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miamiauwu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, and Violence
emberysing's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Racism, Hate crime, and Death
tahsintries's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence
joceraptor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death
abbeyreadsthings's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Violence, and Racism
minbyrnes's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, and Violence
aruerra's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely have no words to describe how heavy this book is. It is definitely not an easy YA book to read as it really tackles a lot of racism, violence, and mental health issues. This book must be read with preparation because Alkaf's writing was so vivid, the panic attacks and the loneliness feel so real. I loved this book so much, I rated it 5 out of 5 stars and it's absolutely in my top favorite books of 2021 and possibly in my top favorite books for life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
lyonsdenprojects's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
This book is so incredibly heavy and powerful. The window it opens into both mental illness, as well as the conflict that happened in Malaysia in 1969 is deeply hard hitting. Though I do not have OCD, the depictions of struggling with intrusive thoughts and generalized anxiety are a near perfect mirror to my own experiences.
The writer's voice and style is captivating, really putting the reader in the shoes of Melati as she attempts to navigate horrific events while finding her own strength and courage. Really, this book has multiple different stories tied up in it and I'm just blown away by how much of the conflict the author was able to portray from the eyes of those who were caught in it.
This is another book that should be taught in schools instead of some of the other garbage.
The writer's voice and style is captivating, really putting the reader in the shoes of Melati as she attempts to navigate horrific events while finding her own strength and courage. Really, this book has multiple different stories tied up in it and I'm just blown away by how much of the conflict the author was able to portray from the eyes of those who were caught in it.
This is another book that should be taught in schools instead of some of the other garbage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
TW: graphic depictions of violence & death; racism; ableism; mental illnesses relating to OCD
A powerful story that was emotionally heavy, but absolutely critical especially for a Malaysian like me. It explored the cultural dynamics that not only shaped our multi-ethnics interactions (& subsequently, prejudices & racism that contributed to the '69 riot), but also depicted how they could also influenced one's views & approaches to their health, especially relating to mental illnesses.
The 1st person view was encapsulating. Hanna structured Melati's account with full convinction; you'd feel her fear & horror: you were roped into the maelstrom of the riot & her attempts to survive. Also, you were given a glimpse into how she navigated the event while living with OCD. Amidst the fears & attrocities though, there were also beams of kindness & resilience, seen not only in our MC Melati, but also in the likes of Auntie Bee & Vince. Notably though, Hanna never attempted to paint the whole situations in rainbows; the story could get gruesome; even with the "kind" characters, there was prejudicial views, implicating normalization of racism. <\spoiler>
That being said, as a Malaysian, what was frightening to me was the fact that the "logic" shared by the bigots in this story had similarities to those bigots in the current day-and-age. As Hanna stipulated in the author's note, this part of our history was glanced over in our school; our government also likely had "revised" (i.e., a systemic disinformation) the event. I believed this story would allowed Malaysians in particular to contemplate the danger & failure to address racism in our country, one that is commonly weaponised by our politicians to turn us against each other while they maintained a kleptocracy; I hope we can all be like Melati, Auntie Bee, Uncle Chong, Vincent, Jay, & all the people who held the value of humanity highest.
The pacing of this story started out really fast as you were thrown into the chaos from the get-go. It did tapered off a bit in the middle; and at times, it got too emotionally heavy where I personally had to take a step away from it for awhile.
Regardless, I've shed tears of angers & disbeliefs at the displays of cruelty, and I was at the edge of my seats, willing for Melati to survive. Despite the adrenaline, kindness imbedded across the story lingered like the echoes from a gong. The story can be heavy & brutal, but I think that was also necessary, because it acted as a reminder of what dehumanizing others that came from racism can cause.
For this reason, I want to learn more, read-up more on the historical facts of what had happened so I, as a Malaysian, could be better; to contribute to building an antiracist society.
A powerful story that was emotionally heavy, but absolutely critical especially for a Malaysian like me. It explored the cultural dynamics that not only shaped our multi-ethnics interactions (& subsequently, prejudices & racism that contributed to the '69 riot), but also depicted how they could also influenced one's views & approaches to their health, especially relating to mental illnesses.
The 1st person view was encapsulating. Hanna structured Melati's account with full convinction; you'd feel her fear & horror: you were roped into the maelstrom of the riot & her attempts to survive. Also, you were given a glimpse into how she navigated the event while living with OCD. Amidst the fears & attrocities though, there were also beams of kindness & resilience, seen not only in our MC Melati, but also in the likes of Auntie Bee & Vince. Notably though,
That being said, as a Malaysian, what was frightening to me was the fact that the "logic" shared by the bigots in this story had similarities to those bigots in the current day-and-age. As Hanna stipulated in the author's note, this part of our history was glanced over in our school; our government also likely had "revised" (i.e., a systemic disinformation) the event. I believed this story would allowed Malaysians in particular to contemplate the danger & failure to address racism in our country, one that is commonly weaponised by our politicians to turn us against each other while they maintained a kleptocracy; I hope we can all be like Melati, Auntie Bee, Uncle Chong, Vincent, Jay, & all the people who held the value of humanity highest.
The pacing of this story started out really fast as you were thrown into the chaos from the get-go. It did tapered off a bit in the middle; and at times, it got too emotionally heavy where I personally had to take a step away from it for awhile.
Regardless, I've shed tears of angers & disbeliefs at the displays of cruelty, and I was at the edge of my seats, willing for Melati to survive. Despite the adrenaline, kindness imbedded across the story lingered like the echoes from a gong. The story can be heavy & brutal, but I think that was also necessary, because it acted as a reminder of what dehumanizing others that came from racism can cause.
For this reason, I want to learn more, read-up more on the historical facts of what had happened so I, as a Malaysian, could be better; to contribute to building an antiracist society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Ableism, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Vomit
katselvocki's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, and Violence