Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

2494 reviews

awildeasriel's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Classism

pianoman543's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, War

annabella's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark inspiring sad 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

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I got chills! This is a long book but I haven’t felt so on tenterhooks and wanting to know what happens in such a long time when reading. It’s such an in depth exploration of colonialism and resistance and privilege. It is complex and has hard hitting moments, and you are brought through the plot by the friendship between the four characters that has been written so strongly. I’ve never thought about translation before in this way. It’s made me think of educational institutions, learning, and you can easily relate it to what is going on today, which is chilling. White people basically stealing, grooming, etc etc people’s talents and languages and cultures for their own benefit, and as a violent act of white supremacy. The five books I thought gave it lots of structure because there is a lot that goes on here. The development of Robin is so interesting, and the loss he and everyone around him experiences feels heartbreaking. This book will make me think for a long time! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War

scytheria's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, War

Minor: Child death, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, Pandemic/Epidemic

sian_a_griff02's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Murder, War

Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality

swagdana's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Classism

savvy999's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Really immensely readable and exceptional storytelling.  razor sharp and incisive, yet intentionally blunt in moments. Many places for you to ponder the morality of the world we live in and how the choices of characters are both aligned and distant in regards to questions of what are we willing to sacrifice.  Philosophically invigorating and engaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation

Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Islamophobia

bababookmatt's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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: Yes

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Harry Potter 1-7 meets the politics, economics, history of English academia, colonialism, and imperialism. I hope this book has a large influence on the conversation of racial injustice. Just when you’ve fallen in love with the student life at Babel and Oxford, the story’s intensity ramps up and never stops. The mystical characteristics endowed to silver working and translation is a well crafted symbol for the power behind language and communication. Further, this approach made linguistics and etymology, which I always found scholastically intimidating, comprehensible and fascinating. The characters are absolutely fantastic throughout and so well developed. They become your friends. I found myself picking sides during their disagreements, celebrating their achievements, and mourning their hardships. This is a book that will stick with you and influence the way you view social injustice historically and at present. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Classism

megnut's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This book is not for everyone.

It's philosophical about languages and tactics of struggle... while also anchoring them all in (modified) history.

There's a lot going on, but it's one I'd like to read again to really consider what is shared. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

jo_johanna's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Colonisation

Moderate: Cultural appropriation

Minor: Toxic friendship