Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

246 reviews

maameadwubi's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

3.0

This book is incredibly bleak; Octavia Butler was incredibly prescient and the parallels between this book and our potential reality made it even more horrifying/scary to read. I wasn’t aware of what I was getting into when I started reading it and had to put it down halfway through to spark not a the rest. 
Will be dealing with nightmares for the near future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cannibalism, Slavery, Child abuse, Drug use, Incest, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Vomit, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Racism, and Suicide

elisamurillo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Rape, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Trafficking, Genocide, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Slavery, Kidnapping, Racism, Death, and Blood

morphashark's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

Really interesting kind of post apocalypse story, emphasising the importance of community and constructing communities, and how mythmaking binds people together. It's a "kind of post apocalypse" as it has all the hallmarks of a post apocalypse setting, but unusually it is noticeably mid-apocalypse. The USA still exists in some form and it's clear that things are still mid collapse, and that semblance of remaining "civilisation" and the hope of a return to the past is what makes the setting interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, and Domestic abuse

Some of the things I've tagged here like sexual assault are not extremely detailed fortunately but more than just mentioned in passing. Even when the description itself is not explicit the impact of these things on the group is more detailed.

megansoetaert's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

seriously loved this book, its messaging, and the worldbuilding. Octavia Butler really was a genius. it definitely hit me hard when i realized the first chapter is set in 2024 (yay, so exciting)… the world she created isnt impossible to foresee. i love the emphasis on community care & protection and calling out the systems we already see starting to fail.

i really thought this would be 5 stars for me, but there was just something missing 😭 the beginning moved too slowly for me & the ending didn’t satisfy me (like i need to go read Talents now to have a full story). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Slavery, Sexism, Sexual violence, Racism, and Trafficking

finn_1312's review

adventurous dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Blood, Animal death, Police brutality, Addiction, Death, and Drug abuse

caroline_rk's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Sexual violence

yruss972's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Slavery, Gore, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Abandonment, Racism, Physical abuse, Blood, Drug use, Child death, Animal death, Trafficking, Rape, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Bullying, Grief, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

Kept expecting more but it never came.

scifi_rat's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Plot: 4.5★
Prose: 4.5★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.75★
Worldbuilding: 4.75★
Ending: 4.75★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Slavery, Torture, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Cursing, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Gore, Infertility, Pedophilia, Suicide, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Excrement

breadwitchery's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Child death, Rape, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, and Animal death

Minor: Cannibalism and Trafficking

sarahsbookstacks's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Suicide, Slavery, and Rape