Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

204 reviews

endlessallison's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This book is so relevant to today and captures the perspectives of both the colonizers and the colonized on such beautifully blunt painful ways I truly believe everyone should read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

This is a book of fiction that uses a slightly fantastical element of silver/magic to be a placeholder for any and all resources valuable to an empire. It deals with sexism, racism, colonization, revolution, workers revolt, strikes, rebellions, war, academia, and more. Within those topics there are really heavy pieces of content but it is handled tactfully and effectively to convey a message to look at the world today through the lens of this narrative.

aidamaria_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a literary middle finger to colonialism, capitalism, racism, classism, sexism and all the other -isms, basically. I admire the way the author came up with the magic system (as a former translation student, it was truly amazing) and how it plays into the historical setting. The writing was wonderful. I wonder how long we’ve got until some government(s) bans this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Classism

snowiceblackfruit77's review

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alicatreadsstuff's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

sarahgmo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.5

I loved the linguistic complexity and research. As a polyglot, I really understand how meaning can be “lost in translation” and I love a book that finds ways to play with that. The book also had me thinking about colonialism a lot more deeply than I ever have before, but it eases you into the idea, along with the apprehensive protagonist. Though I am inherently a pacifist, the thought experiment presented by this book — that violence may be the only thing that brings the colonizer, or whatever power, to the table — feels an especially important thought process since the CEO shooting by Mangione. The only reason I knocked 0.5 off is because it is a very intellectual book that can sometimes feel a bit dense to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Deportation

elysiumreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.5

This was everything I enjoyed from The Secret History and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

The book obviously wants to make a point about intersectionality and the ethics of the British empire and it is has an essay-like quality to it, but due to the setting of the novel I didn’t find it disruptive or alien. The underlying ‘essay’ is well structured so it flows well. I had the opposite issue reading The Goldfinch by Tartt, where I felt like there was an attempt at an underlying ‘essay’ but it surfaced in bursts, at surprising times and from characters that weren’t normally that eloquent, so it felt quite jarring.

As a foreigner who studied languages and lives abroad, this hit home many times. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Murder, and Classism

angorarabbit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Is it wrong to move a book up the TBR due to it being listed on a GoodReads challenge? I am glad I read this book but I feel like the challenges are manipulating the readers. Is a book popular on GoodReads because it is good or because I am reading it to tick off one more challenge? 

 

That aside, this is a very good book. The main four characters feel very real and I can empathise with the viewpoints of all of them. It is also an important book. While languages have not been used in the method the book describes with the silver working they have been stolen in a manner not unlike the onebbnn nn nn  h described in the book. The Opium Wars were very real wars that were fought to keep the opium legal in China for the benefit of European trading companies. 

 

We can learn from history and do better, but we have to actually do better. 

 

Stolen labour, stolen land, stolen language, stolen lives. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

46jjsg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

I listened to the AB intermediately and I'm so delighted I did- I don't often listen to ABs but I wanted to accurately understand the pronunciation of all the unfamiliar foreign words I expected given the context of the novel. I thought the narrator was very engaging!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

mrgilgamesh95's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I can summarise this book no better than the line from the inside cover/blurb: "Every act of translation is an act of betrayal".
A delicate balance of hope and revelation, this book cannot be recommended. It can only be experienced. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

This book is a deeply researched and carefully explored examination of the impacts of colonialism and the long shadow of imperial hegemony. Approach with caution and with expectation of what that would mean for a person of colour in England.

sheeprustler's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism