Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

12 reviews

brooketreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Umm, hmm.

Thoughts…

1. I hated Fonny’s dad. The way he treated his wife and daughters… domestic violence… telling them they should sell their bodies to get their brother out of jail… that was wild. Literally, Fonny’s mom and sisters just seemed like they were just written in to have characters to hate. 

2. I was mostly on board with Sharon going to Puerto Rico until, she was basically strong arming the woman and demanding “you didn’t see him until you saw him in the line up” and trying to play on her emotions felt really wild and insensitive too. I didn’t like it at all.
- I think this swings around to the fact that the women were not written well or with any kind of depth - even Tish. I knew nothing about her other than being in love with Fonny.

3. The characters and situations seemed to be getting worse and worse through the book. Which I mean maybe product of the circumstances… but I still felt like some of it was too far.

4. Then the ending…!! I wanted to know that Fonny and Tish end up happy together, but I also get stories don’t always get nice and neat happy endings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

midnightmarauder's review

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

If Beale Street Could Talk is a novel that follows the two protagonists, Fonny, a young man who is currently in jail for rape, and his girlfriend, Tish, who finds out that she is pregnant while Fonny is serving his sentence. The book mainly follows Tish as she and her family attempt to get Fonny out of jail. 

The book is a romance novel through and through. The love that Tish has for Fonny and vice versa is constantly put on display. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

franzis_buecher's review against another edition

4.0

I saw the movie adaptation a few years ago and it was interesting to see some plot points resurface in my memory as I read the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, and Death of parent

tlaynejones's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

This is my first of Baldwin’s books, and it is easy to see why his work stand as modern classics. For the most part I thought this was a compelling and engaging novel. The sense of time, the love between Fonny and Tish, the examination of racist and unjust ’justice’ system were all very well done. I was however really dissatisfied and frustrated with the layers of sexism and misogyny that permeate every aspect of the writing. It will forever challenge me to understand how the ‘great thinkers’ who have worked so hard to shine a light of the reality of prejudice, power dynamics, systemic injustice, and biased social assumptions - in relationship to race - can be so blind to how all of these impact and influence gender as well. I’m glad to have read this, so I have the cultural knowledge, but it leaves me wanting to go back and reread An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, to reexperience and to compare a novel that examines some of the same social injustices, but from the perspective of a contemporary woman. 
Very cautiously recommended, check CW 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

eve81's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Antisemitism

mpaterson's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

A beautiful and poignant prose that offers a brief window into the lives of two interconnected families and explores the interconnection of racism and sexism in 60s NYC. It’s tender in moments and tense in others, sometimes both simultaneously. Both nothing and so much happens throughout the book. Love, in all its forms - unconditional and unhealthy, and emotion carries the story with ease and depth. 

If you’re looking for a beautifully melancholy, yet even hopeful of a story, this is it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Suicide

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

I'm a little embarrassed that this was my first James Baldwin book, but I'm so glad that I read it. What beautiful writing and such a tragic story. I feel like it's rare that a male writer has such incredible insight into a female character, but I thought it was such an amazing story about women. I would love to write an essay about it. And how horrifying that 50 years later, the exact same story could happen today in this racist country built on stolen land.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Abandonment

tabear's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Miscarriage and Antisemitism

mikki_9's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage and Torture

paulrichard's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, and Death of parent