Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Flamer by Mike Curato

25 reviews

bickie's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Set in 1995, the main character, who is part Filipino, goes to Boy Scout camp (as he always does) the summer before starting high school, which he has decided to attend at the public school rather than stay at his Catholic school. Aiden is an altar boy who is kind and helps both his mom and his ~4-year-old twin siblings deal with the explosive temper of his dad. Aiden is also relentlessly bullied for having what other boys think are "gay" characteristics, which he reflects are his voice and his general lack of misogynism, such as talking about liking girls for their personality characteristics rather than their bodies. Aiden knows what gay is and knows he's not that (though he learns eventually that he probably is).

While there is a fair amount of crude language, cursing, and gross locker room-type behavior, this book would be great for any middle schooler boy who does not feel entirely comfortable with hyper- and toxic masculinity. 

MC decides, after impulsively kissing a male friend on the cheek (who moves out of their 2-person tent at Boy Scout camp), to slit his wrists in the non-denominational chapel at camp; he is stopped by the life-fire of his soul, which speaks to him. 

There is crude language, including curse words, primarily but not exclusively spoken by the bullies. A lot of it is homophobic, such as making innuendoes about hot dogs and buns. There is one scene where Aiden enters a tent where the boys are hanging out "taking care of business" and realizes that they are masturbating into a soda bottle one by one. If one of them doesn't contribute any "cum," he has to drink it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, Cursing, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

hdunscombe's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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: Bullying, Cursing, Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Violence, Body shaming, and Domestic abuse

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

I would not wish the experiences shown in this book on anyone. That is exactly why it’s so important to read about them. With reading comes an understanding of what others may being going through or experiencing. When told in the right ways, stories like this encourage empathy, healthy coping mechanisms, and positive communication skills. This story in particular upset me, but that shows it was well-done. The art and the writing is a solid show of talent!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Bullying, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming

Moderate: Fatphobia and Outing

Minor: Domestic abuse and Self harm

meganpbell's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

When I saw this graphic novel was not only the 4th most banned and challenged book in the country in 2022, but also effectively banned in nearby Marietta this year, I had to read it for myself. Flamer tells the semi-autobiographical story of a Boy Scout struggling with homophobia, racism, and fatphobia during his last week of camp before high school. Moving, vividly told, and deeply compassionate, this is an important story to have on our shelves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Racism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Violence, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse

marlydawn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Bullying, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Body shaming, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs

taylorbickel20's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse

rhiannon814r's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.25

This was a good read! It was very slice-of-life, when I had expected it to be more plot-driven. The art was great and was perfect for telling the story. I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe I’ll be able to write a better review when I’m done SOBBING.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Racism, and Self harm

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, and Outing

There was a happy ending (or at least a satisfying conclusion where nothing terrible winds up happening to the main character), but the book as a whole was heavy.

nicoleonbooks's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

Heartwrenching. LGBTQ+ kids, and adults, will find themselves in Aiden and his struggle around his sexuality. The art perfectly matched the story. Perfect use of color to depict emotion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Bullying

Minor: Domestic abuse and Outing

caribbeangirlreading's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-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

 "There is no "right" north, really. This is all about figuring out how to get where you need to go. It's not always straight forward. You have to figure out where you are in the world first, then adjust for the setbacks to find you way. We all feel lost sometimes." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Bullying, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Self harm, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse

marenmk's review

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Bullying

Moderate: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse