Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Penguin Readers Level 7: Homegoing (ELT Graded Reader) by Yaa Gyasi

14 reviews

galexy_brain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Confinement, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Suicide, Infertility, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Bullying, Gun violence, and Homophobia

mettenikkessen's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

The storytelling in this book was beautiful! This book was sometimes heartbreaking as well as emotional and powerful. I loved all the family relations and connections throughout the book. I sometimes wished I could read more about certain characters, instead of moving on to the next story. It deals with many important historical themes surrounding slavery and racism. Even though this book is fiction, it felt very real to me and informative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Racism

Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Torture, Rape, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Infertility, Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Child death, Addiction, and Abandonment

sweekune's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

I went into this book blind, based on a friend's recommendation and the vague description of "It's about two black sisters and their descendents. It's sooo good." I'm not sure "good" is the right word for the raw, serrated emotions this book brought from me. I cried with almost every chapter and have come away forever changed by this book.

- Each chapter has a different point of view, starting with the original sisters and flowing down the generations to modern day. You feel the weight of the ancestor's experience influencing the lives of the descendents. Despite the short time spent with each protagonist, the author's writing draws you in and you feel in your heart for each and every one of them.

- This book documents extremely well the challenges of black people from the slave trade, colonialism, segregation, gaining independence, workers' rights, drug addiction and so much more. This is the sort of book that should be studied in schools and used to spark discussions on history and the awful things white people did (and still do) to black people and forge a better future.

- The language used is beautiful and Gyasi's prose paints all these places and points in time so it's like you're there. The ending of one chapter almost made me vomit the imagery was so strong. It takes amazing skill to write something that produces such a visceral reaction and I am in awe of her talent.

Absolutely and irrevocably scarring in the best way. I will carry Homegoing with me for a long time and I felt it within me. Everyone should read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

grayscale08's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Racial slurs, and Slavery

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Gun violence, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Outing, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Vomit