Reviews tagging 'Child death'

There There by Tommy Orange

50 reviews

sydneylount's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, Child death, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, and Rape

cheazcakeguy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

This was a powerful read. Tommy Orange's writing feels like there's a real weight behind it with every sentence. It forces you to slow down at times and really reflect on the characters and their stories. You experience the full range of human emotion while reading this book, and there were several truly gut-wrenching moments, especially at the end. The ending

was shocking yet inevitable, and I can't stop thinking about the incredible metaphor of the spider's web, both a home and a trap, which brought the characters together...

Highly recommend, though this isn't a light read and it will tear your heart out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, and Gun violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Car accident, Addiction, Death of parent, Suicide, Cancer, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Grief

Minor: Self harm, Animal death, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Child death, Rape, Racism, and Sexual assault

la_licia33's review

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Addiction, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

marissasa's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I always love a story where we get multiples POVs, and especially if they are people whose individual narratives all connect to each other by the end. This book delivered that along with a lot of emotional and heavy truths about Native Americans' experiences in the past and in the modern time. The essays in the beginning really set the tone for the book and leave you breathless. I liked the exploration of many different themes in this book, with a big emphasis on identity, family ties, and participating in your culture. While all these things were done well and the buildup to the ending was anxiety-filled and tense as intended, the book was also on the short side which resulted in a lot of the 12 characters who were given a POV not getting as much development as they could've. Some were fleshed out and we got to dive in and hear their backstories, while others felt more like a toe dip in the pool only getting to the surface level. Regardless, this book will keep you engaged and make you feel things while learning about life for the indigenous people who live in a land that is theirs but also stolen from them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Death, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Suicide, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Car accident, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Domestic abuse

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

I really liked this a lot: a story of various interconnected characters converging on a tragedy that is foreshadowed early on but impossible to look away from. Each character had a unique voice so they were easy to tell apart even though there were so many. It bugged me a bit that some chapters were in first person and some were in third (one even in second!) but not enough to really affect my enjoyment. I'll think about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Child death, Genocide, Animal death, Ableism, Colonisation, Abortion, Drug use, Medical content, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, and Rape

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Quite a powerful story about the life experiences of several Native American people living primarily in the Bay Area city of Oakland, California. There are multiple points of view from both men and women of different ages, from older youth to younger elders.

Each character in the book has a very powerful voice and the author, Tommy Orange, throughout the course of the storyline, exposes the common threads shared by the indigenous community and the almost predictable life struggles they will encounter. The book also dangles a carrot for the reader in knowing the story will eventually culminate in most of the main characters attending an upcoming powwow. The question is, how might they interact and what good outcomes can be expected?

I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience with this book. The author’s writing style is vivid and in my opinion, doesn’t have a lot of filler. The characters are relatable and I appreciated the history incorporated into the story. Most of the Native American authors and books I’ve read up to this point have been set on tribal land and take place within the tribal community only. While I’m aware of tribal communities and businesses in the desert areas of California, Arizona, and Nevada, my eyes are now opened to more urban centers like Oakland.

I listened to the audiobook and very much enjoyed the clear and crisp delivery of the ensemble of narrators that includes Darrell Dennis, Alma Cuervo, Kyla Garcia, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Child death, Bullying, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Blood

annettenk's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

This was an excellent read with a devastating ending. 

I think I would have a tough time appreciating and keeping track of all the interwoven stories and characters if I had read this over a long span of time/small bits at a time or as an audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Addiction, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abortion, Drug use, and Child death

brooketreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The beginning started out really strong for me. The writing throughout is really good. I wrote this in my story graph notes at 8%:

“The drone. I didn’t see it there. I saw an Indian. I saw a dancer.” 🥺

Some of the story lines were just so engaging and made me really feel for the characters. 

But, then the characters just kept coming. I couldn’t keep them or the story lines straight. I feel like I need to reread and make a diagram. This may be a me problem, but it affected my enjoyment a little.

I liked how all the storylines were converging, but when they finally did I felt like the story was rushed.

The last 30 minutes though… Wow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Addiction

brewdy_reader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚢 𝙾𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎
𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘍𝘪𝘤 • 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • ⁣𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 5 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75 rounded up to 4

A Pulitzer finalist, this debut novel by Tommy Orange tackles the largely untold story of modern day Native Americans living in urban cities. Set primarily in Oakland, this narrative is told from 12(!) POVs. When I first began reading I thought, "this has to be based on a true story,” and I continued to feel that way until the story arcs started to overlap in overly-coincidental ways that only happens in fiction. However without that factor, this could have easily been a memoir told as a mini docuseries, referencing historical events that took place from 1492 through 21st century Alcatraz.

There's nothing romanticized here. No stories like what is depicted in popular TV series/movies with life on the Rez or the American frontier. There is no pulling of punches & no white savior mentality. This is not a feel good story. However, it is a well-written one, packed with vivid analogies, metaphors, and descriptions of life in a system that reinforces the status quo. Paying homage to the indelible stains of colonization and genocide of a nation and the long-lasting effects impacting many generations into the future. 

The ending was not satisfying with characters' fates in the air as well as many unresolved issues between MCs. I was left wanting more than what we got. Even still, this should absolutely be required reading for all Americans. In order to change our future we must understand our past; we must confront it head on, however painful it may be.

So many TW: Domestic Violence, Gun Violence, Mass Shootings, Acoholism, Death, Addiction, Racism, Murder, Colonization, Suicide, Genocide, Drug Use/Abuse, Grief, Child Death, Rape, Cancer, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Violence...and more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

the plot and characters are great, but i did find myself getting lost between all the different characters and their stories because of all the different perspectives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Colonisation, and Death