Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian

15 reviews

booklovertamisha's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse

oworthyfool's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Car accident, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Miscarriage, Cultural appropriation, and Homophobia

agador_spartacus's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction and Pandemic/Epidemic

hollydyer328's review

dark informative sad slow-paced

4.25

This is not a book that I usually read, but it was great investigative journalism done by Roxanna Asgarian. I thought she did a great job handling the case and recounting the stories of the birth families with sensitivity. This is a depiction not only of the tragic suicide-murder of the Hart family but also an exposing critique of the child welfare and foster system. There are parts that will definitely infuriate you and parts that will give you chills. I found myself glazing over the more legal explanations in the book. Overall, I’m glad that Asgarian was able to tell a more comprehensive story of this incident and honor the birth families in the process.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

thelindystone's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

This book focuses a lot on the institutional forces that lead to the events in this book rather than the crime itself. Of course, it does discuss the crime also, but that’s not the main focus.

It is a detailed look at the child welfare system, which unfortunately has many defects. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism

imstephtacular's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Mental illness, Classism, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

careinthelibrary's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Classism, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

doctorjessie's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Child abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse

wyabook234's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse

librarymouse's review

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.0

This book is a thoughtful and informative exploration of the pitfalls of the American child welfare system, focusing on the extreme result of placing six children unjustly removed from their loving homes in the care of Jennifer and Sarah Hart. Asgarian explores the extreme and ingrained racism in the child welfare system, exploring the impact of it on the families of the children murdered by the Harts, their dedicated efforts to get them back and living with relatives, the judicial system that purposefully squandered their efforts, and the loopholes that allowed the Harts to adopt six children while being investigated for abuse and assault allegations.

In the epilogue of this book, Asgarian addresses her own tumultuous childhood, noting that because of her family's race and economic status, she never had to fear being removed from the support system made up of friends and relatives while she was in an abusive nuclear family. The generational impact of the removal of black children from loving, if imperfect homes, is still echoing through the families and the children who survive the startling volley of abuse hurled at them in institutions, foster homes, and group homes. Asgarian shines a light on this impact, probing readers to be aware of this world and its machinations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Lesbophobia and Police brutality