Scan barcode
nadia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Betty really did pick up for me and became incredibly moving. There were a lot of uncomfortable and sad scenes though, so not one to go into lightly!
Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Racism, Incest, Child death, Bullying, Racial slurs, Blood, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Death, and Child abuse
beemer527's review against another edition
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Incest, Bullying, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Rape, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy and Injury/Injury detail
anxiousbookclub'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
4.75
Graphic: Abortion, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gun violence and Vomit
elise_allberry's review
- 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: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
gems_books'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: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Child death, Abortion, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Racism
grisgrisgris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Outing, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Medical content
amandinesophie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, and Incest
jeannelovesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Where I came from was a family of eight children. More than one of us would die in the prize-winning years of youth.’
Written by Tiffany McDaniel, the novel is based on her mother’s childhood in 1960s rural Appalachia. Betty, born to a white mother and Cherokee father, is the only Carpenter child who shares her father’s dark hair and complexion. For this she is relentlessly bullied; at school, in the community, and by her own family. Meanwhile the extent of tragedy - murder, rape, accidents, abuse - that befalls the Carpenter family is nothing short of rampant.
Deeply disturbing, Betty’s an unforgettable read. But both its brilliance and its shortcomings stem from the fact it’s a family memoir. Imagine writing an exposé of your family’s darkest secrets, with dear old Mum as the central protagonist. And she’s still alive, which is remarkable given her upbringing but tricky territory to navigate. The challenge lies in portraying the victims & perpetrators as anything other than heroes & villains and consequently some family members, Betty included, are curiously one-dimensional. Another issue is the freedom, or lack of, to deviate from the family script. Without a narrative arc, we get A Series of Unfortunate Events interspersed with brief moments of respite which typically focus on Betty and her father, Landon. The pattern became so predictable that after every heart-warming exchange I steeled myself for the next onslaught.
The brilliance lies in the author’s descriptive powers. Mum’s accounts of abuse include details so cruel and calculated there’s no doubting their authenticity. The sense of time and place is vividly imagined and the sheer resilience of Betty and her own mother Alka is inspiring. For me this was Alka’s story. Ordeal heaped upon ordeal and somehow she soldiered on.
The author evidently shares the same strength. Apparently the first agents she approached refused to believe that the women in her family had experienced such abuse. Thank goodness she persevered because memoirs as powerful and hard-hitting as this have the potential to break the taboos that force silence on so many girls and women.
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
celinechdh's review against another edition
reading this book broke me: it was so harsh and beautiful and sad and depicted the horrible truth, without covering any of it. the diff between the magical world of betty’s father, his connexion to nature, to realness and beauty, and the horror of real life was so wonderful
tw: everything
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Xenophobia
becca_thegrimreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a book not for the fainthearted. There are many disturbing and horrific scenes of sexual abuse and horrific trauma. There were many times when I had to put the book down to recover, or more likely to cry. I wish this book had trigger warnings on it before I had started, as more secrets were revealed it grew painful to continue reading. Betty becomes the keeper of these secrets, and the burden rips her of her innocence and happiness.
The writing was beautiful and created vivid images that made this book exquisite. Her father’s stories are wonderfully told, and create a strong bond with his children as well as the reader. The racism that Betty and her family receive however is vile and appalling. Getting to the end of this book took a lot of determination with so many emotional time bombs throughout the book. It is a book that will haunt many, and it is not one I will forget soon.
*Trigger warning: sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse, incest, racism, sexism, etc.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence