Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

87 reviews

emequalsme's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Devastating and deeply sad, but also full of hope and ingenuity. I disagree with other reviewers that the magical realism is misplaced — it’s a fitting analogy and carries the adventures of the story well. There are a few chapters that meandered a bit too much; long, wordy pages that didn’t add much. All in all, though, a beautifully written book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Police brutality, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, and War

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

4.0

This is a really sad and tough read. It is well-written, but I’m not convinced that I connect well with Whitehead’s writing style. The “alternative history” aspect is I think overhyped—the big difference it makes is just that people can be in farther away places much more quickly. Other than that I didn’t think it added much to the story. But overall this is definitely a good book. The story moves at a very fast pace, though it is trying to feel hope with every new circumstance, only to have it taken away—certainly part of the point here—but still difficult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Murder

racheltheripper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

eve81's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

janatoktok's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, and Murder

magnusoloughlin's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

It ruined me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

kmcfall's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking

kcrockford's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment

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

Moderate: Cursing

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

parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism