Reviews tagging 'Death'

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

34 reviews

drummond's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Colonisation, Slavery, Police brutality, Gun violence, Grief, Child abuse, Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

jasisreading's review against another edition

While I think the connection the author makes between the previous exploitation of the Congo and the current exploitation, is a solid base for a novel it does not go far enough. I wish there had been more interrogation about the companies themselves and what they have been doing. Allowing the interrogation to be interwoven with the personal anecdotes would have been a more impactful. As it is, the writing feels more akin for a long form journal essay than full-length novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Classism, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Child death, and Colonisation

Moderate: War and Medical trauma

had to DNF when I got the line “While violence is not the answer, I understand why…” when talking about the residents fighting back against the direct harm a mining company was causing them. Like?? That was a takeaway????

rrocketqueen's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

A terribly upsetting must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, and Chronic illness

sarahdkdc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.25

I think this book was written with a lot of compassion and care. I really like that Kara mentioned the privilege he has by way of his appearance, and how that aided him in his studies in the Congo. I also appreciate that Kara expresses at the end of the book that the people who should be telling these stories are Congolese people themselves. I guess we have to start somewhere. I hope Kara continues his trips to the Congo and tries to help amplify Congolese voices.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Child death, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, and Blood

hanhantap's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Violence, Racism, Death, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual violence, War, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Child death, Death, and Slavery

tuesday_evening's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, War, Colonisation, Gore, Violence, Medical trauma, and Misogyny

padayacheese's review against another edition

informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Death

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Thos is an important book. The injustice happening in the congo in real time is unimaginable. 

I can appreciate all the work that the author did to research and write this book. No one seems to really know or talk about cobalt mining even though it's directly linked to our rechargeable devices. I think this book will become more important now that electric cars are being pushed so heavily.

It really makes you think about what other injustices are occuring in the world. Our first world problems suddenly seem so superficial after reading a book like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Minor: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Classism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Murder, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexual assault

Nothing is overly graphic.

haley49's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.5

This was an extremely valuable portrayal of a horrific industry that thrives on exploitation and the lives of those with no other options. It’s tie-backs to colonialism and the past while also looking towards the future were really well done. However, it would say things about the blood on the hands of the consumer but didn’t discuss ways to hold companies or the region accountable. The people of the DRC deserve so much better but unless there are ways for us average citizens to do something in a world reliant on our technology, we can’t exactly take action without some kind of solution in mind from those who know what’s going on in the DRC. Maybe that was the point but I just wanted a little more of a takeaway. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, and Colonisation