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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
A very interesting book about slavery, not a single boring moment.Follows a group of slaves every character is well defined and their journey to freedom.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Will this ever be over?”
“In time. When the Thieves find something else worth stealing.”
“And then what?”
“They’ll tell the Stolen that they dreamed it all up. That the worst things never happened.”
“In time. When the Thieves find something else worth stealing.”
“And then what?”
“They’ll tell the Stolen that they dreamed it all up. That the worst things never happened.”
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This was both a hard read and an enthralling story for me. Def took me outside my bubble of both comfort and genre preference. But in a time where it’s easy to forget the extent of what life once looked like for the Stolen in America, man, powerful stuff.
I found the vernacular of using Stolen instead of slave, and thief instead of owner—-powerful. I can’t even explain and and will probably use these terms moving forward.
One thing I noted was the theme of faith struggle throughout. The way the author explored the varying levels of belief and how it was spread was interesting. Idk how exactly to explain it. I’m not good with words like authors, but I just found it really special. It was explored in such an unbiased view. Not preachy or pushed.
Recommend.
I found the vernacular of using Stolen instead of slave, and thief instead of owner—-powerful. I can’t even explain and and will probably use these terms moving forward.
One thing I noted was the theme of faith struggle throughout. The way the author explored the varying levels of belief and how it was spread was interesting. Idk how exactly to explain it. I’m not good with words like authors, but I just found it really special. It was explored in such an unbiased view. Not preachy or pushed.
Recommend.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Both gripping and tender, Yonder rings like a bell within America's ribcage. Asim's characters act as heartbeat, and this novel pulls and pushes pace to reveal their strengths and faith in each other.
Yonder is a book about stolen people trying to survive the maltreatment of thieves. Despite their mistreatment and tragedies they witness they strive to find meaning in their life and spiritual beliefs. Compelling and insightful, it reads like a oral history being passed on to a new generation.
I'm glad I decided to listen to this on audio, the story does contain graphic scenes of torture, rape and death. It was hard to keep reading at times, and I had to take breaks because I was overwhelmed with emotion thinking of my ancestors. Through my ancestry I know that my distant relatives were slaves in South Carolina. Although this is fiction, it was a refreshing reminder that I come from strong too.
I would recommend this book to readers who:
-enjoy multilayered stories of people going through impossibly hard things
-want to learn more about African American slaves beliefs and experiences
-can deal with triggering descriptions of humans being treated in the most inhumane ways possible
I'm glad I decided to listen to this on audio, the story does contain graphic scenes of torture, rape and death. It was hard to keep reading at times, and I had to take breaks because I was overwhelmed with emotion thinking of my ancestors. Through my ancestry I know that my distant relatives were slaves in South Carolina. Although this is fiction, it was a refreshing reminder that I come from strong too.
I would recommend this book to readers who:
-enjoy multilayered stories of people going through impossibly hard things
-want to learn more about African American slaves beliefs and experiences
-can deal with triggering descriptions of humans being treated in the most inhumane ways possible
Yonder shows that language really matters. I noticed while reading this book how much the shift of language from slaves or enslaved people to Strivers or the Stolen really made a difference. And "slavemasters" or slaveholders to language that evoked a more immediate, not censored sense of kidnapping, bondage, torture, and murder. Thieves. This shifted the narrative to have a whole new perspective. Not that we didn't already know they were thieves, but it creates a deeper tension and a more direct, present effect. Less theoretical. Yes, the story and themes are similar to others, but just that simple shift in language changed the perspective and makes this a worthwhile addition to the genre.
A very distinctive writing voice that I enjoyed. Each character was a whole person and brought something new to the story. It felt almost folklore-like in some of the names and magic realism aspects, like this is a true story passed down rather than a fictional story. Yet the characters still felt real and fully realised and developed.
The ending left me with chills. It's a difficult book to read but this does come with some relief from the darkness. We see their lives beyond suffering. They silently plot their revenge and their escape to Yonder (freedom) and it's not entirely thwarted. It ended with a sweet note.
On another note, the audiobook narration was top-notch. A wide voice cast for all the characters, and each were fantastic at bringing the characters to life and expressing the horrors and the joys of their lives. Highly recommend this format if you like audiobooks.
content warnings: enslavement (kidnapping, parent/child separation, sexual violence, physical abuse, white supremacy, murder etc), poisoning, tense scenes, bear attack.
A very distinctive writing voice that I enjoyed. Each character was a whole person and brought something new to the story. It felt almost folklore-like in some of the names and magic realism aspects, like this is a true story passed down rather than a fictional story. Yet the characters still felt real and fully realised and developed.
The ending left me with chills. It's a difficult book to read but this does come with some relief from the darkness. We see their lives beyond suffering. They silently plot their revenge and their escape to Yonder (freedom) and it's not entirely thwarted. It ended with a sweet note.
On another note, the audiobook narration was top-notch. A wide voice cast for all the characters, and each were fantastic at bringing the characters to life and expressing the horrors and the joys of their lives. Highly recommend this format if you like audiobooks.
content warnings: enslavement (kidnapping, parent/child separation, sexual violence, physical abuse, white supremacy, murder etc), poisoning, tense scenes, bear attack.