Reviews tagging 'Death'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

185 reviews

htedesco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Vomit

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

My favorite part of this book is that every character is the main character. I was invested in every one. I don't understand how Gyasi was able to construct the life motivations of each character so perfectly with only giving each character like 20 pages. Seeing some of the characters age throught the generations is such a gift. Because so many wonderful characters had their life cut short as a product of white violence. 

It is awe inspiring and heart breaking how many generations were and still are affected by slavery. How slavery has direct ties to the oppression and cyclical struggles of black people in America and in Africa. White oppression has killed generations of black joy. 

This story demonstrates the struggle of being a woman so brilliantly too. How many generations of woman went undefined until a man defined her. 

I learned so much through the course of this book. The birth of our modern prison industrial complex being born of the enslavement of African and Black men is something that makes perfect sense. But it was laid out so clearly here.  Some of the violence was so vividly painted that I keep retracing those scenes in my mind. Some of the heartbreak too.

Absolute must read. We have been privileged to not know these stories for long enough. And we are privileged now to see these stories through the perspective of each of these characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, and Police brutality

hmw102's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? N/A

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

laurenmaria422's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

madelinedalton's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Addiction and Death

taunusleserin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolute Leseempfehlung...

...schon allein wegen der stilistischen Idee, das Leben von 14 Personen in zwei parallelen Erzählsträngen über 7 Generationen hinweg zu erzählen. 

Das Buch besteht entsprechend aus 14 mehr oder minder abgeschlossenen Essays, die von Effia und Esi - zwei Halbschwestern, die sich nie kennengelernt haben - und ihren jeweiligen Nachkommen erzählen. Esi wird als Sklavin von Ghana in die USA verschleppt, Effia und ihre Nachkommen leben in Ghana. 

Die ersten drei Kapitel hatte ich noch Mühe, reinzufinden, danach hat es mich gepackt und ich wollte unbedingt wissen, wie es weiter geht. Die Autorin befasst sich vor allem mit der Frage, ob sich Traumata in der DNA eines Menschen wiederfinden. Die Kapitel empfand ich teilweise eher zu kurz, da ich gerne mehr über die jeweilige Person erfahren hätte. 

Wie man sich vorstellen kann, sind die Inhalte harte Kost, das Ende bildet dafür einen einigermaßen versöhnlichen Abschluss. 

Definitiv ein Jahreshighlight für mich. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

greenan26's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement and Excrement

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence and War

beezinda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a book that will live in my heart. I'm not one to read narratives about the horrors of slavery and everything that came after. This was a hard read for me in some places... I had to put the book down... but this book accomplishes something rare. The narrative allows these characters to exist as whole 3 dimensional people and not as caricatures to exemplify tragic time periods. To me, this book is one of the best character studies I may have ever read.

This book was crafted and really showcases the author's narrative skill. There's a lot to relate back, forth, across, and between characters. I don't have the words to explain that this is so much more than a slave book. 
This book resonates deeply for me as it is a shining example of how the strength and soul of black people is the unrelenting spirit to be fully human despite all the circumstances and systems that constantly seek to deprive us our humanity. 

This book showcases the full range of human emotions and experiences. I hate that I find it refreshing and revelatory to see such range with black nuanced characters. It really is so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

isabelgb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism