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queenkath32's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, Confinement, and Blood
scruffie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I think I now understand why this books means so much to so many people. It is very hard to read through the unbearable hardship and cruelty it presents, but I am glad that I did so.
I would have given it 5 stars, if I weren't bothered by a few things.
First and foremost, I did not appreciate the racist comparisons between Native Americans and white people. The narrative had no need for them whatsoever in my opinion, and they only revealed London's own prejudice.
Also, the book repeatedly uses some slurs. I know that the times were different when the book was written, but some words were just as offensive then as they are now, and also there were already better words available at the time, so that's no excuse.
Lastly—and this is admittedly more personal than my previous points—it took me quite some pages (and time) to get used to London's use of the word "god", understand they way he perceives it, and stop being annoyed by it. I have no problem with the word in general, but putting the word in the mouth of the victim when talking about their perpetrator didn't feel right. It was around the middle of the book when I started gathering what exactly does the word mean to London.
I would have given it 5 stars, if I weren't bothered by a few things.
First and foremost, I did not appreciate the racist comparisons between Native Americans and white people. The narrative had no need for them whatsoever in my opinion, and they only revealed London's own prejudice.
Also, the book repeatedly uses some slurs. I know that the times were different when the book was written, but some words were just as offensive then as they are now, and also there were already better words available at the time, so that's no excuse.
Lastly—and this is admittedly more personal than my previous points—it took me quite some pages (and time) to get used to London's use of the word "god", understand they way he perceives it, and stop being annoyed by it. I have no problem with the word in general, but putting the word in the mouth of the victim when talking about their perpetrator didn't feel right. It was around the middle of the book when I started gathering what exactly does the word mean to London.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexism and Racism
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