Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

11 reviews

abrdoodle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Child death, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Sexism, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Classism, Sexual content, Excrement, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Physical abuse

kibbles15's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Despite the fact that the book reads at a slower pace, it is very well written.  The author was especially good at expressing the emotions of the story. I found myself feeling sadness, joy, anger, heartbreak, etc...right along with the main character.  The plot is heartbreaking, but it is an interesting exploration on finding the balance between a Belief in God and Science. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness

Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Animal death, and Cursing

Book does discuss humane procedures performed on mice in a laboratory environment.

jaynovara's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Child death, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Death of parent, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Physical abuse

reddeddy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, Cursing, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Classism, Dysphoria, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Bullying, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Animal death, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Blood, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

erenreads12's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

One of the most stunning things I've ever read. Transcendent Kingdom I'd packed with pain and power and love. It takes an intimate look at addiction and mental health, trauma and healing. When I finished the book and closed it I breathed out an involuntary "wow." This book is truly a work of art.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and Violence

mirireads's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Racism, and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

dhritigupta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

i really didn’t think i’d enjoy a book about religion, but it was so much more than that. yaa gyasi writes things in a way that has me convinced she knows maybe everything about the world!! so for that reason, even though this book was really slow and really sad and kind of out of the realm of what i usually read about, i really liked it. i wouldn’t say it’s enjoyable, but it’s kind of like when u push on a bruise? and as always she was able to touch on so so many themes!! it’s just a story that i’m happy i got to read, even if it was really painful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

bekah445's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Animal death

allisoncc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Physical abuse, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Misogyny and Sexual content

katie_ponderingthepages's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

This book gets the easiest 5 stars I’ve given for a long time. After loving Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi I was so excited to be approved for an advanced copy of her newest book Transcendent Kingdom.

Gifty was brought up an Evangelical Christian in Alabama with her Ghanian family, her father left them and returned to Ghana, her brother dies of an overdose and her mother enters a crippling depression. At 11 years old she is sent to Ghana while her mother recovers. Now a PhD student studying neuroscience, specifically addiction, she is trying to understand why her brother was taken and why her mother is trapped in depression again. She explores her faith as well as her neuroscience knowledge whilst recalling her past, trying to find the answer within God and/or science will make everything better. 

The writing in this is so clever, it’s layered, it’s informative and offers insight and understanding to a number of issues. I felt as the reader that I was following Gifty’s trail of thought as she recalled events from the past and weighed up why God and her pastor hadn’t helped and why science had failed to provide answers. 

Gifty’s need to fix her family is so despairingly strong, that it overtakes her life. She can’t open up to friends or form relationships and as you read her journey, trying to piece everything together for everyone else, you become more and more aware that Gifty herself is broken and struggling. When I read the following ‘“No I’m not ok”, I said, and I wondered when the last time I’d said that was. Had I ever said it, even to God?’ I burst into tears for this incredibly kind and vulnerable character. 

I have no criticism whatsoever. This book is phenomenal. 

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the pleasure of reading this before it’s 4th March publication date

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Medical content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse