Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

8 reviews

znvisser's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Fiction that reads like a memoir. Coming of age story with children in heartbreaking circumstances and adults that influence their environments by the choices they had to make for themselves. Interesting characters and beautiful writing. Main character was a bit eager to save everyone and heavy on religion to me personally but I can appreciate how it tied into the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child abuse, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

girrllie's review

It was too sad and violent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Drug use, Gun violence, and Rape

karyan1's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Police brutality, Drug use, Violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Bullying

Moderate: Pregnancy and Blood

mjwhitlock18's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

Coming-of-age story of an adolescent girl growing up in a housing project dealing with gang violence and loss of community due to gentrification, as well as navigating the changing landscape of her friendships. The voice and character of FeFe feels authentic, naive in a realistic way, and grows and changes as she loses innocence in a system that refuses to protect her and deals with turmoil, systemic injustice, and personal hurdles. The second part has a shift in tone, with her adult self recounting later events and reflecting on/ mourning the childhood she had. This narrative clearly shows the cycle of generational poverty, systemic racism, and police brutality, but still highlighting how she flourished with support and love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Police brutality, Drug use, and Gun violence

Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death

midnightmarauder's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Last Summer on State Street is told from the perspective of Felicia Stevens, often called Fe Fe by her friends and other people in the neighborhood. She lives in the South Side of Chicago in the Robert Taylor Homes projects. She has two best friends: church-girl Precious Brown, and Stacia Buchanan, who comes from a gang-affiliated background. 

Though the girls come from different walks of life, they lean on each other for support and friendship. Tonya, a new girl in their building, appears, and Felicia invites her over and she joins their friend group. But, Tonya comes with her own set of problems that don't show themselves until later. 

Tonya flinches a lot at loud sounds like gunshots or yelling, which makes me believe that she was a victim of

physical abuse

, even though it's never explicitly stated. However, it is revealed that she is a victim of

sexual abuse at the hands of drug dealers in their neighborhood.

Her mother is also a

drug addict, so it's possible that she could've been pimping Tonya out to the dealers in exchange for drugs

.

Fe Fe, who is naive but also very curious, grows up quickly during her time on State Street, witnessing both her building,

which is slated for demolition

, and her friends fall apart around her. Although so much changes around her, she uses the issues as vitriol to

get an education and move out of Chicago altogether

, making something of herself. 

I enjoyed reading this book so much, that it was always hard to put down. It reminded me a lot of my own childhood back when I lived in the projects; how I had a mother who sheltered me the best she could from the dangers of life in public housing, and how I had friends who, more often than not, had worse living situations than I had. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship

combepherre's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Child death, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Police brutality, Rape, Trafficking, Child abuse, Addiction, Bullying, and Abandonment

estam1's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, and Abandonment

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship