Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The White Girl by Tony Birch

12 reviews

plutojette's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Racism, Genocide, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Suicide, Police brutality, Death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Ableism, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Antisemitism and Alcoholism

black_hellebore_reviews's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

White Australia has a black history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Police brutality

lottiegasp's review

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.5

Well-written and emotional

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Racism

bookb1itch's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Colonisation, and Racism

Moderate: Cancer and Religious bigotry

Minor: Racial slurs, Death, and Rape

roreads28's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

It was a bit slow to get going but I found myself rooting for Odette. I’d wished that farmer Cane and the police man got what was coming to them but I guess that’s reality/life that they didn’t. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation

Minor: Rape and Racism

danajoy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Rape

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, and Medical content

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Antisemitism

nonfluorescent's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Violence, and Genocide

Minor: Animal cruelty, Rape, and Sexual assault

abbeydehnert's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.25

The Stolen Generation is a topic that is confronting in how it demonstrates the injustice done to the Aboriginal community, but this novel was written in a way that the reader can still find the topic approachable enough to face the truth. Tony Birch has written the two main characters in a way that is elegant and highlights the strength of people who were attacked on so many levels that it would leave many people defeated. There is a lot to reflect on from the novel, but it is a strong way for people to introduce the topic and acknowledging that this is a part of history that needs to be learnt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Genocide and Suicide

hannahmayreads's review against another edition

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? No

4.0

I cruised through this book in a single sitting, and it felt good to be able to give it my undivided attention. I want to say that this book was easy to read, but that's really the wrong sentiment. I think what I mean is that its succinct and absorbing, that the narrative flows easily. But that does not mean it isn't unsettling - if anything the writing style amplifies the honesty of this book.

There is a menacing presence always lurking in this book, and that presence is generally white people. The well-meaning and the pure evil. Birch is very clever in the way he shows us that there is no singular Aboriginal experience in living with this presence. There are a number of characters, such as Wanda the hotel receptionist whose story we do learn and Michael from the Welfare Board office who we can only speculate about, who appear only briefly yet they perfectly illustrate this point. Odette and Sissy's story is central, but the these other characters paint a fuller picture.

It's a story of good and evil, and good wins out in its own way in the end. And while there is so much pain, there is also so much love. There is hope in love, and while love doesn't absolve the pain it gives people a chance at living. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Suicide, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Minor: Antisemitism