Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

46 reviews

theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

ohgull's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

I read this book for my Multicultural Lit class. It was an interesting read, definitely not something I would pick out for myself, but I'm glad I read it. I liked the main protagonist John and seeing his character growth, but it felt a little stifled. The second half of this book was basically just exposition on how the Grimes family ended up like this and why the characters are the way they are. I don't know, it had good material in it, specifically talking about religion and race, but I wish there was more plot in the present and not all of the action happening 20 years before the novel begins. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death, Violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, Infertility, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, and Suicide

storia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, and Misogyny

The main character, John, struggles with internalized homophobia. What I understand to be common in that time period and among those practicing christianity. Other characters experience and fear religious persecution for other "sins."

mcasey11's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Racism

Minor: Suicide

bjdarby's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Violence, and Police brutality

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

I think that a lot of this book went straight over my head. I did appreciate the idea of a reckoning coming for some of the characters. And I liked Florence. And writing was, of course, beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Infidelity, Child abuse, Suicide, Death, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Rape

Minor: Infertility

meganfletcher's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death, and Sexual content

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.25

It is not enough to say that this book is worthy of its status as a classic, not just of black literature, but of literature. A structure of overlapping stories in time and relationships unpacks a cacophony of messages, none cleanly suited to be called "justice" or "faith" or "love." Just when you believe the story will turn to a conventional concept of goodness or sin, the character turns about; when you believe a matter settled, it rises again years later. It's how lives work; life-affirming without any of the naïve optimism or simple closures. 

More, though, I am compelled by the beauty of Baldwin's prose. His internal dialogues pulse with blood and belief, with characters who often think or act from a rich river of motivations. No shallow staples of literature here. Read passages aloud to feel this fully. I know I did.

Too, there is a great deal in the story which is sublimated, left unspoken and seemingly untested. For every character who takes their turn at a "prayer," three others reveal their equal tenacity, equal clamor, for story. For every action we believe we understand, three less-articulated causes presume themselves. And later influence. The social circumstances of race are only one background which unsettles itself into these lives. 

This is not a fast read. Baldwin's prose compels us to labor a bit, to digest carefully. Had I not, I might have wondered why any of these characters really matter. It is, perhaps, because no character here exists as a prop or a literary guise. We experience an intimacy of happenings from which we cannot turn away.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Racism, and Sexual content

annablume's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

impeccable writing, the first part was hard to get through for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Infertility

Minor: Pregnancy

bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, Infidelity, Infertility, and Misogyny