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signeskov's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Colonisation, Genocide, Death, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Addiction, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abandonment and Fatphobia
spicycronereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The narrative is made up of many different points of view of “urban Indians,” mostly in and around Oakland, CA. With the multiple POVs you see the vast interconnectedness of the characters that leads toward the climactic event but you do lose out on a sense of depth with any given character. Nor do they have time to develop. So it is more like sketches of the various actors who all meet at the powwow event in the climax.
Each of the characters is dealing with their indigenous identity as well as various class-based and family traumas, that are undoubtedly connected to the historic violence against Native Americans. I do wish that with one or two characters we could have focused more on community, or their successes, or joy. The focus was almost entirely anchored in trauma and deficit, exploring the “there there” that is gone. I suspect that contemporary indigenous identity is more multi-dimensional than that.
There are many moments of poetry throughout the book. One of my favorite lines is “To cry is to waste the feeling. He needs to dance with it. Crying is for when there’s nothing left to do.”
The ending is ambiguous and I didn’t mind that though there were a couple of loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up.
Overall a gorgeous read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graphic: Gun violence and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Animal death
mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Gun violence
kimmykelly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Genocide, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Racism, Death, and Domestic abuse
sponberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Racism, Rape, and Genocide
ellagrady's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
la_licia33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Addiction, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Domestic abuse
Minor: Xenophobia
caitmariereads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Misogyny, and Death of parent
marissasa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Death, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Suicide, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Car accident, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Domestic abuse