Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Into the Light

Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

wolfenoot's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

jessoehrlein's review

Go to review page

dark emotional tense medium-paced

3.0

Manny interacting with people he comes across after leaving Reconciliation, particularly but not only the Varelas, is probably my favorite part of this.

That said, I didn't really buy the Manny/Carlos?

Content Warnings

happily_undignified's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

"I control what I can: the stories I tell. Who I tell them to." ⠀
⠀
Mark Oshiro, Into The Light⠀
⠀
Into The Light by Mark Oshiro was a heavy book with a slightly supernatural twist that included difficult themes like religious cults, abuse of foster care children, homelessness, and conversion camps. ⠀
⠀
Main character Manny is a jaded, queer, teen who is running from his past but also wants to confront it to try to save his sister from the evil people who have brainwashed her. The story follows his haphazard journey down the California coast as he comes to terms with his trauma and learns to trust the people who come alongside him to help. ⠀
⠀
I enjoyed the first person narration and Manny's cynical yet hopeful personality. The religious trauma was hard to read through but I found it incredibly authentic. This is a remarkable story with an autobiographical feel and I loved the supernatural twist.

Content Warnings

sglance9's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

literarycavy's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

citrus_seasalt's review

Go to review page

5.0

Content Warnings

happilyhalliwell's review

Go to review page

dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

ladygetslit's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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? Yes

4.0

Into the Light is a story about Manny, a teen who's living on the streets after his adoptive parents kick him out. As he travels with the Varelas, a family who takes him along on their van ride around California, Manny reveals his story of growing up in foster care, being adopted into a religious cult, and escaping to wander the streets for the last year.

The story itself, about a kid who's struggling to trust again after all the abuse he went through, is incredible. I was fully bought in with Manny's fear and his determination to go back for his sister, Elena. The more he revealed about his past, the more heartbroken for him I felt. No one should feel unwanted, passed along from one placement to the next, but this is the reality for so many children in America. This book really sheds light on how broken our foster care and adoption system is, along with the disturbing truths about powerful religious organizations that do more harm than good.

My issue with this book, as other reviewers have stated, is the supernatural twist that comes at around 80% of the way in. I knew on some level that it was coming, but it just didn't sit well.

Throughout the book, Manny's past and present narratives are woven with the story of Eli, the golden child within the cult community Manny left behind. When a body is found, Manny goes to identify it, thinking that it's his sister, and it turns out to be...Manny himself? Which we then find out is Eli. Because Manny's self was miraculously split into two halves, the one that wanted to belong in the cult, and the one that rejected their lies and abuse.

And sure, maybe it's a powerful metaphor, but what threw me off and ultimately made the book less powerful, in my opinion, was the fact that this supernatural element is never explained. The characters just accept it as truth, despite its impossibility in the real world, and it's never explained how it happens. I think there could have been a way to connect the dots of the story without the twist, and as it stands, this aspect of the story really takes away from the powerful narrative about religious abuse, trauma, and the life of a kid who goes from foster care to being unhoused.

Content Warnings