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mekowaletti's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, Colonisation, Ableism, and Abandonment
clare072's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Fatphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Genocide, Abortion, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
4.0
"The problem with indigenous art in general is that it's stuck in the past. The catch or the double bind about the whole thing is this: if it isn't pulling from tradition, how is it indigenous? and if it is stuck in tradition, in the past, how can it be relevant to other indigenous people living now? How can it be modern?"
Tommy Orange's debut novel answers his own question as it weaves together the lives and experiences of 12 Native people coming together in Oakland, California, for a massive powwow. Their strings are all tangled together in ways clear and confusing, and Orange uses these characters and their experiences to bring front and center the lives of "Urban Indians" for his readers. Through their lives, readers are able to see the struggles, challenges, and failures that Native society is forced to navigate while highlighting the culture that still exists despite colonizers' best efforts.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I struggled with the sheer number of points of view and keeping them all straight, especially the young men. As the book progressed, that got better, but the beginning in particular was rough for me. I think this would have been better with a physical or digital copy of the book rather than the audiobook.
The ambiguity at the end is frustrating, but I also think it's perfect for this book. The lives of Native and Indigenous people are not static and do not have an ending; this story, a glimpse into that reality, should not have an ending either. Instead, readers should take it as a call to action to do the work to improve the lives of Native communities around them, boosting a beautiful culture so that the youth can break the cycles of poverty that white Americans forced them into years and years ago.
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Racism, Addiction, Body shaming, Ableism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
gilnean'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
4.5
Graphic: War, Excrement, Murder, Gore, Death, Genocide, Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Gun violence, Suicide, Drug use, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Death of parent, Medical content, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, Abandonment, Abortion, Self harm, Classism, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, and Religious bigotry
eve81's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Ableism, Racism, Rape, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Drug use
kulera's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Sexual assault, and Abortion
eve_o's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Drug abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, and Gore
anniefwrites's review
- 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
Graphic: Excrement, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Genocide, Sexual assault, War, and Racism
ashleycmms'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
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Abandonment, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Violence, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Child death, Suicide, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Racism, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Animal death, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
v_neptune's review against another edition
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Ableism, Gun violence, Rape, Cursing, Mental illness, and Sexual assault