Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Flamer by Mike Curato

50 reviews

bickie's review against another edition

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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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kittyonfire's review against another edition

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emotional sad 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

3.75

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mnerd63's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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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spark_879's review against another edition

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dark hopeful medium-paced

4.0

i read this book almost entirely to see what all the fuss was about with it being on so many banned book lists lol. it does deal with some difficult topics (
homophobia, racism, fatphobia, suicidal ideation
) but it seems clear to me that it's just being banned because people want to pretend those issues don't exist in our society.
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maryamthehobbit's review

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fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Read this because it was banned in my local county. A good read for teens. I wish i had this book at 15. That said, heed the warnings and know the language may not be appropriate for younger readers (younger than middle school i would say) 
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hdunscombe's review

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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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samburkhouse's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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jkeonemon's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is the graphic novel I wish I had when I was 14. I loved everything about this book.
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itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

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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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demetrius_bennett's review

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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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