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kcrockford's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Slavery, Gun violence, Violence, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Abandonment
angorarabbit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Abandonment, Confinement, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, Genocide, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cursing
Forced sterilisation, eugenics, blackface performances, n word, medical experiments without consent. Body snatching, lynchingparenthesis_enjoyer's review
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Infertility, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Violence, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Torture, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Excrement, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Child abuse, Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Animal death, Medical content, Colonisation, Classism, and Child death
robvit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I didn't expect this to be a happy story. I didn't expect it to be positive, either, but I honestly did not expect it to be one of the more depressing books I've ever read. I struggled with it, as it took me 2 and a half months to finish. I could only read a few pages at a time before I put it down, not necessarily for its graphic and often upsetting nature, but just because it's basically one horrible thing after another happening to the main character, and it gets pretty hopeless after a while. I do not want to be ignorant to the horrors of slavery. It's a travesty amongst the worst the human race has ever conceived, and as a concept it is full of horrors I'm sure I can't even begin to imagine, and Colson Whitehead captures that essence well. It just doesn't make for a page turner, at least in my opinion, when every shred of hope this character has is immediately stamped out within a page or two.
I also had issues with the way the book would jump around. You'd read about a character, realize they're somehow important or you're supposed to be affected by what happens to them, and then their backstory is slightly explained after their fate is sealed. I didn't like the pacing because of that. I felt like there were too many characters that I could have cared more about if I'd known who they were before I found out what happened to them. It just seemed like an odd way to tell the story.
Overall, I think I'm glad I read it, as it opened my eyes more to the unbelievable injustice of slavery, but I would have a hard time recommending it to anyone without explaining everything I just said.
Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Trafficking, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Torture, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Death, Hate crime, and Sexual assault
sarahbiegelsen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Rape, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Blood
Minor: Misogyny, Body horror, and Medical content
emikateb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Murder, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Stalking
catherinemb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault
tigerkind's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
„A plantation was a plantation; one might think one’s misfortunes distinct, but the true horror lay in their universality.“
A capitivating read, especially interesting if you’re familiar with other (neo) slave narratives. Focusing purely on the reading experience I found the book a bit predictable and the style alienating from the character’s emotions and suffering - but I think it fits the narrative. The story is not indulgent in recounting the emotional and physical horrors of slavery (though they’re there, no doubt about it) but focuses more on perseverance and persistence.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Confinement, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Classism, Death, Excrement, Hate crime, Misogyny, Trafficking, Genocide, and Violence
travisppe's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Kidnapping, Rape, War, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racial slurs, and Self harm
gilroi'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
5.0
This book dispenses with those themes quickly and easily. People are not 'good' for their suffering. There is horror, and that is never shied away from. But its depiction is not the point. What cruelty does to someone, how it twists them inside, that's far more important. Cora is not a smiling martyr, she does not exist to make us all feel better about the present moment. She has her moments of selfishness, of unsmiling wrath, of twisted bitterness and uncharitableness. And who could blame her? Certainly not me.
This book asks: Who built America? We know who stole it, but who built it? Who put their labor into it? We know who stole the labor, but <i>who made America</i>?
People like Cora, who were never perfect, who never had any responsibility to serve as a model, whose existence is not to educate. She-- and by extension, this book-- is not here to make anyone feel better about themselves. And for that, the book made me feel, just slightly, at peace with history. Pain is not a model, so we should not rely on it to teach.
Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Trafficking, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape