Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

10 reviews

ladyaligator's review against another edition

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Grief, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Infertility and Dementia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

sarah_amy's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book both had and broke my heart. I cared so much about Rill/May, her siblings and all the other children, and Avery's investigation among it all. I went in completely blind with this book, so was floored to know this is based on real events and that Georgia Tann was the person behind all the horror. I was less interested in the political side of it all and the romance felt a bit forced (not a bad match, just unnecessary). It would have been a 5 star on the investigation and flashbacks to Rill/May's past alone, but the politics/romance almost felt like I was being interrupted by a side story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Cursing, Rape, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Based on the child trafficking/illegal adoption agency of Georgia Tann. Lots of details of abuse and allusions to death that went on in the foster homes involved. Many of these children were adopted out illegally and without the consent of the birth parents - some were outright stolen like in this story.

janenilsson24's review against another edition

It felt weirdly and unnecessarily racist. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

czak's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Sexual assault, and Slavery

wifeslife's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Addiction, Infertility, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage

trinloyd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. It is heartbreaking and gut wrenching, and so well written. The author did a beautiful job telling this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Kidnapping, Infertility, Racism, Alcoholism, Classism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

holliebye's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Dementia, Excrement, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, and Trafficking

Moderate: Cancer

mandi4886's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Ableism, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Police brutality, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Antisemitism

sbkennedy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.5

While I think this book told a very powerful story on a topic more people should be educated about- I really didn't enjoy it that much. The first half of the book was very compelling, as it slowly became apparent how the story lines of our two main characters were going to intercept. However, by the second half of the book I wasn't enjoying the story at all. Rill's plot line becomes so unbearably sad I almost had to stop reading, and while it was meant to convey the horror of a situation real children were put through, it was almost enough to make me put the book down. Avery's story line is really what bothered me the most. I admired her determination to dig deeper into a potentially scandalous part of her family history, but I couldn't stand her character beyond that. Even after learning so much about her grandmother's past, she was still so blind to her own privilege I couldn't believe it.

When Avery says that she is going to take some time off from working with her father, and only run for congress "on her own merits" I knew she was never going to redeem herself as a character.

Her father is a LITERAL SENATOR that is OBVIOUSLY  going to provide her a massive advantage that she can never get rid of, no matter how much she wants to pretend she can. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism

ashleycmms's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Infertility, Grief, Dementia, Death, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death of parent, Excrement, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt