Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

8 reviews

reddeddy's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Sexism, Racism, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Stalking, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence

Minor: Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Slavery, Blood, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

valleysoshady's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I should have known from the jacket that it would be tough to read after experiencing the loss of a parent. And it was. So many themes.  Emigration, community, belonging, racism, feminism, family dynamics, secrets, being different, and so much more.

It made me love my family more, consider my priviledge, reflect on my parents as immigrants alone in a new country, my heritage. 

I loved all of the characters, their flaws, their strength, their damage and their triumphs. I loved the vein of politics and social justice, ever present and gracefully intertwined with the plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Grief, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Medical trauma, Car accident, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexism, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Homophobia

ktdakotareads's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Classism, Infertility, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

haleysversion's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Rape, Homophobia, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

ksuazo94's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and Racism

Minor: Death of parent, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, and Police brutality

davidrb's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

This was the first book I was able to finish this year, and it was devastating. It's just as much a mystery as a family drama, and engaged me like nothing else. It got to the point where just the title of a chapter/the return of a character's POV made me gasp. Highly, highly, highly recommend. Don't be daunted by the length: it flies by. (That said, it's extremely heavy!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Biphobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

With regards to "police brutality": antiblack systemic racism by the police is a recurring theme. No violence is shown directly, but the possibility is discussed in detail.

agnesbebon's review

emotional inspiring reflective

5.0

This book is truly incredible. It had me sobbing. 

The writing is beautiful, the motifs were expertly woven, the story and characters were intricate. Whose story is this? Whose identity was told through the lives of so many others? Identities and people are connected, and Wilkerson examines it through a captivating lens. 

I think everyone should read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Racism

leahrosiee's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

This book was so beautifully written. 
Family dynamic can be difficult to read but the author beautifully displayed the duality of each family member. Disagreements and misunderstandings abound as these siblings find out their parents dark and mysterious past, as well as their true identities. 

Read for Bad Bitch Book Club

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking and Addiction

Minor: Colonisation, Stalking, and Medical content