Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Flamer by Mike Curato

7 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

demetrius_bennett's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The story was amazing and I found the protagonist's experience very relatable. The characters felt very realistic, especially compared to other books portraying 14-year-old boys. However, the ending of the story felt very rushed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Hate crime, Sexual content, and Misogyny

Minor: Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment

buttermellow's review

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment

robinks's review

adventurous challenging hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I flew through this book, though as a fellow QT AAPI person, it was really challenging to read through the bullying and Aiden’s palpable feelings. I didn’t really like the art style, and the flame metaphor was a bit of a stretch, but overall this is a powerful, hopefully story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, and Misogyny

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Outing, and Sexual content

spookieboogie'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Body shaming, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs

Minor: Blood, Cursing, Self harm, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

brogan7's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book about a boy discovering his sexual identity.  Set in a boy scout camp circa 1995, it traces the story of Aiden, a boy of mixed race who doesn't think he is gay but maybe he is gay...?
I loved the illustrations, the characters (Aiden himself but also his friends at camp, his girl pen pal best friend, his counsellors and his family).  They were all complicated and imperfect and "real" because of it...it reminded me of how fraught those years are, grades 7-8-9...and I don't say that just in a lighthearted way.  How hard it is to navigate identity when you're just starting out, and you don't have the understanding to name your own frame of reference...how hard it is to not fit in.
It also shows how deeply misogynistic and toxic adolescent boy culture is...which makes me sad for all of us.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Body shaming, and Misogyny

tinyelfarcanist's review

emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

3.0

Flamer is a collection of toxic masculinity tropes represented in Aiden's summer camp peers and the bullying he is a victim of.

I was excited to read this highly rated queer tale. Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to the MC and the character development felt rushed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Outing, Sexual content, Misogyny, Racism, and Body shaming

Minor: Fatphobia