Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

8 reviews

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

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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

salemander's review

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Slavery, Hate crime, Racism, Child death, and Gun violence

lexihworth's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Alcohol, Slavery, Death, and Cancer

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage

cutlet's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.25

This was my first audiobook and it was incredibly powerful to listen to the author read their story. This feels like it should be mandatory reading for all white people, to better understand Black history in the US and the intergenerational trauma it carries with it. The main characters absolutely pulled me in, but it was at times difficult to keep track of when and where something was happening.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Colonisation, Murder, Slavery, Cancer, Classism, and Racial slurs

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

My brain is trying to process everything that I just read. At first, I thought it was just a SFF book, but as I continue to listen, I realized this book is more like a dystopian novel. I have not read dystopian novels since I was in middle school (mid-2010s), so I was shocked. The social commentary is top notch!! Despite it being a novella, it fits everything together and I didn't miss anything. The siblings, Kev and Ella, are fully-realized characters who are angry in their own way. I wish I could recommend this to everyone, but I cannot. The subject matter is dark, and there are many content warnings as well. Please tread with caution.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Medical content

Moderate: Miscarriage, Slavery, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer

katiebowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

I want this novella to be a full length novel so that it can further explore details of the story that weren’t essential, but that made me curious - what exactly is Ella’s power? Why does she have it and why is she (seemingly) the only one? I’d like to see just *more* development of her and Kev’s characters. I’d like the novel to be long enough to really see them grow up - though I guess there’s a point to be made there about who gets time to just be a kid in America, and who has to grow up fast. 

And also, none of my questions are the point. This story is a loudly banging exploration of (white) America’s ongoing historic war on Black people, decade after decade, in continuous new (but also old) ways. It’s about a future that is more of the same, or maybe a future where it all gets torn down for something actually free. It’s about the things that Black individuals and communities do to keep moving towards that day. Getting caught up on the lack of explanation around Ella’s powers feels distinctly Not The Point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Violence, Racism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Miscarriage

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

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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.

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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