Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

17 reviews

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann is a gripping and thought-provoking account of the voyage and shipwreck of HMS Wager in the 1740s. Drawing on primary sources and thorough archival research, Grann reconstructs the hardships of the voyage from before the ships set sail, through its perilous journey, shipwreck, mutiny, and court-martial. If you are squeamish about descriptions of disease and death, take care, but I do think Grann tow the lines of factual without going into excessive details. 

The story of the Wager is heartbreaking and amazing, with falliable human ingenuity and the unrelenting power of hope coming up against the forces of nature, disease, delerium, and himan depravity. 

I really enjoyed Grann's writing. He made the story feel engaging as a living narrative rather than a historical account. I also appreciated how he took the time to call out the intrisic racism and imperialist motives of the venture. He made space for the indigenous peoples of South America, the African slave trade, and even class divides amongst the British. 

I was mainly surprised by how the court martial ended, and I appreciated Grann's discussion of why it went the way it did. 

Overall, a fantastic book.
 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Medical content, Violence, Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Murder, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Slavery, Child death, and Cannibalism

linneak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Classism, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Child death, Blood, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Confinement, Torture, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Trafficking, Grief, Slavery, and Colonisation

chronologically_charlie's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.5

The only thing that kept going through my head while reading THE WAGER was “ohhh the boys are fiiiighting” in a really sing-songy tune. I continued to gasp, much to the annoyance of those around me, whenever the drama was turned up a notch because damn, these sailors knew how to be catty. Yes, yes, there were circumstances that lead them to their demise and all that jazz, but oh man, nothing like a little mutiny, murder, and manipulation to ruin a voyage at sea. 

Now, I am not a boat girlie or a military girlie or a crime girlie, but I am a geography girlie and a pirate girlie and, most importantly, I am a girlie who loves to see the downfall of men. THE WAGER checked off all my boxes, with the exception that the writing is somewhat dry in random sections. Partly because of the terminology of the time and partly because it felt like I was in a history lecture, but by adding in the dramatic-flair to my internal reading voice, it became a lot more exciting. 

how did I read it: physical copy from my public library + audio copy from Libby

will I buy it: sure! when it’s on sale! 

do I recommend it: yea…but only to certain people, you know? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Xenophobia, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism, Slavery, and Racism

shelfofunread's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Slavery, Death, Animal death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Classism

klbreyfogle's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, and Xenophobia

Minor: Animal death and Murder

cj_lovesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a book I could not put down. Even knowing, essentially, how the story ends does not make it any less gripping. 
The stories of all these men and the struggles they endure before, during, and after their time as castaways is remarkable. The author presents the tale well and as factually as possible. There is no right and wrong and let’s you, as the reader, decide how to interpret that gray middle ground. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and War

Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cannibalism

pvbobrien's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, Body horror, Animal death, and Medical content

Minor: Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, and Slavery