Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

25 reviews

angorarabbit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 TLDR: Sometimes a book is so good writing a review is pointless. 

 

Context:  Going into this book I knew that it dealt with slavery in the American south. I have read some histories regarding southern chattel slavery and American abolitionist theories. I also had the idea that the underground railroad in this book delivered people to some sort of dark amusement parks. The dark was correct, the amusement park was not. People were delivered to actual or proposed alternatives to slavery. 

 

Mr Whitehead guided me  through the horrors of chattel slavery without breaking me. He then details possible outcomes for solutions that some Americans had posed for the “slave problem”. By the time I reached Indiana I was grasping for a life line, so deep had my dread and my investment in Cora’s future become. The author delivered one just in the nick of time. 

 

I don’t think I was so close to heartbreak reading a book since Beloved. 

 

During Cora’s journey she learns of the displacement and genocide of indigenous peoples by the European coloniser’s greed for land. We forget all to often in the Americas that all land is stolen land and the oldest and most prized buildings were built by the blood sweat and tears of stolen people. 

 

I wish every American (not just USains) would read this book. Then think before they speak about the “black problem”.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Abandonment, Confinement, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, Genocide, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cursing

Forced sterilisation, eugenics, blackface performances, n word, medical experiments without consent. Body snatching, lynching

sarahbiegelsen's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Slavery

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Rape, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Blood

Minor: Misogyny, Body horror, and Medical content

emikateb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Stalking

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

✨ Thrifted ✨

Wow. Far out. This was (obviously) going to be a heavy book, but I was unprepared for it 😳 The content warnings as usual will be included below.

Initially I found it difficult to get into, in the way that it was written, but once we delved into Cora’s life I found it difficult to put down. Usually multi-generational stories are challenging for me to read for some reason, but this one I was able to find the links between Ajarry, Mabel and Cora.
Cora and Royal also made me go 🥹

OBVIOUSLY we hated Ridgeway - he was fucked up. I found Mingo interesting; as someone who’d bought their freedom looking down on others felt bizarre and complicated and difficult to contend with.

4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you so much ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Racism, Genocide, Death of parent, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting

tigerkind's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

„A plantation was a plantation; one might think one’s misfortunes distinct, but the true horror lay in their universality.“

A capitivating read, especially interesting if you’re familiar with other (neo) slave narratives. Focusing purely on the reading experience I found the book a bit predictable and the style alienating from the character’s emotions and suffering - but I think it fits the narrative. The story is not indulgent in recounting the emotional and physical horrors of slavery (though they’re there, no doubt about it) but focuses more on perseverance and persistence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Confinement, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Classism, Death, Excrement, Hate crime, Misogyny, Trafficking, Genocide, and Violence

travisppe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Kidnapping, Rape, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racial slurs, and Self harm

charlotteih's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

heart wrenching, tragic, sad, disgusting, humorous, beautiful. an epic portrait of the black american experience, and the complex, nuanced machine driven by white oppression. whitehead’s characters are vivid and consuming, his reflections and storytelling just the same. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Trafficking, Torture, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Violence, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Abortion, Murder, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Body horror, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Whew. This one is a really rough read, but the writing is so excellent. It's extremely distressing, but it's an important read. Absolutely will read this author again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Death, Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Stalking, Trafficking, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Medical content

itsbumley's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking

mads_reads_books's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Stalking, and Racism

Moderate: Incest, Colonisation, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, Suicide, and Trafficking