Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

11 reviews

amberlfaris's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship

katharina90's review against another edition

3.0

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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The author tries to tackle a lot of important issues related to race and identity, but it's a fairly short book which doesn't leave much room for depth and complexity.

A lot of telling rather showing, and characters that stay one-dimensional and pretty stereotypical (the white racist brat, the gun-toting gang member, etc.).

It could still be a good starting point for discussion in a classroom, or between youths and their parents. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Classism

Minor: Genocide, Sexism, Colonisation

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional informative fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Dear Martin by Nic Stone is an important YA story that easily explains the implications of racism in the US. Even though this is a short book, I think this story is easily digestible, which is important for communicating complex issues like racial injustice, profiling, and police brutality towards people of color. I really loved the character dynamics, and the way that character grew over the course of this book. Again, though it’s not long, it packs a lot of information and emotion into the pages. You can feel the frustration coming off the characters and I certainly believe that this book should be studied when talking about the state of racial relations in this country. This book is approachable no matter what your view point is, and I think it could do a lot to change the perspectives of people who hold views/act like Jared and his friends. No one has to remain ignorant, and everyone, even people who have been wrong in the past (which I think is a key takeaway from this book) has the potential to change for the better with more education and information.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

blombern's review against another edition

3.75

challenging sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief

paulabekkerus's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism

eligru's review against another edition

5.0

hopeful reflective sad 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol

imstephtacular's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail

mandi4886's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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: Yes

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Everyone needs to read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Blood

Minor: Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment

valeriabee's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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: Yes

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Actively avoiding GoodReads for fear of racist comments that I might find. I read this in a single day. It helps that the book is short. But more than anything, I was attached to Justyce's story. This is another one of those honest books that doesnt shy from the reality of matters or attempt to make the racism palettable. In fact, Nic Stone went IN on the racist comments, mindsets, behaviors. I mean, there are some moments when youre reading what white kids are capable of doing and you think "there is no way they don't see the problem with that" but I know that it's very possible. I have seen and argued with people that were the exact same way as Jared and Blake.

When Justyce got accepted into Yale early admission I was a little sad for him. I live in New Haven, down the street from Yale, I teach Black and brown students who have lived in New Haven their whole life. New Haven itself is diverse, but Yale?  Yale is elitist. While it does the bare minimum with diversity and inclusion (which is decidedly different from equity and justice), it is an institution founded on the exclusion of non-white, non-wealthy, non-male. It has improved, but it's a system. Not to mention the overhype of Ivy leagues. I just knew that Justyce would have to keep fighting to feel seen or understood even after graduating from his prep school.

I am very interested in how some characters have grown. I think the end really speaks to what a college education can do for the capacity to think critical and be more open. I, however, will always take a "changed" racist with a grain of salt. It's unsettling. I understand how someone who sits relatively in the middle can he moved, but someone who was so dead set on their prejudices? It makes me wonder if I should or (could) forgive the white boys from my high school who behaved the same as these white boys? But can I forgive myself for the microaggressions I have thrown into the world? Should I be forgiven? 
I think Justyce's experiment of Being  Like Martin is a great vehicle for asking these questions. Justyce asks himself (or Martin) very difficult questions about how he should move through the world as a black boy. He asks questions about interracial relationships, whether theyre worth it. Dear Martin brings attention to the nature and impact of interpersonal/low-level racism on systemic racism. I am glad this book is as popular as it is because it is a message that deserves to be heard. Especially in a time when Black people are refusing to be used and abused by the system that has continuously attempted to hold them down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Antisemitism