Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

6 reviews

gabuwu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective

• 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

sjduncan's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Cursing, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Dementia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Hate crime

Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Transphobia, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexism

erd's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Love how the story is organized into chunks diving deeper on specific characters and their pain.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Death, Classism, Grief, and Rape

Minor: Drug abuse, Slavery, Stalking, Violence, Alcohol, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, and Pedophilia

None of content is over-the-top or overdone, all of it drives the story along.

beiiadonna's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

ifersinklings's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

This book was so good. It really highlighted the difference between being white, white passing, and Black. The story of the two twin sisters and their daughters and the different paths that their choices as teenagers took them was very interesting to follow. I loved Jude and Reese's storyline, too.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

mezzano's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like most family sagas, Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half feels as long and slow as the river. Two Black twins, one who is light-skinned and the other who is dark-skinned, forge their own ways into adulthood. One woman grows into a Black woman living through the racism and hardship of the mid 20th century. The other is able to pass as a white woman, and raises a family without even her husband ever knowing the truth. While the twins parted ways long ago, as they raise their own families and live their own lives, time brings memories surging to the present often. This story is reflective on its subject material, looking at how race and truth affect their families (both near and far away). 

I truly loved watching the twins grow older and watch how their level of privilege affected their lives. Tough questions were asked about racial injustice and colorism as well as the extent that living comfortable is worth lies and forgetting who you are. This would make a great book club read, where all the details and histories can be written down and unwoven.    

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Racial slurs