Reviews with content warning for Racism - Don't Cry for Me: A Novel

Beautiful meditation on the intersection of racism and toxic masculinity and family. Parenthood. On the grief of failing those you love, not bc you didn't try, but bc you didn't know any different.

Content Warnings

brokenspine's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective

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

4.5

Don’t Cry For Me is an epistolary novel, a series of letters written over four months from Jacob to his estranged son Isaac. Jacob is dying and knows this is his last chance to apologise to Isaac for all that he did wrong and to pass on what he has to offer - stories from his past, his cultural legacy. It would be easy to judge Jacob harshly, especially for incidences of domestic violence and for his inability to love and accept Isaac for who he was rather than trying to force him to conform and then rejecting him when he could not. However, this book forces the reader into a more balanced and nuanced position. Not by attempting to excuse Jacob - and he certainly doesn’t attempt to excuse himself - but by offering up Jacob’s life story as a way of providing context. This allows us to see Jacob sometimes doing the wrong thing for a good reason, sometimes trying to do the right thing but coming up short, and sometimes just doing the wrong thing because he was flawed and hurting.

As a parent this book really hit home I think it is impossible to raise children to adulthood and not have made mistakes, to not have regrets, to not wish you’d done some things differently or not done them at all. It’s a reminder to love and accept your kids as they are. And also to try and deal with regrets whatever the may be, whoever they involve. Apologise and atone if relevant, before it is to late.

The lack of resolution at the end may bother some readers but I think knowing whether or not father and son reconciled is beside the point. This is a poignant and heartfelt character study, a look at regret and self-reckoning. It’s a book that quickly grabbed my attention and never let go, and one that offers some important insights about the realities of being a Black man in America.

Content Warnings

yzadalawatatlo's review

Go to review page

emotional 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

3.75

Content Warnings

literarylarisa's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

shoohoob's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

Ironic that a book titled Don’t Cry For Me made me sob, but it really did. This book hurt to read. As a queer person with an estranged father, I saw myself in Isaac, and often wondered how he would react to the letters. I found myself wanting to feel for Jacob and hoping my own father would do this. I definitely think I’ll remember this book for the rest of my life. Thank you, Daniel Black.

Content Warnings

sj_54's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

This book was in equal parts one of the easiest things to read, and the most difficult.

The writing style flows beautifully, and the pages just fly by. I am a big fan of this kind of approach, written as letters addressed to someone, which focuses the story on the relationships of the characters without getting stuck in extraneous details.

On the other hand, the subject matter absolutely necessitated frequent breaks to absorb and reflect, and I think the author did a marvelous job breaking up the letters so the reader has that chance between chapters.

This is not a book you rush through and then promptly move on from. It sticks with you and commands attention.
It's a beautiful exploration of growth, regret, parenthood, and the things that separate us, or bring us together.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC.

Content Warnings

rosemaryslibrarian's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

More...