Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

True Biz by Sara Nović

9 reviews

amandalorianxo's review

informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

I was engaged for about 1/4 of the novel. We meet our three main characters - the headmistress/principal February Waters, an older out lesbian who is a CODA (adult child of deaf adults) except… well

she is hearing, not deaf. I wish February herself had been deaf. I feel like that would have added more substance to the novel and brought another full fledged adult perspective of living within a fully deaf family& the prejudices /hoops to get to where she was.

. Her wife Mel is hearing. Charlie was born deaf but her mother, wanting to keep with appearances, was convinced by medical sales reps to implant her daughter in spite of the risks. Austin Workman comes from a long maternal line of deaf family members who have lived in Ohio for generations. Surprising no one (at least not me) none of our MC are bipoc. They are all white and it’s expressed the privilege they have. In spite of that, we do meet Kayla and Alisha, the only two bipoc characters that are given lines and a faint POV. Yet I found myself wanting more.

The inclusion of Eliot didn’t fully do anything for the plot except emphasis the insanity of what religious folk assumed could be a cure for deafness when it just leads to long lasting trauma.

I myself was definitely educated and more open minded on the nuance between the difficulties deaf people face in a predominantly hearing world. But some bits and pieces could have been edited out or expanded upon. I personally didn’t see the benefit of Wanda.

Did it feel dangerously like an almost cheating / betrayal plot? Slash clearly being an anarchist but we weren’t given his pov as to why/ what lead him to this?

The ending left me even more confused and underwhelmed. I was expecting consequences ! But just like Kayla said “Waters is a softie.” 🤷🏽‍♀️

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

shirarweiss's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Medical content, Car accident, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Ableism, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry

augustar14's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-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

A wonderful dive into Deaf culture and life at a Deaf residential school. The cast of characters is diverse and well developed, each with their own experience of and relationship with their community, culture, and ability (or inability) to assimilate into the hearing world.  I found the perspective of the main character stepping into the Deaf world for the first time to be a great way to transition the reader into a culture they may know little about.  The interludes between chapters that provided more information about ASL were the perfect level for beginners. I especially appreciated, as one listening to this as an audio book (ironic, I know, but it's the most accessible way for me to read lately), the added noise of hands signing when the text was meant to be signed ASL as opposed to spoken English. It would not have been the same experience otherwise. 
Highly recommend this book both to those who have experience with Deaf culture, and those who have none at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Drug use, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Dementia

Audism

sfbookgirl's review

informative inspiring reflective tense 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

4.0

I really enjoyed True Biz! As someone who has always wanted to learn American Sign Language, this was a great read that had both a great storyline and delved into the history of sign language. I even learned a few signs from this book. While the plot seemed a bit unfinished at the end, I still enjoyed the atmosphere that Sara Nović established in a school for the Deaf. I love anything that takes place on an academic campus and True Biz was no different. 

 

Like on any school campus, there is drama and River Valley School for the Deaf is no different. When a student on campus goes missing, all hell breaks loose. True Biz is the story leading up to this event in which we learn about several students, their relationship with each other, and their relationship with Deafness. This is very much a character-driven novel that I really enjoyed. I wouldn’t say it was one of my absolute favorites, but it is definitely worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Racism, and Drug abuse

madamenovelist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Ableism, Alcoholism, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism and Religious bigotry

cranewife's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Ableism, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual content

cozyreadsandcoffee's review

emotional informative inspiring 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

5.0

I think this should be required reading for everyone to understand the struggles of the deaf community. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Dementia, Gore, Bullying, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Torture, Murder, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Grief, Toxic relationship, Child death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Drug use, Car accident, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Racism, Violence, and Classism

catbuechler's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual content

mhinnen's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.0

This is an important book that offers a glimpse into the life of the deaf/hard of hearing community. The "plot" is secondary. I appreciated the historic and informational pieces that highlighted the realities and supported the points of view of the fictional characters. I listened to the audio book and loved that there was background audio to hear the sounds of sign language during signed dialogue. It was a clever way to remind the listener that the conversation was not audible. 

The story itself was okay - teenagers and their families who were navigating regular teenage challenges compounded by the marginalization by society. 

The normalization of drugs, alcohol, sex and anarchy was troubling since there didn't seem to be repercussions for damaging behavior.  And the ending lacked a sense of justice, redemption, and closure - but maybe that was the point.

It is a good enough read and certainly offers valuable perspective so overall I recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Child abuse