Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

79 reviews

paigereitz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was a wild ride. I almost put it down a couple times, unsure where it was going or whether I liked it. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Some of the messaging is a little heavy handed, but seems intentionally so. Interesting style and plot for sure. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Grief

suzyvee's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Alcohol, Cancer, Ableism, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

laynemandros's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Racism, and Terminal illness

gotem's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

I was not the audience for this book, so I don't think it's fair for me to rate it. What I will say is this definitely is not fast-paced. This is extremely well-written, just that it is approximately 200 pages of the same experience in different scenarios, with 100 pages to set the scene and main characters up and 100 pages that wrap everything up in a conclusion. So if you enjoy reading those types of things (re: groundhog day but instead of the day resetting it is another toxic workplace experience that corresponds with a negative inter-personal experience) then genuinely consider adding this book to your pile. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Classism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent

moriahleigh's review against another edition

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Grief, Drug use, Hate crime, and Torture

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Alcohol

docsusan's review against another edition

challenging dark funny inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow. Just wow. This book gripped me, challenged me, made me laugh and made me gasp. Brutally honest,  

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Cursing, Death of parent, Classism, Gaslighting, Racism, and Toxic friendship

mxbenjaminrose's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

Minor: Classism, Hate crime, and Fire/Fire injury

peachani's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Bullying, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Racism, and Cursing

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Grief

Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Ableism, Addiction, Classism, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

pagesfromhome's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

When I tell you I flew through this book, I mean I flew through this book. It was perfection. I’m having a hard time even writing a review of it because I just straight up loved it. Askaripour perfectly encapsulates the start up tech industry, his characters are well-developed and easy to love or hate depending on which one it is, and his plot was perfectly timed. Fair warning: There is A LOT that happens in this book. It twists and takes turns that you’ve not really expecting and then makes a few that you’re totally prepared for, which to me is the sign of something being well-written.

I really loved how he developed his characters through their relationships to others and developed the plot then in relationship to those characters. I’m really surprised to hear this is a debut novel because it felt like the writing of someone who has done this many times before.

Honestly just can’t recommend it enough!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Bullying, and Death of parent

lindsloveslit's review against another edition

challenging dark

1.5

I don't know if this was hard to get through because I didn't like it, because of the use of the r-word, or because I was in somewhat of a book hangover after a five star read. 🤷🏽‍♀️ I do, however, know that it was not for me. 🙅🏽‍♀️

I thought I was going to get "The Office" like satire, but there was no point in time where I laughed. Instead, I was hit with microagressions and white supremacy that were believable and exhausting.

To add, I vehemently disliked the use of the r-word. I KNOW it was because the character was a racist, sexist, ableist P.O.S. but in my opinion, it is never okay. There is never a right time for it. 🙅🏽‍♀️ It also felt like a self help book to me, and unless they're research based - I'm not interested in those either. Lastly, mental health is important to me (I couldn't have gotten through 2020 or 2021 without my therapist) and I feel like this book made light of it.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Ableism, Cancer, and Racism