Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

5 reviews

sarahflanders's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

Moderate: Child death, Excrement, Murder, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Grief, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Death, Genocide, Infertility, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and War

kayladaila's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

2.0

This is not a bad book. In fact, it is very well written. However, this book is incredibly problematic for some of the same reasons Boy in the Striped Pajamas is. Stefania Podgorska was a real woman who really did save 13 Jews during the Holocaust, and her story sounds amazing. Sharon Cameron chose to fictionalize this tale, and that is where the issues arise. 

The protagonist of The Light in Hidden Places is a Christian Pole who hides 13 Jewish people during the Holocaust. This is her story, and the Jews become a plot device to further that story, rather than its focal point. Throughout the novel, Stefania refers to the people she is hiding as “my thirteen,” removing any individual identity they have outside of how it relates to the nonJewish protagonist. These characters are truly hidden from the readers unless Stefania needs one of them. 

It is also evident that Sharon Cameron did quite a bit of research on everything Polish, but very little Jewish. At the beginning of the story, Stefania is taken in by a Jewish family and learns some Yiddish. Later on, she tries to provide the people she is hiding with a small Hanukkah celebration, she refers to a Hanukkah lamp. Not a menorah, not a hanukiah. It’s clear which culture Cameron paid attention to. 

I’d like to reiterate that if this was Stefania Podgorska’s nonfiction story, I would not have had these issues. It’s only with a fictionalized retelling, where the author could have made an effort to create three-dimensional Jewish characters and actively chose not to, that I take issue. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Infertility, Murder, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Death of parent, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

loverofvenus's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Antisemitism, War, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Alcohol, Abandonment, Gun violence, Stalking, Grief, Death, Confinement, and Child abuse

Minor: Torture, Gore, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

kalin_grace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and War

elisweets's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring 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

5.0

Such an amazing and heartbreaking story. 
I absolutely loved the writing.
Stefania’s and her groups story is so sad but brave, and I’m happy it was told in such a way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Torture, War, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Medical trauma, and Medical content