Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

334 reviews

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

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Content Warnings

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

rebekahg876's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Racism, and Abandonment

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

vaniavela's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

Gifty is a sixth-year neuroscience major at Stanford University. Ever since her brother died from an overdose, she has been trying to understand the reason for his addiction. Why was Nana addicted to drugs and why was he never able to quit?

What did I like?

1. As this book questions faith and religion, I think the author did a great job exploring the relationship between religion and science.
2. There is an emotional depth within the writing so I came to empathize with the characters. 

What didn't I like?

1.  The structure was confusing. The jumps in time and space were an interesting portrayal of reading how the pain and trauma affected her life, but it wasn't for me. Especially since these time jumps were not chronological.
2. I would have loved to read the mother and brother's perspective, especially since so much of what Gifty narrates is related to them. 

Transcendent Kingdom didn't manage to impress me, but I kind of appreciated it at the end.

CWs: Addiction, alcohol consumption, child death, death, drug abuse/use, death from overdose, grief, mental illness (depression), misogyny, racism, religious bigotry, sexual content (mild), sexism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Misogyny and Sexual content

elihegy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide

vgracerose's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicide

jazzeeazz's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

themes: the relationship between science and religion, addiction, effects of addiction on family, Black immigrant experience, Depression

pages 228-229 actually broke me emotionally and i will never recover 🤪

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Grief, and Religious bigotry

abithoughtful's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I loved that this took for granted that religion and science aren't incompatible and instead takes as its central thesis the idea that they're sort of... identical? Miraculous about love and grief and being open about the dark questions you hold deep in your heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal death and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

daria_mm's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Toxic relationship

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Racism