaction to the dog fighting scenes. Of course, we love our pets & animal abuse is AWFUL, but why wasn’t I having the same EXACT reaction to the deaths of 5 young Black men? Why am I so desensitized to this? Why are we ALL so desensitized? It’s horrifying, & is the biggest reminder that this work is NEVER over.

White people really need to digest this one. Sit with it. Sit with everything it brings up. It’s not going to be pretty. This work isn’t supposed to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Racism, and Suicide

sheistolerable's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

rebeckareads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a difficult read for me in many ways; it brought some of my own experiences of grief back to the surface, it made me painfully aware (not  saying I wasn't already, but sometimes it just slaps you in the face, you know?) of the oppressive systems in place and how this system hurts real people, every day... and last but not least, it left me feeling sorrowful and angry. I wanted to shy away from these feelings and quickly distract myself with something else but I feel I owe it to Jesmyn Ward  and other BIPOC to  let myself stew in these feelings for a while -- and then make a promise to myself to face more media that makes me feel that way, because they are here, and we need to listen, and we need to act.

Oh, and Jesmyn Ward's  writing? Raw, stunning, poetic and so, so, SO engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism