Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström

5 reviews

elizabethwb's review

challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Grief, Genocide, Suicide, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Fatphobia, Body horror, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Sexism, Classism, Rape, Death, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Police brutality, Ableism, Abortion, Blood, Drug use, Genocide, Cancer, Deportation, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

betsw's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This is a story of the ways that society traps black women and grinds them down, and it conveys that experience powerfully. Although it mostly takes place in Sweden, there are American characters and it seems like many of the cultural issues examined are common between both countries. Very good and very well-written, you connect with and root for all three protagonists. I think it was important that the book ends the way it does, but it wasn't the ending I expected.

I was expecting to see the characters go through difficulties and ultimately overcome them, but then this would have been a book about "the lucky ones" rather than an honest examination of more common experiences. Instead, we see how each of the three characters is worn down by the indifference and often often unintentional harm caused by others, in addition to small tastes of overt, hostile bigotry. Great book, just don't go into it expecting everyone to learn their lesson and the women to escape unscathed at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, and Bullying

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexism, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

librarybookscene's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

krys_kilz's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

This book was incredibly engaging and I could not put it down. The characters are rich, complicated and multilayered. I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with their multiple perspectives, personalities, hopes and dreams. The characters disrupt the racist notion that Black women are a monolith. There is also a lot of visceral metaphor and imagery woven throughout. 

I am still sitting with the ending, which was heartbreaking in so many ways. I am not a fan of happy, neatly wrapped up endings, so that's not something that bothers me. What I'm sitting with is what message the ending reveals along with its scathing critique of misogynoir and xenophobia. The entire novel does an incredible job of shattering the picture perfect image of Nordic countries we are often fed in the so called "united states."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Islamophobia, and Stalking

Minor: Drug use

If suicide is a trigger for you, I would advise taking great caution with this book.