Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

The Postcard by Anne Berest

10 reviews

kerri_m's review against another edition

5.0

I've read many books about the catastrophe, and this is one of the best.

It's a story about identity, survival, memory, responsibility, hope. It's about telling their story. It's about not looking away (even when the telling makes you shake and feel sick). 

While many of the details may have been imagined and the research process likely went in a slightly different order, it's miraculous that the Rabinoviches got as much information as they did. We will never hear countless stories of other lives that were stolen.

Reading it now, in 2024, feels like a call to action.

Indifference is universal. Who are you indifferent toward today, right now? Ask yourself that. Which victims living in tents, or under overpasses, or in camps way outside the cities are your ‘invisible ones’? The Vichy regime set out to remove the Jews from French society. And they succeeded.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Deportation, Violence, War, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Child death, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Body horror, Addiction, Suicide, Drug abuse, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Antisemitism, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Deportation, Genocide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and War

kristinj1's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Wow this was a good book! It was interesting to read this with the real world backdrop of the war happening in Gaza and Israel. I have an even deeper understanding of what Jewish people have experienced, what it was like in places like Paris before deportation began, how they believed that if they followed the rules they'd be okay. I see now why, at the end of the book, she says why they don't obey orders. Oh, and the reintroduction of "returnees" to France! I hadn't read about any of that before. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deportation, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Suicide, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Torture, and War

jabakken's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Antisemitism

mishasbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Abandonment, Addiction, Antisemitism, Dementia, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Rape, Suicide, Genocide, Self harm, Torture, and Trafficking

majestictrilobite's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Drug use, Dementia, Genocide, Xenophobia, Suicide, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, and Antisemitism

kristapeters's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Deportation, Drug use, War, Antisemitism, Confinement, Hate crime, Genocide, and Forced institutionalization

szmay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Police brutality, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Trafficking, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, Excrement, Physical abuse, Medical content, Police brutality, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, and Murder

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Grief, Antisemitism, Classism, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Physical abuse, Confinement, Bullying, Genocide, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War

annecharlotte_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious

4.0

L'enquête menée par Anne Berest sur sa famille assassinée à Auschwitz m'a passionnée de bout en bout. L'identité de la personne ayant écrit la carte postale n'est révélée que dans les toutes dernières pages, apportant une conclusion sobre et très émouvante. 
Le texte n'est pas toujours bien écrit (et les fautes de grammaire m'ont agacée...). La mise en roman est un peu inégale, certaines conversations sont peu crédibles, tant par leur contenu que par la langue employée. Mais cela n'enlève que très peu à la qualité globale du récit ni à son impact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, War, Death, and Antisemitism