Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

33 reviews

deirdrelk's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

A profound book that manages to be  gut-wretching and beautiful at the same time. While Ward is in a class of her own, fans of Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison will find a home in her work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Abandonment, Violence, Death, and Hate crime

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, and Addiction

mallowdrama's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Probably the best climax and ending I've read in a novel before. Incredibly introspective and reflective.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Addiction, Animal death, Death, and Physical abuse

annecharlotte_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

A story about stories, told and untold, that can keep us alive and also kill us. About relationships and family, and how far we're each ready to go for the ones we love. About loving against violence and abuse and death, and keeping each other alive. 
This novel is a thing of beauty. From the first few sentences you know you're in for something special: not only a powerful story but gorgeous writing. I was reminded of the best elements of Toni Morrison. 
The story is written from 3 points of view. Sometimes I had trouble remembering if it was the mother or the son speaking, so maybe there isn't enough difference in style. These shifts are still incredibly powerful and force us to empathise with Léonie, a violent, abusive and neglectful mother, but also a daughter, a sister, a lover, traumatised and addicted to drugs. The magical realism is injected gradually and amplifies into a terrible, spectacular climax, right at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Drug abuse, and Forced institutionalization

mia_merrill's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Murder, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape, Medical trauma, Slavery, Sexual assault, Medical content, Gun violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Animal death

fletches's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Racism

ananamauvais's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, and Hate crime

Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, and Medical content

keatonslowlyreads's review

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Drug use, Vomit, Slavery, Hate crime, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Cancer

cammiem8's review against another edition

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

4.0

I read this for my college freshman English course and found myself looking forward to the class discussions on the book. I’d describe it as Song of Solomon meets the Odyssey, this book is a generation spanning ghost story and a fascinating character study.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Animal death

A lynching is a central plot point. The vomiting scene actively made me nauseous, I really suggest skipping the next two pages after the little sister starts getting sick, it’s extremely graphic. There’s also a graphic drug overdose where

the mother swallows a bag full of meth to avoid arrest and her young son has to help her detox

constantlybooked7's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Rape

alyanthea's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Death, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape