Reviews tagging 'Racism'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

206 reviews

sarlim's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Homophobia

daylightanika's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Read the trigger warnings all of them are explained in explicit detail

faduma's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.25

I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. The trigger warnings are forever and day long. If you are to read this please take care of your mental and emotional well-being. 
What  a deeply traumatizing and distributed read. Some thought regarding this book: 

•  I don’t understand or care to understand why the characters can’t just be happy. Why does bad things have to keep happening??? 
• What is the purpose and/or reason for this tale? It completely destroys the ‘it gets better’ speech/narrative. Why have hope in humanity? 

I can genuinely say I hated reading this book. It was painful, horrific, depressing, and at times very very disgusting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

breadwitchery's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Pregnancy

kathabooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-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: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

blainereads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I don’t think anyone can deny that this is a beautifully written and moving book—grotesque at times, but beautiful—and yet I can’t bring myself to give it five stars like so many others have, and I think that’s because of how uncomfortable I felt throughout—but not from what you might think. 

Yes, it’s graphic and enthusiastically describes the most evil and deprived acts known to humanity, but that’s not what unsettled me. it was the casual unchecked racism; the internalized homophobia; the pervasive ableist language that never improves; the unnecessary and repeated externalized biphobia (or perhaps queerphobia would be more appropriate) that, for the most part, failed to serve the story in any substantial capacity.

Perhaps these instances would have been more digestible and/or understandable had we known the timeline of the story, but instead we’re left wondering if the (usually) gay men and (usually) white people in this story are really making these kinds of comments in the 21st century (and facing no ramifications or not even being questioned for it)?? I don’t think characters need to be perfect paragons of morality, nor do I think the words of characters are necessarily reflective of the author’s opinions, but the fact that so much of these “problematic” moments could have been excluded or easily changed without altering the story or the characters’ arcs felt, ultimately, like a failure of sorts—a massive oversight, in the least. 

all of those instances together, combined with the graphic and fated tragedy, really made this feel, ultimately, like trauma fantasy for straight white people. it was a book that would be necessary and groundbreaking in 2005, maybe, but now feels closer to harmful than revolutionary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicide and Grief

Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

_jasper_394's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

This book made me think in a way I've never experienced. I had just got into reading (I read the harry potter series a couple of times but that's it). I thought it was a great idea to read something where alot of challenging subjects were explored because I have experienced alot of trauma and challenging things so I knew I would relate to this book. I read this book and I was reading it in English and my English teacher saw and said i was too you to read it (I'm 15) I didnt listen and finished it and let me tell you i was grieving for fictional characters. Its definitely the weirdest feeling but I was beyond sad. I had a grudge against my English teacher because she said I would cry so I made sure I didnt. There were only 2 parts where i wanted to cry but i understand if someone was to cry the whole way through it because it is so deep, dark and twisted. It's not a horror book but it makes your stomach twist and twirl with fear that something bad will happen to you favourite character. Overall this book is my favourite of all time and I definitely will be reading it again. Having said that I strongly advise you check the content warnings because it's very heavy. Good luck my friend <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

felinesandfelonies's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Car accident, and Abandonment

yourdone's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Vomit, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Transphobia and Lesbophobia

xiang_lin's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The author exploits themes of LGBTQ+, mental health issues, racism, classism in order ted to get the reader to be more invested in the characters. However, she does so quite distastefully and to a certain extent, without consideration.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

please do not read if anything triggers you can think of, is likely to trigger you