Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Viviana Mazza

5 reviews

hakeyplummet's review against another edition

informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I'm always a fan of books with incredibly short chapters, and this one definitely fits the bill. However, with these short chapters, the story felt quite choppy (?). I assume the formatting was meant to somehow mimic diary entries in a way, but the resolute nature of the chapters undermined the story in my opinion. The real-life events that this story is based on have SO much depth and I was disappointed at how little it seemed as though this depth was not explored by the author. I just wish there was more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Gore

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual assault

This book is about a girl who was kidnapped by Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria. Thus, the book mentions non-graphic depictions of blood, gore, heavy weaponry, misogyny, etc.

brittsbooknook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

A heartbreaking story that needs to be told. 😢 This is a heavy story; it is written in short chapters told from the POV of one of the girls that is kidnapped.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Rape, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Minor: Physical abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Child death, and Death of parent

shutupiamreading's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, War, Violence, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence

jedore's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

"But no matter how much the tortoise may wish to fight, he has no fingers."

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree is a fictionalized story of the kidnapping of a group of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram, an extremist Islamic terrorist group on a mission to take over the northern portion of the country.

Not an easy book to read when you're on a mission to restore your faith in humanity….but, a necessary read to gain perspective on the tragic plight of our fellow humans living in Nigeria. Lots of sensitive topics, including kidnapping, slavery, sexual assault, Stockholm syndrome, and suicide bombing to name a few. Despite the horrific topics, I couldn't put the book down and am really happy I read it.

I appreciate that the author separated the actions of the "Muslim" terrorists from true Muslims, calling them out for what they are — psychopathic criminals using religion to justify their actions.

This book is good for both young and old adults. It's a very fast read with most of the chapters ranging from a couple sentences to a single page. It's unusual for me to finish a book in two days! I do think the fast pace of the book diminished my connection to the story a bit...although it was emotional, it was all over too fast.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Murder, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Genocide, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Pregnancy

joyful_tomato's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence