Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

11 reviews

thebookkeepers's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

That ending!! 

This is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author, and she’s officially a favorite. This YA novel in verse packs a huge emotional punch and deals with heavy themes of heartache including death, grief, survivors guilt, domestic abuse, and mental health. 

I loved the cultural elements on Navajo heritage & the hoodoo/root/ancestral work referenced as well. I was not expecting the ending to be what it was and that was brilliantly executed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Racism and Bullying

readingwithcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

Written by a hoodoo practitioner with notes at the end thanking her Navajo friend helping edit/being consulted for the Navajo character, the poetic novella follows Moth, a teenage African American girl,  and Sani a Navajo teenage boy as they try to deal through their interpersonal traumas and tragedies as well as generational traumas and tragedies they inherit and live with from the harm the United States has done to both their peoples respectively. The teenagers find comfort in each other and their respective traditions (moth’s grandfather being a hoodoo man and sani’s father being  medicine man) similarities and differences as they travel the south of both the Great Migration of African American to the Navajo Nation in their last summer to find some reconciliation with and for each other. 

More sad then scary but it is a haunting story, I loved reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Racism, Self harm, Drug use, Death of parent, Colonisation, Child death, Racial slurs, Grief, Child abuse, Slavery, Genocide, and Bullying

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Abandonment, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Medical content, Bullying, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, and Drug use

yadira315's review against another edition

emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

At this point anything that this woman writes, I will read. This book broke my heart. It was so beautiful and so sad all at the same time, because you have beautiful descriptive prose throughout the book. The two main characters have such a unique relationship with each other, and they each go on their own journey of self discovery, constantly supporting each other. Amber McBride has such an easy way of storytelling. You are constantly just turning the page because you wanna keep on going to find out what’s going to happen next and when I tell you, your jaw is going to drop when you get to the end of this book, prepare to be crying. I love stories that teach me history and folklore about things I do not know, so I really did learn about the Navajo and Hoodoo in the story. I highly recommend! 

Content warning: Grief, Physical Abuse, Car Accident, Bullying 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Grief, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism and Bullying

snarkandspark's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Bullying

storielore's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Mental illness

Minor: Bullying and Racism

rtaire's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

I struggled with the YA aspects of this novel, but that's a me problem since I'm not a huge fan of YA teenage/high school drama. Otherwise, this is beautifully written and the haunting language and imagery made me reconsider how I view the world. The ending blew me away and will linger with me for days -- if not years -- to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Mental illness

Moderate: Car accident, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Minor: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, and Drug use

ladygetslit's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying

halfbloodprincess_hogwarts's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely adore this audio!!! So fast-paced with no filler sentences. Adore how poetic, spiritual and straight to the point this novel is told. 

This novel in a span of 3 hours had so much heartache, passion, first love, tragedy, emotion and everything in-between. But that plot twist at the end completely shook my world and felt bittersweet. Moth is such a loving character whom I wanted to encase in a protective bubble. I adore both her and Sani's relationship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Blood, Death, Drug use, Bullying, Car accident, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

4.0

 Trigger Warnings: physical abuse, racism, bullying, death, mental health - depression

Moth lost her mother, father, and brother when their car split in half like a candy bar. Now she lives with her aunt but she feels deeply alone and unnoticed.

Then one day, she meets Sani, a boy battling depression and searching for his roots, and hoping that finding those will help him understand the static in his mind. If Moth can help him, maybe she can understand her own history. They decide to go on a road trip together to find out.

A YA novel told in verse, Me (Moth) is about identity, first love, and what holds us together.

What a beautiful, heartbreaking story. Both Moth and Sani and their stories will stay with me for a very long time. Amber McBride did wonderful writing these characters so they dug into your heart to stay there. McBride also did an amazing job at including Navajo and Hoodoo culture and blending them together through Moth and Sani.

This book will sit among the titles of The Poet X, The Crossover, and Long Way Down, just you wait, it is that special! It’s a fast read that will break your heart and stitch it back together, all while you learn and grow with Moth and Sani.

I borrowed this from my public library, but I’m adding it to my list to get myself my own copy so I can reread it again, and again, and again. Teens and adults will both be mesmerized by this emotionally beautiful novel-in-verse.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness