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Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
130 reviews
celesteleila's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Drug abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Grief, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Racism
toriauricht's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Racism, Drug abuse, Violence, Slavery, Racial slurs, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Addiction, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Incest
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Abortion, Blood, Infidelity, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence
lucy0117's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Addiction, Child abuse, Racism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
cheryl1213's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
It it quite accurately described as a "saga" ... and not just because of the length. It's immersive but not as overwhelming as the page count might suggest. A main protagonist (a strange phrase but one fit for a lot of novels published in the early decades of the 21st century) links the reader to other women in her family. We get to know several sub-protagonists and experience both the beauty and the pain that is shared alongside maternal DNA. The women aren't perfect, but the author is talented enough that we're drawn in and care.
There's a lot here. It's ambitious enough to be fairly characterized as a story of America. It's also specific enough to be about the experience of being a Black American Woman in the context of a family and history. Themes include race, gender, and inherited trauma. We encounter abuse (sexual and other; child and adult victims; family perpetrators and others), racism (overt and quieter); drug abuse; depression; and more. A lot of books try to cover all or some of this ground. This feels much more successful than most. The fact that the novel still feels unique and real ... that the events seem natural, rather than forced in to check off a box ... is a feat in itself.
If you are concerned about trigger warnings, it's probably there.
Two notable and random bits that stand out in my memory: 1) Characters coming of age and finding themselves in an economic ditch from which selling illegal drugs seems like the only potential way out (and the temptations the temporary career move creates). 2) A lighter yet deeply rich scene in which a minor character (watched by one of our protagonists) visits a Black-owned homestyle restaurant and attempts to order a diet-conscious salad (it may not be fair, but i see it as an upper-middle class, suburban meal) but finds greens aren't quite what she envisions.
......
Post-review note: Someone on a review site says "If you are a white reader, THIS BOOK IS NOT WRITTEN FOR YOU!!! If it comes into your hands, know that you are on sacred ground and act accordingly. Read it with humility and with wonder." I'd like to think the book is "for" anyone who chooses to read it. I certainly felt it had much to offer me (a white woman who has spent much of her 45 years in middle to upper-middle class homes, mostly eastcoast subruban, some geographically southern but not deep South, cultural Jew but very much a hidden minority who absolutely has not experienced life in Black skin). That said, I'll own my privilege. And hope wonderment shows I have little doubt that the experience of this book will be very different for different readers. It would be a wonderful book to discuss with a group of diverse, respectful, honest readers (yes, I'll recognize the difficulty of finding such a group and the many pitfalls (including otherness traps and recognizing each reader as speaking only for themself))
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, Racism, and Slavery
leekaufman's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse, Trafficking, Incest, Death, and Colonisation
roasjeno's review against another edition
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Pregnancy, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexism, Racial slurs, Grief, Hate crime, Drug use, Colonisation, Murder, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, and Child death
qqjj's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Incest, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Abortion, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, Drug abuse, Child death, and Violence
taibreakfast's review against another edition
- 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
Notes on medium aside, a must read if you can, although do check out the content warnings, there are many.
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Violence, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Grief, Addiction, Suicide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Alcohol, and Death of parent
ceejay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Drug abuse, Slavery, Pedophilia, and Rape
azariamckay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual content, Abortion, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, and Drug abuse