Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

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

4 reviews

imstephtacular's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

---

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

---

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

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.

---

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

kshertz's review

dark informative sad slow-paced

4.0

It’s definitely an informative read but it’s just really heavy. I feel like I went into it thinking I was just gonna hear about this one story of this one family and they are talked about a lot but this author really goes into the systems that create a family like this and while I find that to be super important it wasn’t as interesting. But I did learn a lot of information that I can use as a teacher when thinking about CPS and the bigger systems that play that cause harmful situation is for students. Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for something really heavy.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Lesbophobia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Car accident, and Medical trauma