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rymoss 's review for:
Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yaa Gyasi is an excellent writer. Homegoing blew me away, so it’s possible I’ve held this book to that and it doesn’t measure up in the same way. But it’s a very different book, so perhaps it’s an unfair comparison.
Content note: there are extended and detailed descriptions of animal testing for medical research and also medical procedures are discussed.
I found the lack of acknowledgement of the morals and ethics of animal testing difficult, although it’s briefly mentioned. And I had questions about the actual experiments that the book centres around and how robust those are IRL. I don’t think the author is a scientist (I will check) and with the centring of this science/medical research I felt kind of uncomfortable with the premise throughout.
However Gyasi’s knack for weaving personal stories with the history of immigration and racial injustice is why I wanted to read this and and what kept me reading. The way Gyasi turns the personal into the political and vice versa is eye opening and brilliant.
Content note: there are extended and detailed descriptions of animal testing for medical research and also medical procedures are discussed.
I found the lack of acknowledgement of the morals and ethics of animal testing difficult, although it’s briefly mentioned. And I had questions about the actual experiments that the book centres around and how robust those are IRL. I don’t think the author is a scientist (I will check) and with the centring of this science/medical research I felt kind of uncomfortable with the premise throughout.
However Gyasi’s knack for weaving personal stories with the history of immigration and racial injustice is why I wanted to read this and and what kept me reading. The way Gyasi turns the personal into the political and vice versa is eye opening and brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Racial slurs