Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

80 reviews

lkbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

rachbake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

goodoldfashionedidiot's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I did like the book, but the writing was somewhat confusing and I think on some parts it was written to fast and then again to slow. I never could completely fall into the storys, which is probably a good thing considering the topics. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

libbyhb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.5

The Underground Railroad definitely lived up to the vague expectations I had for it after it being well-known and popular for the last five years. I loved the structure with the chapters bouncing between Cora's narrative and one-off glimpses at other characters (the Mabel chapter was particularly beautiful and heartbreaking). The balance between historical fiction and fantasy was so well done, and I liked how Whitehead made certain events in the book exaggerated versions of what might have happened in reality in order to make a larger point. Cora as a character was so easy to root for, and there was so much tension at each step of her journey. I'm really impressed by this book, and look forward to watching the TV adaptation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs and Sexual assault

alicialoebl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

The twists made the book go so fast, such a tough topic but really informative and emotional 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, Murder, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gore, and Genocide

orangeslices1210's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Torture

ehmannky's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book is excellent, but it's not a particularly easy or pleasant read. It's an unrelenting look at the myriad and downright creative ways that white Americans caused violent trauma towards Black people. Turning the Underground Railroad into a literal railroad was a creative masterstroke, though I wish more had been done with the setting in the actual story). I also feel like it's important that this book is set decades before the Civil War, because it emphasizes that yes freedom came eventually, but for many people like Cora's mother and so many of the Black people she meets along her journey, that freedom never comes and they die at the hands of white people and their system of pain and suffering. Although

Cora does makes it out to freedom in the fabled North

, this isn't a particularly hopeful novel and the ending is about as downer as I can imagine. I feel like this book is going to get embedded in the literature as a Classic, and rightly so.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Trafficking, Rape, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, Genocide, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Blood

Minor: Suicide and Child death

hannahkt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

Read for my Introduction to American Literature class. 

A compelling work of speculative fiction that feels all to real and current in the moment we live in, both in 2016 and in 2021. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

walrus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

stevie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking