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mx_sunshine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Suicide and Car accident
thereadhersrecap's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I can't believe this book was her debut novel! The writing was spectacular. She has a way of transporting you out of your body and into the characters mind. The characterization was the best and meat of the book and Gyasi nailed it.
The novel follows two ancestry lines of Ghanian children as the embark on separate but destined journeys. Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, born to different villages in the 18th century lead two very different lives. One is married off to an Englishman and lives in the castle on the shore, the other is imprisoned beneath her and sold into the slave trade where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. We see each character navigate historical events such as The Civil War, The Great Migration, Jim Crow, Harlem and heroin.
The books is told through a series of chapters dedicated to on individual of the ancestry. Although each chapter looks at a new character's life, Gyasi still presents a complete and cohesive story.
Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves."
The portrait of slavery is one I will never understand, but with books like these it truly helps to paint a picture of the atrocities African's withstood. It's frustrates me that this part of American history is just a blurb in the history books. Gyasi shows the impact slavery plays on everyone spanning generations, robbing families of spouses, killing, and structuring the world at an unfair advantage.
“We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”
This book will stay with me forever.
CW: abandonment, addiction, death, classism, colonization, confinement, drug abuse, forced institutionalization, hate crime, physical abuse, police brutality, racism, religious bigotry, violence, torture, sexual assault
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jae_bird's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Suicide, and Vomit
marissasa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
readingwithkt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation
crimelessvictim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Deportation
someonelikeblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Hate crime, Police brutality, and Car accident
hanz's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Excrement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: War
sofipitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Trafficking, Colonisation, and War
lanid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury