Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

168 reviews

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

I really liked this one. It is beautifully written, and the constant time jumps were done perfectly, which is something quite rare. It hooked me from the start, and I found myself wanting more at the end, even though I know this was the perfect size for this story.

Small note that I was pleasantly surprised by the queer representation in this one (MC is queer). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Racism, and Religious bigotry

mrlsdevos's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Child death, Racism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Dementia and Death of parent

skylerreads28's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

3.5

This is not an easy read if you have any type of strained relationship with your mother. Or religious trauma. Luckily for me I have both! I enjoyed this read and it gave me a thought to think about as I read. I had hoped more would happen, so the ending fell flat for me, almost like the story was given up, but the ending was also fitting for the story and I was happy to see Gifty got the life she worked so hard for. All her work came full circle and in a way that was healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

I really loved listening to this book, despite its heartbreaking content. The narration was excellent and I found the non-linear style of story telling very compelling and intriguing. I wish I could sit down with Yaa Gyasi for a chat about this book and ask so many questions about all the decisions made and why! 

The vision for this novel is really quite extraordinary. It’s a tiny slice of life in the present day, but an entire world of exploration as each layer of Gifty’s life gets peeled back, examined; like a bone getting broken so it can be reset and healed properly. 

Transcendent Kingdom is a masterclass in character work— we get to know Gifty, her motivations, her joys, her pains. We watch her as she moves from a shy and closed off person, unwilling to share any tender part of herself, into someone who is realizing that she can’t isolate herself forever. We understand her fears and personally, understand her questions and frustrations with the lack of concrete answers.

What spoken to me in particular was the grappling with faith and religion, and trying to reconcile the importance of that upbringing with a life & world-view that is rooted in, and dominated by, science, reason, and logic. I found many of Gifty’s questions and perspectives incredibly relatable, though I think she came to a softer conclusion about God that I have. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a book with this kind exploration of faith before, but I have to say I felt deeply at home in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Addiction

Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Vomit

Minor: Suicide attempt

emilysummer_'s review

emotional reflective sad 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: Addiction and Drug abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Racial slurs

Beautifully written exploring the relationship between religion and science. Explores complex familial relationships, loss and addiction.

siebensommer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

my need to diy my mother‘s mental health 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs

Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Medical content

sangsmiles's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was raw, beautiful, and heartbreaking in a way I didn’t expect. It’s more like a character study or fictional memoir than a plot-driven novel, with scenes jumping from present to past in all different stages of the main character Gifty’s life. It’s so well done that I feel like Gifty is a real person I could meet. The narrative is all of Gifty’s inner thoughts and we see her struggle with her brother’s addiction and death, her mother’s depression, her father’s absence, and her own religion and faith especially now as a neuroscientist. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy literary character-driven books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Racism, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Animal cruelty

jammons's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Grief

Minor: Racial slurs

themirrorball's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

a fascinating and moving exploration of grief, mental illness, addiction, and spirituality. i found the progression of gifty’s thoughts and emotions throughout her life captivating and beautiful. each character was very real and raw, and by the end of book i felt as though i knew them as gifty did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Drug use

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Toxic relationship