Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

5 reviews

lizgo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence

republicofben's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Although the synopsis and subject matter of this book piqued my interest, I found it hard to stay engaged with the story. Aside from the slow pace of the story's main events, the part that made it hard for me to make it through this book was the large cast of characters. One theme of this book - and also something I expect the author hoped readers would take away - is the diversity of people part of and that interact with a community. I did enjoy meeting and getting to know the wide cast of characters, but the constant switching of narrators caused the pace of the book's main events to be slow and drawn out. My rating breaks down to the book not suiting my tastes, but one I would still recommend to someone looking for a book that deals with Native American stories and history or a true ensemble book that flips between narrators.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, and Genocide

erica_palmisano's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Fascinating and surprising. I haven't spent a lot of time in places like North Dakota & Minnesota during the 1950s, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story was vivid and covered some difficult realities, but also kind and grounded in the details of daily life and simple pleasures. The audio narration was straight-forwardly lovely – cadence and style were simple and it was good to hear the fragments of the Chippewa language pronounced properly too. So glad I read this and got to meet these characters!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Confinement, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Trafficking, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Misogyny, Ableism, Addiction, Drug use, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

egisser's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault

kylieqrada's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

Um ok this just came right out of left field for me and I am so glad it did. I picked this up on a complete whim while scanning a huge chunk of documents at work one day. I've of course heard of Louise Erdrich, but have admittedly been intimidated by her work, which has often been lauded as modern classics. While some of this book definitely did go over my head, I really really enjoyed it!! The main thread of this story, which is based on the author's grandfather, follows Thomas, the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indian Advisory Council, as he works to fight House Resolution 108, which sought to terminate Indian tribes and end treaties put into place in perpetua by the U.S. government in recompense for the theft of Native lands. The story is gorgeously written, and in being told from a range of different perspectives, gives an in-depth look into life on the reservation in the 1950s. I learned alot, and would have given this 5 stars except for one scene that was just not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Trafficking