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tuesday_evening's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Deportation, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, and Classism
dawntin's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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 was such a funny yet insightful book—I read it in one sitting! The book has a very unorthodox structure as all of the characters are part of a play called Black and White. It really resonated with me as a Chinese-American, but also displayed the effects of racism on people who weren’t Asian, such as black women. I loved Willis’ relationship with Karen and thought the characters were well-written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Death
louisekf's review
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Unusual writing style, told in the second personskudiklier's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
4.75
I really liked this! At first I found some of it hard to follow, just in terms of what was "really" happening vs what wasn't, but overall I don't think that diminished the quality or anything like that. I'm glad I listened to the audiobook as I feel like that works really well for this sort of screenplay format. This book was engaging, heartfelt, and funny, and I'd definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Slavery
ms_sarah621's review
funny
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Hate crime
Minor: Death
bookishvanessa's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
lindzt18's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime
Moderate: Racism
Minor: War
forrestalexander's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Violence, and Death
salon3ly's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.25
holy shit!!! holy fucking shit!!! i was tugging along, unimpressed, and then i got to act vi and was completely blown away. what a joy to read with biting commentary & delightful ambiguity. i started reading with a distaste for the screenplay formatting but it caught on so quickly. i think some of the anti-Blackness/comparisons of asian oppression to Black oppression was lackluster, misplaced, and in bad taste for me, but overall, a lovely read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
cinnamonandpancakes's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book extremely fast, I was hooked from the very beginning. Having it formatted as a screenplay seems like a gimmick at first but I found it to actually be a really clever way of creating this sense of the narrator's emotional distance from the people in his life and lent a feeling of unreality to everything.
This book doesn't hold its punches, or refrain from sliding a stiletto between your ribs, but it's so well done that you can't help admiring the skill involved.
This book doesn't hold its punches, or refrain from sliding a stiletto between your ribs, but it's so well done that you can't help admiring the skill involved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Violence
Part of the book deals with the early Kuomintang era of Taiwan and the violence that took place then. There is also significant reference to the particular ways the US has tried to exclude Asians from immigrating or becoming citizens.