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Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
46 reviews
madeleinebay's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Having read Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, a lot of the plot points of this book were familiar. If you haven't learned much about the Antebellum South, this could be quite rough going. As a historian (main character) Ailey Pearl Garfield is often shaken, and moved to tears, by the accounts she unearths about happenings in her family's past.
This story is nuanced, and the characters feel like people rather than archetypes. Weaving a history filled with trauma would be pretty much impossible without some levity and there is a lot of dialogue that lightens the mood. Some of the humour is utterly hilarious and there are often call-backs to information about minor characters that pepper the backstory with shared in-jokes and form a real sense of this family inhabiting a rich world and community. There are a couple of LGBT characters in the story, and a family history of Dyslexia which becomes apparent as Ailey digs deeper into her family's story.
I could write an entire page to describe the content warnings... but I won't. Let's just say that Racism is the tip of a horrible, bloody iceberg, and that genocide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide, drug addiction, miscarriage, gaslighting and oppression of various forms are all in this book. It's a big book.. there are a lot of words.. and not all of it is pretty.
The Audiobook is beautifully narrated by 3 different voice talents, and the story spans several different timelines, so if you are "reading" by Audiobook it's a good idea to download the supplemental material that lists the genealogy of the family, so you don't get lost.
Thoroughly recommend this book. I found myself really excited by some revelations near the end and more than once I got body chills and frisson from emotionally resonant bits. This would be a great bookclub read if you have people who read at about the same pace, and don't mind tomes that exceed 800 pages.
Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, Grief, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Excrement, Addiction, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Genocide, Suicide, Misogyny, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Torture, Homophobia, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Blood, Alcohol, Ableism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Gore, Classism, Child abuse, Abortion, Violence, Self harm, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Drug use, and Drug abuse
maxwellkb2's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Racism, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Physical abuse
lese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Slavery, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
briannad4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual content
bugzecat's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Death, Incest, Rape, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Trafficking
corriejn's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Rape, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual harassment
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Colonisation, Addiction, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Minor: Religious bigotry and Police brutality
sidekicksam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book deserves all the praise it gets, because it is magnificent.
As a child of mixed-heritage, as well as experiencing the effects of multi-generational trauma still, this book really hit different. The book portrays the 200-year story of this family, affected by the various events and consequences of history, so eloquently. With themes of multi-generational trauma, racism, colonialism, and more, this book is a must-read.
The large cast of characters and the non-chronological order of the book makes it a bit more difficult to follow (especially because I couldn't read it in one go), but I am looking forward to reading this again in the future and discovering new things to love.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Slavery
sivanib's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Slavery