Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

103 reviews

jckurtz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Racism, and Sexual assault

jocelynbold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, and Sexual assault

racquesta's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs

emikateb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Stalking

ailbheclaire's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

Incredible story, masterfully written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Rape

jumbledjess's review against another edition

emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

As you can imagine, when talking about enslaved people you have to show the injustices, brutality, and dehumanization that occurred to make this part of history possible. This book does exactly that and looks at America’s past with an unflinching gaze. While definitely not an easy read, it was hard to put this story down because I wanted to know what happened next (though there were moments when I had to stop because the violence was graphic). Definitely not for the faint of heart, but definitely a necessary narrative to have.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

lifesarosch's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

5.0

Devastating and beautiful and a searing look at what America is and was and will be. If republicans could ban books for adults, they'd ban this one, and that is a complement. Wow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Violence

catherinemb's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault

01ivia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Body horror, Colonisation, Rape, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Slavery, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent

baielleebooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is really encompassed by its visceral expanse, the breadth of its subject matter tracked with deep thought and reflexivity. The Underground Railroad acts richly as a piece of historical fiction, covering the terrors of the slave trade and racial prejudice of its time in its many guises; colonial legacies, scientific racism, egregious white savourism, the haunting psychic imprints left upon those who suffered, and those who ultimately outran these torturous systems. Knowledge was the most invaulable aspect of the novel.

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Cora was also a terrific protagonist. Her plight, her courage, and Colson Whitehead's rendering of her read so humanely. 

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A critique that arose for me was that, from the story's structuring, I would've expected the railroad to act more as a throughline throughout the novel. In addition, though the passages that captured the intimate worlds of varying characters rounded out the novel and gave it fuller character, there was the occasional tendency where they would dizzy the central plot of Cora's escape and survival, and gave it a slight feeling of delay.

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The Underground Rail's prose was bountiful,  lending vigour and stirring emotion to Cora's arduous journey and the world and people around her. Moving and affecting, this books offers a significant and wide outlook in a cultural milieu still ruptured by acts and systems of racial discrimination.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Racism, and Racial slurs