Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange

11 reviews

bridgetmnelson's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Trigger warning: domestic violence

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction, and Misogyny

stevia333k's review against another edition

5.0

I'm not Christian, so astagfirullah, this is what i assume reading the Bible is like for some people in terms of seeing one's self & then seeing where the roads led.

It gave me perspective on dancing, it gave me perspective on why date rape was in contrast to rape instead of in contrast to rape by stranger. It gave me perspective on other people who cling to historical figures for representations of safe spaces, it gave me perspective on some of the D/V dynamics I have with my racist family right now (I'm a white settler & so are they, but I'm trans & they're cis.)

Also the July 2010 preface was so important to read, I'm very thankful it was written. It gives guidance on how to adapt this for a variety of races women are. As a white settler disabled trans woman working on becoming a welcome guest & not connected to theater/performance people (I still need to look up performances/adaptations.) This felt important because I needed to read a lot of the book outloud to get a sense of the poetry, and some of the words I do not feel comfortable saying especially as a white woman instead of a woman of color.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Abortion, Addiction, Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

bashsbooks's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I pulled this off the shelf at my local library without many thoughts beyond "What's a choreopoem?" The answer BLEW ME AWAY. It's a combination of song and dance, poetry and play. The stars of this choreopoem are seven black women identified only by their colors: the lady in red, lady in orange, lady in yellow, lady in green, lady in blue, lady in brown, and lady in purple. In this smashing combination of mediums, these women explore racism, domestic & child abuse, rape, and abortion - to name only a few of the tough topics they get into. And yet, it's not a read that bogs you down as much as it opens your eyes. It's dynamic. It's difficult to describe because I've never read anything else remotely like it. I wish I could see it performed. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Racism, Abortion, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cursing, Grief, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, and Classism

Minor: Xenophobia, Child death, and Murder

-Racial slurs are used in a reclaimed way -Graphic discussions of victim blaming

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Addiction, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Chronic illness

Minor: Islamophobia and War

tabithae's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Abortion, Rape, and Sexual assault

miraclesnow's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

bbivnca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

funmilayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.75

& this is for colored girls who have considered
suicide/ but are movin to the ends of their own
rainbows

This was one of the most intriguing and intimate poems I've ever read and I truly wish that I could see it as a performance (which is also why I didn't give it 5 stars).
I won't pretend as though I understood everything but I do believe that I felt everything this poem wanted to make me feel and more than anything this poem made me feel understood as a black woman and it made me feel loved and comforted. I don't think that I'll ever get to read anything that is quite like this again but that just means that I'll get to return to this poem again and again and rediscover it and myself every single time.
I don't really have the words to express my deep adorarion for this piece of writing.
Just know that it is one of those poems that will stay with you for the rest of your live.
I think I'll just end this review with one of my favourite verses:

i sat up one nite walkin a boardin house
screamin / cryin / the ghost of another woman
who waz missin what i waz missin
i wanted to jump up outta my bones
& be done wit myself
leave me alone
& go on in the wind
it waz too much
i fell into a numbness
til the only tree i cd see
took me up in her branches
held me in the breeze
made me dawn dew
that chill at daybreak
the sun wrapped me up swingin rose light everywhere
the sky laid over me like a million men
i waz cold/ i waz burnin up/ a child
& endlessly weavin garments for the moon
wit my tears

i found god in myself
& i loved her/ i loved her fiercly

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

ashleycmms's review

challenging emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Abortion, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

peachani's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault