Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

La Fin de l'homme rouge by Svetlana Alexiévich

6 reviews

mondovertigo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, Violence, Death, Racism, War, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Rape, Animal death, and Child death

shoshin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

The overwhelming take-away from this book is that most Russians and citizens of former USSR countries are probably in desperate need of therapy. The other main take-away is that Russians/USSR citizens were in no way prepared to lose both their political system and their economic system at the same time. This may be why Putin and other dictators have been so successful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Death, War, Racism, Xenophobia, and Vomit

Moderate: Medical trauma

Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia

jacobinreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.75

It is often said that to better understand a people, to read their fiction and their poetry, to read their history and culture through their own eyes and words. Frankly, there could be no better time to read this book than now, to understand the character of the tragedy which has been unfolding for the last three decades in the world's largest country.

This is a multifaceted and deeply empathetic look at the ravages of the brutal transitions and rapacious systems of the 'new' Russia, the nostalgia of generations of people, and the penury the everyday Russian is forced into by a new era of police brutality, robber-baron oligarchs, criminality, and the greedy ambitions of the "democratic" Russian state. However, this book also chronicles amazing and beautiful strength and character in the face of these tragedies, and adds a vivid dimension to the average citizen's thoughts, feelings, and way of life.

Reading this book, I really felt a strange parallel to the great Russian literature of the past, it reflected deeply on the soul, in a sort of ethnographic way. I highly recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Xenophobia, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual violence

maneatingbadger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Torture, Xenophobia, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs

dominicangirl's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Kidnapping, War, Confinement, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

srm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A brutal, difficult read, and absolutely worth it. Alexievich somehow gets these remarkable personal stories from people, and then presents them in such a compelling way, that no matter how painful, you just have to keep reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abortion, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Trafficking