Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rrickman33 's review for:
The Removed
by Brandon Hobson
I'm in the minority here apparently after looking at Goodreads- I loved this book. Just a reminder that reading is subjective and you should read a book if you want to and not rely on ratings/other opinions.
Do not go in expecting a think piece on police brutality or a murder mystery, this is literary fiction at it’s finest. It’s vague on purpose, it makes you think, you have to connect the words in the book to circumstances in your own life. It’s a beautiful piece of Native American/American Indian folklore intertwined with a modern day family.
In the prologue 15 years in the past, we see the wrongful shooting and death of Ray-Ray a native boy living in Talequah, Oklahoma (outside of Tulsa). Since Ray-Ray’s death, his family has been struggling to make sense of the tragedy and move on with their lives. His mom Maria is caring for his Father, Ernest who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. His sister Sonja becomes obsessed with a man named Vin, who sucks tbh, but there is a reason why. His brother, Edgar, was recently left by his girlfriend for his drug use and finds himself in the Darkening Land after a suicide attempt, a place between the living and the dead.
We get to experience folklore of the Trail of Tears and the terrifying impact it had on so many peaceful people. In Oklahoma, we take Oklahoma History during high school and while I learned about the Trail of Tears, we focused more on facts than the impact it had on generations of native people. To this day, this historical event still impacts families and that’s why it’s included in a book about family grief.
No, this book may not be a your cup of tea or something you are interested in reading and that’s okay. What’s not okay is comparing this book to white authors and white stories. It’s okay if you read it and didn’t understand it or even like it- but then move on with your life, don’t tell other people not to read it. Reading is subjective and reviews and ratings should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
I am not Native American/American Indian myself but being from Oklahoma I have a huge appreciation for this story and what it signifies and represents. I encourage you to read this story if you are interested in learning about Cherokee folklore, reading about a family tragedy and the grief that follows, and how the past and present will always intertwine.
Do not go in expecting a think piece on police brutality or a murder mystery, this is literary fiction at it’s finest. It’s vague on purpose, it makes you think, you have to connect the words in the book to circumstances in your own life. It’s a beautiful piece of Native American/American Indian folklore intertwined with a modern day family.
In the prologue 15 years in the past, we see the wrongful shooting and death of Ray-Ray a native boy living in Talequah, Oklahoma (outside of Tulsa). Since Ray-Ray’s death, his family has been struggling to make sense of the tragedy and move on with their lives. His mom Maria is caring for his Father, Ernest who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. His sister Sonja becomes obsessed with a man named Vin, who sucks tbh, but there is a reason why. His brother, Edgar, was recently left by his girlfriend for his drug use and finds himself in the Darkening Land after a suicide attempt, a place between the living and the dead.
We get to experience folklore of the Trail of Tears and the terrifying impact it had on so many peaceful people. In Oklahoma, we take Oklahoma History during high school and while I learned about the Trail of Tears, we focused more on facts than the impact it had on generations of native people. To this day, this historical event still impacts families and that’s why it’s included in a book about family grief.
No, this book may not be a your cup of tea or something you are interested in reading and that’s okay. What’s not okay is comparing this book to white authors and white stories. It’s okay if you read it and didn’t understand it or even like it- but then move on with your life, don’t tell other people not to read it. Reading is subjective and reviews and ratings should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt.
I am not Native American/American Indian myself but being from Oklahoma I have a huge appreciation for this story and what it signifies and represents. I encourage you to read this story if you are interested in learning about Cherokee folklore, reading about a family tragedy and the grief that follows, and how the past and present will always intertwine.