Reviews tagging 'Death'

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

21 reviews

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I wish I had read this book earlier.  I don't have a lot of words to describe this experience.  In short, it was incredible and it is a must-read for everyone.  Abdurraqib's writing is beautiful and accessible.  There is so much emotion, it is impossible to keep it all in while reading.  He has inspired me to think about the ways music has impacted and interwoven itself in my life. 

You don't have to have heard all of the artists, albums, and songs he mentions to read his essays, but I feel it might help.  He gives readers the vibe of his references and it's pretty easy to understand how the music fits in the context.  It will certainly open the doors to new-to-you music.  I listened to Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion after reading the first essay on it and, again, why did I wait so long to listen?  

His stories and experiences on being black in the United States are a number of things: difficult, informative, joyful.  Empathy is one of the most important feelings to be human.  I read the 5th anniversary edition, the first edition was published in 2017.  He writes on the turbulent year of 2016 and shortly after.  What he has to say in this book continues to be relevant in 2023.

As a person who resides in the Columbus area, it was interesting to learn about Columbus through his perspective.  I don't know a lot about the city, I've been here a little over a year and half.  But knowing Columbus isn't a requirement, just a little perk.

I look forward to reading more of his work.  I cannot recommend this book enough.  It might be cliche to say, but my life was changed by this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Suicide, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Mass/school shootings

Minor: Addiction

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

 - THEY CAN’T KILL US UNTIL THEY KILL US might be the single best essay collection I’ve ever read in my life. Abdurraqib is one of those writers who is able to cut clear to the heart of existence in just a few sentences, and I’m continually in awe of his craft.
- It does help that I was big into the 2000s emo scene, which many of the early essays in this book center on. No, YOU cried about Fall Out Boy while reading this book!
- It’s not just about the music, though, it never is with his writing. Music is life, and it illuminates what it’s like live in Abdurraqib’s body in this world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Racism, Murder, Cursing, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Slavery, and Suicide

shoohoob's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.75

 I loved this so much. As a musician and lover of music, reading how Abdurraqib so vividly talks about music is amazing. The way he just weaves artists into stories of his life and experiences is impactful. I’m not usually a big non-fiction/essay reader but I am so so so glad I picked this up and read it. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I knew/heard all of the artists he talks about, but the ones I did know HIT. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, Racism, Death of parent, Police brutality, Xenophobia, and Grief

samiaba15's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0

One of the best essay collections I’ve ever read in my life.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Mental illness, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Racism, and Death

Minor: Suicide

mmccombs's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Poets should always write books! (I liked A Little Devil in America slightly more but like… I will read whatever this man writes)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death, and Grief

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

boneloose's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent

tenderbench's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, Death, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence

Minor: Suicide

yro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

It was a good read, although it took me a while to read it, but i feel like this book will be more “understood”(?) in a perspective of some who lived through those times.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cursing, Death, Racism, and Religious bigotry

toffishay's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, and Violence

smallredboy's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

I loved this book; I truly didn't understand the concept of a lyric essay until I got into Abdurraqib's work. He makes reading about anything and everything interesting, even topics I have no interest in. Although, of course, the topics I do have vested interest in did call out to me more: I nearly cried while reading "Fall Out Boy Forever".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Islamophobia