Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

55 reviews

ntvenessa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

A gem. This is a tale about poverty, suffering, colonialism, identity, salvation, endurance, family. Min Jin Lee's background as a historian shines through and Pachinko is exemplary of great historical fiction. It is factually consistent and you will learn much of Japan's colonisation of Korea, a topic not so in regular discourse. It is also emotional, generous, and sensitive to these historical facts. The characters are distinct and each have personalities which make sense for their context. It is intergenerational. The story is just so well crafted. This makes sense given how much time and dedication Lee spent workshopping drafts. I am normally averse to thick novels, but Pachinko has me unafraid -- it is exactly as long as the story needs to be, and moreover, it is easy to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Suicide, and Car accident

Minor: Child death and Homophobia

faeslily's review

emotional hopeful informative 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? N/A

4.75

This is probably one of the most reflective books I've ever read in my life. I was so oblivious of Japan's occupation in Korea and how this caused a mass migration of Koreans to Japan looking for new opportunities, but this caused discrimination and even segregation in which Koreans (even the ones born in Japan) were treated as less than animals.
The characters were also well written, by the middle of the book I was so attached to them and even related them to members of my own family, even when our cultures are completely different, this means the author emphasized in writing realistic and organic characters focusing on their development and social dynamics, we see this even with smaller characters in the story and it seems like the author gave them every one a background. 
Definitely a must-read, and one of the best books of the year for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, and War

koreanlinda's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

I want to warn all Koreans. Do not read this book. No. Read this book, but be prepared to get your heartbroken, over and over and over again. If you are not Korean, read this book. It will give you a heartfelt understanding of the struggles that millions of Koreans have lived with on their own land and in their neighboring ones. 

Warning: People die in this book, and every death will break your heart like it broke Min Jin Lee, the author. What ached my heart more than the people who died was the people who didn’t and stayed alive because their lives were sometimes worse than being dead. 

‘Women are meant to suffer’ is a repeated line by women in this story. It tears my heart to witness the greatness in their full acceptance of their hardship and their persistence to make the most out of their dire situations. One thing that this book has thought me is that my ancestors were strong women who survived extremely cruel circumstances. 

Pachinko reminded me of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi because both stories run through multiple generations. Pachinko is about people who moved from Korea to Japan during the Japanese occupation. Homegoing is about people who were taken from Africa to the United States in slavery. While these historical events can't be compared on an equal ground, I saw in both groups of people that trauma gets passed down and the only way it gets better is through care for each other. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t. 

I deeply appreciate the author for writing this book. The story of Korean people who suffered in Japan is not told enough. Although my heart got raw, I am glad I was able to hear their stories through this book.

Review by Linda (she/they)
Twitter @KoreanLinda
Letter writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

breezyreading's review

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Xenophobia

Minor: Abortion and Suicidal thoughts

Ableist slurs, including one use of the r word

mxpringle's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Grief, Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Violence

Minor: War

august_99's review

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Suicide, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexual harassment

marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

Pachinko is a gripping family epic that deals with so much so delicately, yet without hesitating to display the cruelty of war and the historic injustices Japan has dealt Korea. This book snuck up on me, carefully guiding my investment in the story and the characters so that I didn't fully realise it until it was too late and something horrible had happened - and yes, I cried. I only wish that the book would have had a stronger ending, but I suppose it does maintain the same quiet and unassuming tone, which is also a strong choice by the author considering the topics that are brought up towards the end of the book. Regardless, Pachinko is definitely a must-read for everyone, in my opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Trafficking, Slavery, Homophobia, Death of parent, Ableism, Police brutality, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

peachani's review

reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking

navayiota's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, War, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Car accident, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

scarafaggy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

History has failed us, but no matter.

This book will stick with me for a while. It is a powerful story of a family trying their hardest to overcome everything that is thrown their way. Beware, because once you start, you will find it near impossible to put down! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Misogyny