annikarae's review against another edition
5.0
this was maybe the most heartbreaking book I have ever read. the story itself was both brutal and ruthless, but was written in a soft, poetic hand. this is a book that will stick with me for a long time. a five star read if ever there was one
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Animal death, Child death, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death, Incest, and Rape
jazminrice's review
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Incest, Self harm, Child death, Abortion, Pedophilia, Death, Rape, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Grief, Death of parent, and Bullying
jnevvvv'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: Animal cruelty, Rape, Self harm, Animal death, Incest, Racism, and Suicide attempt
floppyleaves's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Rape, Incest, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Self harm, Grief, Animal cruelty, Racism, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Colonisation, Bullying, Animal death, and Abortion
Moderate: Gun violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, and Body shaming
badwolfreads's review
- 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? No
4.0
Tiffany McDaniels
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You know those really terrible 20-car pileups? That's what this book reminded me of. And not in a bad way (although there really isn't anything good about a car accident). It was like watching cars slowly crash into each other. It's terrible, but you don't want to stop looking. Traumatic event after traumatic event crashing into each other.
This book is about the Carpenter family, mostly about Betty. Alka & Landon, the parents, didn't meet in a particularly special way, but what was special was that Landon beat the shit out of Alka's dad after he found out he beat her. They ran off and had 8 kids, 2 of whom didn't last long. Landon is Native American with dark-skin, and so is Betty. This being in the time they were in and in Ohio, racial discrimination was pretty brutal, even among themselves. Alka, who was white, would tell Betty terrible things about how she looked. And so did her sister, Flossie. Then there was rape - 2 of the female characters were r*ped and Betty herself was almost raped, and these incidents weren't by strangers. Alka Carpenter isn't the greatest mom, but when you consider what happened to her, it makes more sense. There just so much that happens. The book takes place over the span of many years, which makes it seem really slow. There isn't a lot of happiness that comes through in this book, at least not for me. But it kept me reading and wanting to know what happens to certain characters. I would recommend with caution...this one is kind of heavy.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Murder, Bullying, Abortion, Sexual assault, Child death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Animal death, Sexism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
angelinab104'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Death of parent, Death, and Child death
evetucker'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
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, and Suicide attempt
marigolds_and_lavander'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: Incest, Gun violence, Grief, Abortion, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Suicide, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Violence, Self harm, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pregnancy, Injury/injury detail, and Lesbophobia
booksbeyondthebinary's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Our titular character, Betty, inspired by the authors mother, navigates growing up in a household of 6 children, including herself. Her father is Cherokee and her mother is white, making their approach to Betty, who resembles her dad in more than just her appearance, hard to witness at times, especially with her mom.
Her unique relationships with each of her siblings is interesting as well. When you have that many children in one family who are all unique in their own ways, it can cause for tension as each one is navigating finding themselves through their adolescence.
An aspect of this book that was hard to read detailed experiences of child rape and incest. Mcdaniels was able to navigate those topics and the impact that they had on the characters in a way that I think few authors are able to do, which is a compliment to her writing ability.
The relationship that Betty has with her father is something that had be genuinely sobbing through the last few chapters. My eyes were red as I finished the book and tried to go to sleep last night, trying to unpack my feelings about this book.
I will be thinking about this book for a very long time and, if you are in a space where you are able to read this book with it’s tough content, I’d highly recommend it.
Content warnings: racism, misogyny, rape, abuse (physical and mental), animal cruelty, corporal punishment, attempted suicide, murder, and depictions of extreme poverty.
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Child death, Animal death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Misogyny
mstjohn813'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
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Animal death, Child death, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Physical abuse