Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

84 reviews

robinbobbin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Terminal illness

blessingo'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a story to read carefully, feeling the smarting rays of the Mississippian sun and the haze of cigarette smoke mingling with ochre. Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing is about twelve-year-old Jojo's family, with his drug-addicted mother, his baby sister, Kayla, journeying to see their white father and boyfriend who's returning from prison, and in it, Jesmyn shows exactly why her 2011 book, Salvage the Bones won a National Book Award. This book is very dark, emotionally trying, and occasionally, gross. In the literal first few pages of the book, the grandfather literally slaughters a goat for the family to eat. The writing in this is rich and devastating, punching you to your core. I felt for the ghost of Richie and the ghosts of the past present in Leonie's brother's ghost that haunts her.

I feel like this book wasn't good for me to read at the particular time I read it because I had just finished reading The Color of Water, a similarly very emotional and trying book. This most likely made the story more tedious for me personally, because my psyche was honestly exhausted, lol. But this book was captivating, probably some of the best writing I've read this year? If you're looking for a deeply afflicted, turbulent, and shining novel to read, this is definitely for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Racism

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment

soupcreature's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, and Drug abuse

bookbaby's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Racial slurs

missbsbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Vomit

emilyeehaw's review against another edition

emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

all i have to say is kayla and jojo deserved BETTER! such a heavy and sad book to read..definitely gave me toni morrison vibes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug abuse

sasuke's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

The experience of reading this book is hard to describe, a beautifully written story, harsh and gentle at once, and one that is hard to extract yourself from once you’ve entered from the very beginning and beyond the end. The tension is coiled very tightly and tightens; tension between characters, between times and history, in the physical world and it’s natural and supernatural elements this story occupies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Death, Murder, Slavery, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Cancer, and Child abuse

quicksilver's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.75

This book is lyrical and is so full of issues to unpack. The characters are rich and fully developed, with a real sense of connection. The book has JoJo at the heart but it builds the world of the living and the dead in a powerful way. I would love to read Kayla’s coming of age story. I would also read a whole book about the unburied dead, those who died without peace, and their life straddling the spirit world and the land of living. 

I think I loved its strong sense of place most and what it means to belong is threaded throughout. The natural elements and how it ties to the theme of nature vs. nurture was extremely impactful. The idea that nature heals and the importance of a balanced ecosystem is paralleled with the importance of a balanced internal world. I could read this over again. 

This intergenerational saga is also key - this novel really brings Southern rural black life to light in a way I haven’t seen before, while exploring the theme of multiracial children and how they find their place in that backdrop. 

The descriptions are dynamic: they made me sad and made me hopeful and taught me some perspective on common themes. The dynamic of struggle in relationships and the emotions people feel but don’t speak are laid out for examination. 

It was a good read, deserving of all the praise heaped on it. Why are you still reading this? Go get your hands on it and read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Violence, Toxic friendship, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, and Drug abuse

tlaynejones's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Drug abuse

ananamauvais's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, and Hate crime

Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, and Medical content