Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

11 reviews

marena02's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I don’t know how to feel about the ending, but I liked this book. I enjoyed reading about Fonny and Tish’s love story, despite its sad and open ending.

For this to be my first James Baldwin book, I think the thing that stood out most to me was his writing from Tish’s perspective. She is seen by everyone around her as naive and overly optimistic, but it’s clear that while she goes through these new and traumatizing experiences of pregnancy and helping her man who is wrongfully incarcerated get out of jail, she is willing to change her mindset with every obstacle that gets in her way. Baldwin shows this in the way she he narrates her perception on the world and how she learns to navigate it alone with Fonny who has always been by her side. Her journey throughout the book was the most interesting to read about.

Like I said, I don’t really understand what he was trying to do with the ending, but everything else I enjoyed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

charlieeew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, and Antisemitism

emwebz's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Alcohol

krisc1989's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

brianareads's review

emotional hopeful sad 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: Racial slurs

Moderate: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

michelleka's review

fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Suicide

biblioghoul's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

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

theuncannydani's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Baldwin wrote this is such a poetic way, but I was still able to follow it. That was great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

sofipitch's review

emotional reflective slow-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

Every book by Baldwin absolutely knocks it out of the park and this one is no exception. But I think compared to some of his other books which are bleaker, while this book deals with heavy topics and unfair circumstances, there is such a strong love between Tish and Fonny as well as their families that shows how much love and support from others can do in the face of oppression. Comparing this love to heartless people is seen over and over again, from the difference between Tish and Fonny's family at the pregnancy announcement and even just Victoria versus Jaime's choice to help or not help Sharon in Puerto Rico. This book is just phenomenal 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape and Suicide