Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

59 reviews

lmneal87's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Racism, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

lorenag5's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Cursing, Murder, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Cancer, Grief, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

jasmine_reid16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child death, Vomit, and Child abuse

mmcloe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.75

One of those books that I read and I know immediately will be studied and taught for decades and will come to define the literature of the early 21st century. There's so much to be said about hauntings (especially on my mind right now), the long shadow of slavery in the prison system, and the war on drugs and mass incarceration. 

I'm especially drawn to ecological interpretations of what is essentially a road novel. It's incredibly interesting to see the ways in which car culture and dependence on oil (from the literal movement of the car to Michael's former job at Deepwater Horizon) intersect with police violence, systemic racism, and rural southern poverty. The constant non-human animal metaphors and the blending of natural with spiritual landscapes makes this a wonderfully wonderfully deep text. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Child abuse

voicenextdoor's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a tough read. Be sure to check the content warnings

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Drug use, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion, Sexual content, and Rape

livia_jewel's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Racism, and Racial slurs

maxgardner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

This is a grueling story about family and generational trauma, and the larger trauma and rippling effects of racism and white supremacy. It is a story of coming of age, of accepting who you are and who you are not, told in alternating perspectives of primarily a mother and son with a very strained relationship. Jesmyn Ward’s writing is beautiful and lyrical, and she does an exceptional job of weaving the characters’ histories into the main storyline. Maybe the best way I can think to describe it is it feels very natural, like someone telling the story out loud. And I absolutely loved the aspects of magical realism throughout and the way it connected the family members through the generations, though it culminates in an ultimately confusing finale that took me rereading the final couple of chapters to fully visualize and understand. At its core, Sing, Unburied, Sing is just a very well-told, poignant story with characters that feel alive on the page and a plot that is simple but richly realized.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Vomit, and Drug use

Moderate: Racial slurs and Abandonment

hanhantap's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Drug use, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Rape

averyarden's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Racism, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Sexual content