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yaelm'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Grief, Chronic illness, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Suicide attempt
kalzu's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, and Racial slurs
ejs2000's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Racial slurs, Classism, and Child death
Minor: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Racism
hannahbailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
4.5
This is a really good book that I'll be thinking about for a long time to come. The story follows Gifty, a scientist not only trying to make sense of reward-seeking behaviour in her mice test-subjects, but also trying to make sense of her past too.
It made me feel more open-minded towards those that devoutly follow the Bible (I'm an atheist and quite the sceptic) and I always love it when I learn something new from a book - it's why I read! It's a great way to challenge your perceptions and grow as a person IMO.
Gifty's struggle understanding the events in her life in the context of God, and later in the context of neuroscience was a really powerful way to explore these issues. The impact of her brother's drug abuse in crushing her religious faith was interesting to follow, especially with the first-person narration. The strained relationship she has with her mother added another layer to this book making it a very captivating read.
It made me feel more open-minded towards those that devoutly follow the Bible (I'm an atheist and quite the sceptic) and I always love it when I learn something new from a book - it's why I read! It's a great way to challenge your perceptions and grow as a person IMO.
Gifty's struggle understanding the events in her life in the context of God, and later in the context of neuroscience was a really powerful way to explore these issues. The impact of her brother's drug abuse in crushing her religious faith was interesting to follow, especially with the first-person narration. The strained relationship she has with her mother added another layer to this book making it a very captivating read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, and Racial slurs
i_dont_know_what_im_doing's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.75
this made me feel a lot of things... Gifty's struggle with religion so closely reflected my own complicated feelings towards it. I have not lost family to addiction but the way Gyasi writes her grief and the confusion that accompanies it, I couldn't help grieving alongside her. There is so much to this book that I cannot unpack right now.
but I HIGHLY recommend this. it took me some time to get through but it was so worth it. I will be thinking about this for a long time & may even pick it up for a reread.
but I HIGHLY recommend this. it took me some time to get through but it was so worth it. I will be thinking about this for a long time & may even pick it up for a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry
sarah_eggleton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really hard hitting stuff but a fascinating exploration into living and loving people who have a mental illness. A lot resonated with me, and the parallel of Gifty’s work in the lab was a really clever way to illustrate very intangible feelings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Grief and Suicide attempt
Minor: Racial slurs and Abandonment
moonamidheaven's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
this was so beautifully written & an equally beautiful story, incredibly perceptive and heartwrenching, a true pleasure to read. i would recommend it to literally everybody.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness
Moderate: Racial slurs
dontbelieveinez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Racial slurs, Drug use, Racism, Death, and Mental illness
plantybooklover's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I listened to this as an audio book, and I am glad I did. the narrator for the audio book did a FANTASTIC job. I was sort of amused at first thinking "wow she did all the voices" just like when I was smaller and someone was doing story time, but the narrator really DID do all the voices without being condescending or strange, she did them all and really added to the telling of the story. It was more like a performance, than just an audio book narration.
I initially did not want to read this because I enjoyed Homegoing and I could tell this would be different, but I like having a audiobook going when I'm at the gym, and my library is limited, so this was it. I really did not want to read another tragic tale of drug abuse and death, but in the end, I did. Mostly actually because I forgot the blurb and by the time we got to the drug use, it was mid story.
Overall I enjoyed the book, there were some slower sections that I wished had moved along faster- but I solved that by speeding up the narration!! I thought it was a very good book for book clubs or classrooms because it opens up a lot for discussion. I was surprised and delighted by the ending, which to me seemed like a happy one, which is not at all what I was expecting mid novel.
I think this is a great jumping off point for discussion of women in STEM, people of color in academia, rascism in America and drug use/abuse crisis.
Not one of my favorite reads of the year-because it was a little just depressing at moments, but giving it 5 starts because it's well written and tells an important story that added to my understanding of the world.
I initially did not want to read this because I enjoyed Homegoing and I could tell this would be different, but I like having a audiobook going when I'm at the gym, and my library is limited, so this was it. I really did not want to read another tragic tale of drug abuse and death, but in the end, I did. Mostly actually because I forgot the blurb and by the time we got to the drug use, it was mid story.
Overall I enjoyed the book, there were some slower sections that I wished had moved along faster- but I solved that by speeding up the narration!! I thought it was a very good book for book clubs or classrooms because it opens up a lot for discussion. I was surprised and delighted by the ending, which to me seemed like a happy one, which is not at all what I was expecting mid novel.
I think this is a great jumping off point for discussion of women in STEM, people of color in academia, rascism in America and drug use/abuse crisis.
Not one of my favorite reads of the year-because it was a little just depressing at moments, but giving it 5 starts because it's well written and tells an important story that added to my understanding of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content
grboph's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was one of the best books I have ever read, and certainly my favorite that I've read so far this year. I was initially intrigued by the neuroscience and religion aspects of it, but then the characters and story completely pulled me in and kept me invested until the very end. It was definitely a very sad story and doesn't have a happy ending per se, but it is still very hopeful (as the main plot revolves around Gifty's desire to fix the issues that afflicted her mother and her brother). As a sort-of nerd, I also loved all of the musings on the brain and a lot of them beautifully captured the reasons behind why I also want to study neuroscience. I am also very fascinated by religion and the impacts it can leave on people, so I loved reading about the way this affected Gifty as well as her family members' experiences with addiction and mental illness. I also liked that much of the story was just Gifty's stream of consciousness - that is not something I typically like, but Gyasi is such a wonderful writer that this aspect added to the depth of the story in this case. Overall, this was a very impactful story that I will remember reading for a very long time. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in neuroscience or religion, or just anyone who is looking for a good emotional, character-driven book to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Addiction
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Animal death
The two main plot points driving this book are the main character's older brother becoming addicted to painkillers and then dying of a heroin overdose and the main character's mother becoming depressed and attempting suicide as a result.