Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

21 reviews

morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

tense

5.0

“Monster’s don’t look like anything, doux-doux. That’s the whole point. That’s the whole problem.” 

In Pet by Akwaeke Emezi after a revolution that changed so many of the terrible things to come before, Lucille is a peaceful utopian-like place. But in its success is still shadow. The same blind spots, the same even stronger disbelief. Not here. Monsters are not here, those bad things are long past, they do not happen here. But like a fairy tale or the innermost of nightmares out of a painting comes the powerful creature Pet, a hunter. Is Pet a monster or an avenging angel? What is justice? Seventeen-year-old Jam, her friend Redemption, their families, and the whole community will be challenged with questions and the remedies thought of long resolved. 

One of the most fascinating yet only touched upon aspects of this novel is the radically changed society, greatly improving the lives of the people. It’s certainly better for a selectively mute trans girl like Jam. Yet among the many shifts one was especially thought provoking. History is full of conflicts around religion. Yet, the loss of religion through conflicts or prohibitions is usually a bad sign. So, this was an early red flag that something is very wrong in the book’s world. Further in the real world it doesn’t work. People just go underground. It made me more certain about what other hidden things were going on in Lucielle, not just the monster Pet came to hunt. Also, there are differences between religion and faith or belief. Even a reader can see how concepts persist like the subject of angels, human or otherwise, in the book. Most of the issues around religion boil down as Redemption puts it to a battle for control. Power, over property, people, bodies, thoughts, religious bigotry or hate and intolerance masquerading under the guise of religious conviction. 

It’s interesting as well how much Lucille puts on librarians to assist since material on monsters, angels, holy texts etc. is in the library where one must go with such questions, not other sources. School education around some topics is minimal at best. Most adults are hesitant or uncooperative when asked. Indeed, sometimes a library is the only source available. It too makes one think about how in reality institutions like libraries, schools and their workers are under attack. Then Pet also has become a banned book. The failure of this lack of representation and education is also another part of the problem in Lucille. This is a story when being able to recognize the signs of an abuser, the abuse, and the victim comes late. Or is just ignored. Until made to. And how it affects many. 

Emezi manages to write heavy topics with subtly and sensitivity. This YA novel is well deserving of every accolade. Pet is a book that only speaks more to very real problems that must be faced. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Blood, and Gore

Minor: Death, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Transphobia, Slavery, Cursing, Police brutality, Racism, Classism, and Gun violence

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Medical content, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest

Minor: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, War, Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Confinement, Gore, Suicide, Transphobia, and Vomit

Ableism warning is to err on the side of caution, for disability framed as a punishment near the end.

oddlyghoul's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Police brutality, Transphobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Classism, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Islamophobia, Violence, and War

kalla's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Racism, Police brutality, and Blood

vaguely_pink's review

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Pet uses allegory very impactfully to discuss topics of abolition, abuse, and accountability, however it’s hurt a bit by the straightforward narrative and often feels overly didactic. However, the Black, queer, trans, disabled, and autistic representation is *awesome* and the prose is gorgeous. I’m looking forward to reading the prequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Child abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Cursing

Minor: Ableism, War, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

amre23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Incest

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Ableism, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Deadnaming, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Dysphoria, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Medical content, Suicide, Police brutality, Cursing, and Sexual violence

_analisa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? No

4.75

This book is so good! As a YA, I felt it encapsulates its messages in such a clear, understandable way. The metaphors within were amazing. Same with it’s overarching message that even if you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. I did find there to be a lot of repetition, but for me it didn’t really take way anything or feel misplaced. Overall, it’s just an amazing book! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, Police brutality, and Racism

aliciarosales's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Transphobia, Police brutality, and Racism

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

5.0

5 ⭐ CW: Police violence mention, death of children mention, school shooting mention, violence, child abuse/implied child sexual abuse

"Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point. That's the whole problem." 

Pet by Awaeke Emezi is their first YA book. I've been following Emezi on Instagram for awhile, and I admire them so much. They fiercely live their truth despite the trauma they have livid through and continue to experience at the hands of transphobia. I felt like this was a love letter to that pain. 

We follow Jam, a selectively mute trans girl who uses sign language. She accidentally brings her mother's painting to life, and is dragged into a hunt for monsters by the being known as Pet. In Lucille where Jam lives, people believe the monsters, people who commit atrocities like police violence and abuse, are all gone and no one has anything to fear. The revolutionaries that made this possible are called "angels." But the presence of Pet means that monsters still exist. 

Emezi's writing is so... efficient? They packed a whole nuances story into 200 pages without it feeling rushed or that it was missing anything. Their language choice was superb at conveying everything they wanted to say with only a few lines. It felt heavy, but not dense. It took a little bit to get used to some of the speech patterns, since Emezi is from Nigeria, but once I figured it out, there were no issues. 

Emezi reminds us that all monsters are human, and the worst part is that they are usually people we trust. They remind us that the "not in my backyard" mentality continues to allow children to be harmed. Believe children. Believe survivors. Emezi does a great job of addressing child abuse and child sexual abuse without putting the details on the page. They understand that childhood trauma is not entertainment and shouldn't be treated like it is. More authors need to understand this. I don't need to read the details to understand how horrific it is (I'm looking at you Khaled Hosseni 👀). 

To learn more about child sexual abuse or to get help for yourself or a loved one, go to RAINN.org 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Child abuse

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

sarahrosea's review against another edition

reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Police brutality, Racism, and Transphobia