Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

572 reviews

readingwithgoose's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Drug use, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death

kerrence30's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Through flashbacks ranging throughout the life of the protagonist we learn how her various key relationships develop, how it affects her, and eventually, at present day, how they come to conclusion. This story shines a light on the experiences of a first generation family from Ghana moving to the USA, the strong influence and contrasts of religious worship from traditional upbringing to adulthood in Alabama, and dark topics such as addiction, depression and death. 
Concise and emotional, was great to listen to, well read, authentic, heartfelt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Addiction

Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt

na_no's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism and Suicide attempt

hileahrious's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

3.75

A story of the search for meaning. And that, I find, is what makes it feel so relatable, even though the protagonist’s life experiences are nothing like mine. The quest for purpose, especially with the dis/comfort of evangelical religion mixed in, keeps you hooked on what will happen next. But not in a suspenseful way…. simply, as a reader you also become eager to discover if there is refuge for the main character Gifty, because maybe, just maybe, that means you yourself will one day find it as well.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death

beetsbydwight's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, Child death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Racial slurs, Grief, and Abandonment

cameronrose00's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

This book was so thoughtfully written. The story just seemed to unfold as you came to know the characters, especially the main character, Gifty, and her family history as she grapples with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Addiction

Moderate: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

There is a lot of difficult relationship between mother and daughter(protagonist). There is also a lot of religious trauma and questioning.

crabbytaco's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness

kalyaniwarrier's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

The childhood weariness of having to belong somewhere, and the wanting of acceptance is unfortunately a common occurrence as we grow up to our visioned idealism. 

In this state of mind, Gifty, the protagonist, despite living the life of professional quixotism, is met with broken familial arrangements, suicide of her brother and her skepticism towards the religion she was bought up in. 

The plot is highly philosophical - questioning one's beliefs and the entirety of human existence, which leads the protagonist to right the wrongs in life to bring meaning to her existence. Transcendent Kingdom also highlights the racial profiling of African-American communities, immigrants and their struggle of belonging to an unknown community, in spite of the marginalisation. 

Berry's model of acculturation in cultural studies (further divided into four parts: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalisation) plays a huge role in this text; parts of assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalisation are widely discussed in this text that give nuance to the cultural phenomenon observed in immigrants and migrated populations. For further details on Berry's model, please check out this website: https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/chapter/berrys-model-of-acculturation/

The book is beautiful in form, content and structure. It gives a hope of wanting to believe in something, be it a religious inclination or a secular one, and gives meaning to life. This message of self-preservation has allowed me to rate this book in such a manner. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Suicide

ollie_again's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Death and Grief

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Abandonment

siomaii's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Grief, Death, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent and Forced institutionalization