Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

White smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

5 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

“Yusef, ‘I have anxiety’ is a full and complete statement. I don’t have to explain the what and why to you!” 

➽ White Smoke was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it really gripped me! The story follows Marigold, a young black girl who moves into a new house with her annoying younger stepsister, her stepfather and mother. Right from the get-go, something is strange about the house and Marigold begins to fear something might be haunting them. It doesn't help that their new town has a ton of secrets and Marigold herself struggles with her past. She has a phobia of bedbugs because of a past incident and also gets anxiety and panic attacks. I liked how her mental health was discussed, though if bedbugs gross you out, I'd definitely skip this, as Marigold has a lot of intrusive thoughts connected to them. I liked how the whole 'haunting' storyline was resolved and I felt for Marigold, as it's easy to brush her off as 'hysterical' with her history, yet she knows something is off!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Racism

Minor: Murder and Death

blackcatkai's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5/5☆~

CW: addiction, mental illness, anxiety/panic attacks, ableism (casual and otherwise, use of words like st*pid & j*nkie), drug use mentioned, blood, violence, death, classism

I really liked this one, the ending twist is one of my favourites, and I really liked Mari as a character. a lot of this book reminded me of growing up just outside Detroit, with the mentions of things like coney dogs, devils night, and pop. makes me miss my hometown just a smidge. honestly, my only real issue is how abrupt the ending feels. but overall I'd definitely recommend this one for the spooky season!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Addiction, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Ableism

Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Medical content

emily_mh's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I could not put this book down! It was so gripping and fast-paced. Jackson did a superb job at crafting a super tense, atmospheric storyline that was rooted in and explored systemic racism. The MC of the story, Mari, was so dynamic and undergoes really meaningful development. I also liked the focus on sibling relationships. I cannot wait to read more of Jackson’s backlog because this has just solidified to me how much I enjoy her writing. 

I docked a half star because at first the plot is a little directionless, and the ending could have done with a bit more resolution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Racism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Gore, Classism, Violence, Cursing, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, and Kidnapping

Minor: Colonisation, Excrement, Sexism, Transphobia, Vomit, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death, Car accident, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Rape, Child abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Child death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Confinement

Graphic warnings for insects, gentrification, imprisonment, anaphylactic shock, divorce Moderate warnings for eye trauma, sleep paralysis, self injury, blackmail, missing loved one Minor warnings for loss of a loved one, bomb, menstruation, theft Use of the ableist s-slur. It is my understanding there is a different culture around this word in the US? But I don't know why it was not edited out in the UK/Commonwealth copy.

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Ableism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Stalking

Moderate: Medical content, Classism, Medical trauma, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Vomit, Child death, and Murder

Gentrification, Displacement, Incarceration

misty_muskrat's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

It felt like the author was a little obsessed with the idea that marijuana is an addictive substance/gateway drug. Marijuana didn't need to be a thing in this, especially with so many big themes already existing in the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Pedophilia