Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

10 reviews

sophisticotton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

I really can’t rate this book yet. What I can say is that it makes me think, I love the changing perspectives, and I think it belongs in a modern afro futurism course. Would love to see it taught in comparison with Chain Gang All Stars or Parable of the Sower. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racism, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt

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

bandysbooks'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

4.0

I heard about Riot Baby during a readathon that I was participating in. Previously, I was unfamiliar with this author and this work. I’m glad that’s changed though because I though this was such an interesting book.

Riot Baby follows two siblings, one of which was born during the Rodney King Riots. They are surrounded by a system that victimizes, criminalizes, and then incarcerates their peers. When they reach a breaking point, we start to see hints of powers they’ve both been containing. 

This is in some ways a dystopia, but in some ways it isn’t. We have a system that is set up to function against a certain group of people. The reason that I won’t call it an outright dystopia is because those injustices are just slight escalations of the things that already happen on a day to day basis in the states.

What’s most impressive about this book is how it can delve into such deep themes in such a short page count. It all made sense as written, but also left me wanting more of the story. All in all, a solid read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, Violence, Blood, Classism, Police brutality, and Torture

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

decie's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

4.5

pick this up when you want raw, heavy, rage-filled poetry. if you're primed for a fantasy plot you'll be disappointed. that's not what the author is doing here. it's better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Grief, Classism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug use and Confinement

Minor: Animal death

vonni's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Self harm, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, Medical content, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Gore

micklesreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

This book was incredible. It's magical and heartbreaking and creative while feeling truly real.

I read the author's acknowledgments, and he thanks N.K. Jemisin for the way she writes anger, and I really get that after having read this. There is rage and the feeling of powerlessness here, but there's also beautiful human connection and grounding. It's a stunner.

It's been years since I've read Jean Toomer's "Cane," but I kept thinking about it while reading this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Confinement, Racism, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

ehmannky's review

challenging dark emotional 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

Every so often I read a book that makes me miss being an English major because I would love to discuss it with a whole class with a teacher guiding us. And this was one of them. I honestly had no clue what to make of this at first, and was a bit lost. But the more I read about and the more author interviews I read about it the more I like it and the more I like what Onyebuchi does with the genre here. Not a perfect book, but a good read nonetheless.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Violence, 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

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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.

maryellen's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Child death, and Drug abuse