Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

9 reviews

hmih's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Cancer, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Classism, Violence, and Hate crime

Minor: Police brutality

secunda's review

challenging emotional funny informative tense 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

4.75

This is one of the best fiction books I’ve read this year. I think the primary audience of course is well-educated Asian women, but I think anyone can enjoy this book. It’s a fantastic skewering of white-dominated Asian studies departments, unstrategic student activism, and grad school. 

I was also confused for most of the book regarding the arc with the white fiancé, but I think the ending of the book more or less sorted it out when Ingrid leaves Stephen not necessarily for his Asian fetish, but because she doesn’t like him as a person. As an Asian woman who is currently dating a white man (and so faced similar questions to the ones Ingrid confronts), I find interrogating your own dating preferences over and over to be counterproductive to your ultimate happiness, so I feel that arc went on a little longer than I liked.

  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Addiction, Self harm, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Drug use, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book really does make you feel disorientated 🫠

This was a chance find on Kindle yesterday; after reading Yellowface, the algorithm clearly wanted to give me another amazing take on academia and it’s dark side. 

Someone wrote ‘I hope Michael and Stephen step on LEGOs’ in a review and I really felt that 😂 Their despicable treatment of people always left my jaw hanging.

What’s very sinister and twisted about this book is that especially at the beginning, it leads you to believe they are the ‘good guys’, and that you almost want to root for Ingrid and Stephen’s relationship 😦

I really appreciated Ingrid and felt a big pull to her throughout this tale. Her growth is undeniable ✨ I also loved Eunice (Yoon) and what a good friend she was to Ingrid throughout ✨
Initially Vivian got under my skin (as was most likely intended by the author), but she started to grow on me.

AZUMI THOUGH. I’m not going to lie, I was shocked when Stephen revealed that she was in fact, not a sex worker and had come from an affluent family, but I also thought… Props to her 🤷🏻‍♀️

4.5 out of 5 stars ✨
Would definitely recommend! 👏🏼

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Racial slurs

smute's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Sexism

Minor: Violence, Sexual assault, and Vomit

harperhoney's review

challenging funny informative reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Deportation, Addiction, Body shaming, and Colonisation

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Police brutality, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Ableism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Outing

sydapel's review

dark funny mysterious reflective slow-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

3.75

Acerbically witty, satirical and insightful, this book made me think more than most books I've read this year about activism, academia and colonialism (which is easy when you read mostly romance but my point still stands). It's an absolutely stunning debut and I wholeheartedly recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, and Bullying

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Hate crime

Minor: Sexual content

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Not at all what I was expecting. An interesting story, great character development, and a wild ride. 

The discussion of academia (specifically graduate studies) was VERY on the nose and had me angry the whole time. The treatment of the main character, her treatment of others, and how everyone interacts feels almost more like real life than reality does.
Didn’t realize until after I read it that it was satire (I know 🙃) but it just made everything more perfect. The lives we’re living right now feel so ridiculous and absurd that it feels satirical. Everything about this is real life AND not.

This feels like it could be a real story (looking at Rachel Dolezal - especially at the end)

Loved this book and definitely got me out of my reading slump. So many complex themes - would be perfect for a book club.

Only “critique” is that the pacing felt off. Certain parts in the middle felt like they dragged on but the beginning and end were a rush.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Racism, Slavery, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Mental illness, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Misogyny

onestephatatime's review

dark emotional funny reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Classism, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

stevie's review

challenging funny reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Confinement, Classism, Racism, Xenophobia, Stalking, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Hate crime, and Death