Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

80 reviews

charlsbookcorner's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

Book review - 4.5/5

“If I've thought of my mother as callous, and many times I have, then it is important to remember what a callus is: the hardened tissue that forms over a wound.”

Gyasi explores the themes of religion and science in her second novel, unearthing that age-old debate as to whether the two can actually function symbiotically or whether they are to forever be at odds with one another. 

Gyasi personalises and gives the above conflict a ‘human’ face through her protagonist’s current predicament. The protagonist, Gifty, is presented as an incredibly logical and practical neuroscientist who, in the aftermath of her older’s brother’s heroine overdose, is trying to find the cause of destructively addictive behaviour. At the same time, Gifty has to care for her depressed mother, an incredibly religious African woman, who sought and continues to seek refuge in Christianity and God. The characters’ coping strategies and belief systems are placed in conflict throughout the course of the novel. 

Gyasi deals with some incredibly difficult and profound topics throughout the novel with such a reflective and compassionate manner. She unpacks what would be mundane academic discourse about faith and science and makes it much more relatable and accessible. Rather than simply portraying addiction and the events that occur during addiction, Gyasi tries to highlight the ‘why’. She even goes as far as to suggest that there are not always clear answers as to why humans choose to adopt destructive behaviour. In the same way, there is no reason why religion and science cannot coexist. 

Gifty’s and her mother’s relationship felt very reminiscent of the toxic relationship between the characters in Doshi’s ‘Burnt Sugar’. Thankfully, although there is tension between Gifty and her mother, the way Gifty treats her mother does not feel as malicious as the way Antara treats her mother in Burnt Sugar. 

Overall, this novel is profoundly philosophical. Gyasi puts her two-pence into a centuries’ old debate about the compatibility of religion and science but makes it more accessible by placing it in a fictionalised setting. TK is not an easy read, it can be triggering at times and confusing at others but it’s a story that carries significant weight with those who do manage to finish it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Religious bigotry

mackenziem12's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Grief, Medical content, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual content

rosies_book_shelf's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

readwithstacie's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Racism and Death

Minor: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt

teo_rodas's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

stayathomereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Infertility

Animal testing/experimentation

bekah445's review against another edition

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Animal death

queertrash's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring 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: Addiction, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, and Racism

aqtbenz's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Death of parent

jayisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Transcendent Kingdom is a book that calls for quiet contemplation in an entirely different way from her previous book, Homegoing. Equally stunning and brilliantly told from a complex protagonist, every word was intentional and made you ache in more ways than one. I loved the way Gyasi shaped Gifty, the protagonist, by the way. She was one of the most human characters I’ve read in a while, approaching large (and often overwhelming) topics in a way that’s relatable, as well as sharing a particular grief that angered and saddened her, especially in her family relations and their struggles. The push-and-pull between science and religion was brilliantly handled by exploring it through Gifty’s perspective, and I really appreciated the grey area that Gyasi presented to make space for the reader to reflect on their own understanding of these two.

I think what struck me about this book is that neither Gyasi or Gifty were expecting anyone to come to terms with anything. In fact, it was clear that there were some things that couldn’t be resolved, would forever ache, or require a long period to process things that sometimes can’t be put into words. It was more complex than trauma and, somehow, Gyasi was able to spin words together to express all of this with such care.

I absolutely loved Homecoming and equally enjoyed Transcendent Kingdom. Whatever Gyasi has planned next, I eagerly look forward to it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt