Scan barcode
jenna_justi2004's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Colonisation, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, War, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Torture, Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
ejimenez's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Confinement, Racial slurs, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Excrement, Murder, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Medical content, and Racism
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Violence, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Miscarriage, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, Animal death, Confinement, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Rape, Domestic abuse, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders
Use of slurs is reclaimed. Institutionalization refers to imprisonment/incarceration.memoriast's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
This book left me simmering with anger and rage and indignance and despair, but in a way that I think I needed. Like Sarah Gailey said on the cover, it "comes at you full speed with the brake line cut". It leaves my heart heavy and lights a fire in it at the same time. It is definitely not a light read and please heed the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Rape
now_booking's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
3-3.5 Stars.
Wow. I’m not sure how to talk about this novel. It’s a kind of very “what if” stream of consciousness piece about historical and endemic racism, police brutality, the racism in administering justice in black communities with a bit of insight about the prison industrial complex. For me, it’s not really a novel per se as the actual plot is quite loose and somewhat abstract and the characters exist to represent anger (for Ella) and one of the worst case scenarios (for Kev). The fantasy elements are not fully explored and seemed to exist only to place the characters in external situations to support the novel’s themes.
The premise is sort of that Ella has somewhat telepathic, teleportation, foresight, time-travelling, matter-manipulating powers that might include other things which are never quite specified or fully explored in the novel. For this reason, she’s always been a source of concern for her family, especially when they discover that her powers are fueled by anger to the point she’s not fully in control of them. And as a black person living in an overtly racist society, there is a lot to be enraged about. Meanwhile Kev, her younger brother, falls victim to the prison industrial complex and Ella is powerless to help him, which further enrages her.
This is an important book, that talks about important themes, and from that standpoint, I’m glad I read it. Style-wise, it’s not a very long book, indeed, I think it could have done with being a little longer and having a little more character and plot development, but that is a question of my taste. I don’t believe that is the book the author set out to write. In the afterward the author describes this book as originating from “disembodied phrases and feelings,” which he says coalesced after hearing news of more extrajudicial killings by police going unpunished. To me, I don’t feel like those phrases and feelings coalesced that tightly for me in this novel, and if they did, they coalesced like an essay around a theme, rather than as a story (with a message) around these potentially interesting characters . This book felt very abstract and floaty in terms of the storytelling but rooted in real incidents of outright racism and racial inequalities across all systems. As a novel, it’s not super difficult to follow, but there were definitely moments of “wait what’s going on? who’s speaking now?” This is not so much because of the transitions between brother and sister’s voices, but because of the transitions between past, present, and future, between their own experiences and the experiences of other people both known to them and strangers from times past and present. I can only imagine that this is intentional, that the author wants us to be as disoriented and manic and enraged as Ella is and as Kev is when Ella pulls him into “her Thing.” It was sometimes hard to know what was real to the story and what was happening through Ella’s thing.
From the style standpoint and the not really developing the story or plot in place of discussing the theme standpoint, this wasn’t for me. It’s not that this approach by the author makes this book bad, on the contrary. It’s different and unique and obviously very deliberately done. This feels like the intersection of non-fiction and fantasy, like someone was writing an essay or analysis in an altered state. This book is good, and more importantly, it’s needed. It’s just perhaps not really to my taste. I would a million times recommend this to anyone as a companion to non-fiction works about race. Indeed, this reads as an exposition of all the racial injustices around policing and incarceration, health care (especially for black women), control, the school to prison pipeline etc, and how basically all these things are supported by white supremacy. Definite trigger warning for being a black person especially in America (or anywhere).
Personally, my favourite parts of this book came near the end with the exploration of peace and compliance narratives from religion and from black people who are resigned to the system. I was a little confused by the resolution and left feeling much like Kev that the whole thing was a jumble in which the only real tangible desired outcome was freedom.
Reading the first chapter featuring Ella’s childhood, I was excited by the idea of Ella and her talents but I don’t think that plot angle was ever really explored or much was done with it except to reveal supporting evidence to justify her rage. And to me, it got a little repetitive. But then I don’t consider this to be a book about Ella and Kev, but rather about a broader system. I couldn’t tell whether Kev had his own talents or not and I would have loved to know the origin of their powers. But then, I suppose such trivial plot questions are a little out of place in a novel with such heavy and important themes. This is a book about anger and history fueling and feeding that anger till it becomes incandescent rage. In Riot Baby, peace and reconciliation, rebuilding is not possible till the fire of anger has burned everything down and cleansed it to start over. I can’t say I “enjoyed” it, but it’s an important book and I recommend checking it out if you’re interested in racial discourse.
Wow. I’m not sure how to talk about this novel. It’s a kind of very “what if” stream of consciousness piece about historical and endemic racism, police brutality, the racism in administering justice in black communities with a bit of insight about the prison industrial complex. For me, it’s not really a novel per se as the actual plot is quite loose and somewhat abstract and the characters exist to represent anger (for Ella) and one of the worst case scenarios (for Kev). The fantasy elements are not fully explored and seemed to exist only to place the characters in external situations to support the novel’s themes.
The premise is sort of that Ella has somewhat telepathic, teleportation, foresight, time-travelling, matter-manipulating powers that might include other things which are never quite specified or fully explored in the novel. For this reason, she’s always been a source of concern for her family, especially when they discover that her powers are fueled by anger to the point she’s not fully in control of them. And as a black person living in an overtly racist society, there is a lot to be enraged about. Meanwhile Kev, her younger brother, falls victim to the prison industrial complex and Ella is powerless to help him, which further enrages her.
This is an important book, that talks about important themes, and from that standpoint, I’m glad I read it. Style-wise, it’s not a very long book, indeed, I think it could have done with being a little longer and having a little more character and plot development, but that is a question of my taste. I don’t believe that is the book the author set out to write. In the afterward the author describes this book as originating from “disembodied phrases and feelings,” which he says coalesced after hearing news of more extrajudicial killings by police going unpunished. To me, I don’t feel like those phrases and feelings coalesced that tightly for me in this novel, and if they did, they coalesced like an essay around a theme, rather than as a story (with a message) around these potentially interesting characters . This book felt very abstract and floaty in terms of the storytelling but rooted in real incidents of outright racism and racial inequalities across all systems. As a novel, it’s not super difficult to follow, but there were definitely moments of “wait what’s going on? who’s speaking now?” This is not so much because of the transitions between brother and sister’s voices, but because of the transitions between past, present, and future, between their own experiences and the experiences of other people both known to them and strangers from times past and present. I can only imagine that this is intentional, that the author wants us to be as disoriented and manic and enraged as Ella is and as Kev is when Ella pulls him into “her Thing.” It was sometimes hard to know what was real to the story and what was happening through Ella’s thing.
From the style standpoint and the not really developing the story or plot in place of discussing the theme standpoint, this wasn’t for me. It’s not that this approach by the author makes this book bad, on the contrary. It’s different and unique and obviously very deliberately done. This feels like the intersection of non-fiction and fantasy, like someone was writing an essay or analysis in an altered state. This book is good, and more importantly, it’s needed. It’s just perhaps not really to my taste. I would a million times recommend this to anyone as a companion to non-fiction works about race. Indeed, this reads as an exposition of all the racial injustices around policing and incarceration, health care (especially for black women), control, the school to prison pipeline etc, and how basically all these things are supported by white supremacy. Definite trigger warning for being a black person especially in America (or anywhere).
Personally, my favourite parts of this book came near the end with the exploration of peace and compliance narratives from religion and from black people who are resigned to the system. I was a little confused by the resolution and left feeling much like Kev that the whole thing was a jumble in which the only real tangible desired outcome was freedom.
Reading the first chapter featuring Ella’s childhood, I was excited by the idea of Ella and her talents but I don’t think that plot angle was ever really explored or much was done with it except to reveal supporting evidence to justify her rage. And to me, it got a little repetitive. But then I don’t consider this to be a book about Ella and Kev, but rather about a broader system. I couldn’t tell whether Kev had his own talents or not and I would have loved to know the origin of their powers. But then, I suppose such trivial plot questions are a little out of place in a novel with such heavy and important themes. This is a book about anger and history fueling and feeding that anger till it becomes incandescent rage. In Riot Baby, peace and reconciliation, rebuilding is not possible till the fire of anger has burned everything down and cleansed it to start over. I can’t say I “enjoyed” it, but it’s an important book and I recommend checking it out if you’re interested in racial discourse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
More...