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chloe_hazel'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
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Rape, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Abortion
joensign's review
- 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: Mass/school shootings, Death, Violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Alcohol, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abortion, Addiction, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Car accident
kathrynclaire'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual assault
Minor: Genocide and Abortion
hendrixpants'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: Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape
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
mekaylynn'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, Mental illness, and Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical content, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Rape
laurao's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Religious bigotry, Racism, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Fatphobia, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Car accident, Cancer, Body shaming, Blood, and Addiction
Minor: War and Xenophobia
The characters were numb and isolated. It’s an important topic, but it was just hard to read.kuchshabd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Blood, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
cubergirl420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
masomunos'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
5.0
Moderate: Death, Colonisation, Genocide, and Gun violence
Minor: Violence, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicide, Alcoholism, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Grief