Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

51 reviews

alisonvh's review

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

I’m not a huge fan of the fact that the plot was more like three separate stories than one overarching plot. But his writing is so beautiful I can’t help but love it. And he is good at including phrases throughout the book that tie all three stories together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Torture, Racial slurs, Cursing, Classism, Blood, Hate crime, Death, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Drug use, Racism, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infidelity and Kidnapping

theoceanrose's review

tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Death, Gun violence, and Blood

ronanmcd's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I loved this. It's not a story about a character. Carney as a character is a device to tell about a place. It's about a city within a city, a world within a world. It's the story of a time, a dawning when race should have been been disappearing as an issue but instead we are shown the ugly truth; nothing changed. In the words of the character it's, "a map of the black nation inside the white world, with its own constitution."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Gun violence

jessi_c's review

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

For me, this story was gripping enough to keep me entertained. However, it’s was mainly due to the cast of minor characters, which enriched the plot moreso than the mc. The prose shined when it dived deep into the heists/jobs, again largely unraveled by the side characters. Wished there was more to talk about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Death

Moderate: Racism and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality and Homophobia

ida_ree's review

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

Now I know what all the fuss was about. This story drew me right in. The main character, Ray Carney, is complex and relatable. I held my breath many times as he got more and more out of his depth, drawn into a web of crime he never intended. Or at least he never intended it to go so far. He has a weakness for trying to make his cousin (more like a brother) happy no matter what bad decisions the guy is making. Then there's the constant struggle to keep his home life with the wife and kids he adores separate from the other part of his existence. The world building is also excellent, immersing the reader right into 1950s-1960s Harlem.

I don't put stars on my reviews.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Violence

reggiethebird's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

A really well crafted vibe throughout the whole book. Colson Whitehead has a great voice than can really get you lost in the world at times. Sort of a lazy recollection type feel to the whole thing deal, with some really nice sentences that jump out at you every few pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual content, Blood, Bullying, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Torture

Minor: Child abuse, Grief, and Antisemitism

zofoklecja's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Bardzo dobre. Gatunkowo raczej nie moja bajka. W pewnym momencie zagęszczenie nazw i nazwisk zaczęło mnie męczyć. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Racism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, War, Drug use, Death, and Gun violence

Minor: Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Sexual violence

knkoch's review

adventurous funny mysterious reflective 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

4.5

Colson Whitehead is very talented. Every book of his I’ve read has felt important, but never the same. While The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad are essential, they’re also heavy; Harlem Shuffle felt zippy and exciting, almost like a crime or heist caper. Almost. Because it’s still set in Harlem in the 1960s, and its characters are very much entrenched in the context of that time: institutional racism, corruption, civil rights protests, and gradual, gradual change, through grit as much as through hustle. 

Every character is handled so carefully, both in their virtues and flaws. Whitehead manages to convey so much of their backstory and personal philosophy without it ever feeling clunky or expositional. He handled time jumps and background more gracefully and seamlessly than anything I’ve read recently. I suppose I just have to read everything he’s written now and savor his expertise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Racial slurs and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality

rmgilchrist's review

adventurous challenging emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Drug use, Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

agnesg's review

adventurous dark funny hopeful informative mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Drug abuse, Murder, Drug use, and Gun violence