Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

32 reviews

parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition

adventurous tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs

Minor: Police brutality

mayze's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

A great book set in New York City  between the late 50s to the mid 60s. 

The main character is a black man who owns a furniture shop and like most Americans of his time is chasing The Dream by doing things by the book, eventually realising there's little to no chance for a man like him to achieve it that way. 

The book then follows the main character trying to keep his head above water while outside forces are pulling him down (sometimes he dives willingly too).

This book was my introduction to Colson Whitehead and really liked this book and have since bought the sequel to this book and got his critically acclaimed "The Underground Railroad" which I add a review here later

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Death, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, and Torture

pikkumarja's review against another edition

challenging tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Pidän Colson Whiteheadin kirjoitustyylistä. Tässä kirjassa oli kuitenkin niin paljon nimiä, paikan ja henkilöiden, että välillä oli vaikea pysyä kärryillä näkökulmankin vaihtuessa. Toisaalta tämä saa samaistumaan päähenkilön kaksoiselämän ja salailun tasapainottelun vaikeuteen paremmin.

"Takakannen" teksti ei ihan vastannut kirjaa, mutta lukemisen arvoinen teos on silti.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Blood, Police brutality, and Drug abuse

bel017's review

dark informative sad

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

 In 1960s Harlem, NYC, a black man tries to balance and separate his straight and criminal lives. 

Lots of CW for marginalised people living in desperate, violent, poverty stricken and oppressive situations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Gun violence, Bullying, Homophobia, Addiction, Classism, Child abuse, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Grief, Misogyny, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Suicide, Alcohol, Torture, Sexism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Antisemitism

mummyzz's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

Minor: Domestic abuse, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, and Cursing

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

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

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

bookgurl488's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was about a man who was straddling two worlds. The first world was that of a family man that sold furniture in his store and the other one; was a two bit crook inherited from his father side of the family.  The dichotomy of these worlds is what made this book interesting.  He would not have survived these worlds without Pepper. He was awesome.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Blood

Minor: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and War