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crackedcoffin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Incest, Rape, and Slavery
lindseyas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
A coming of age novel like you've never seen before. Set in the mid-1900s in a city where everything is happening all of the time, the unnamed southern Black man, our protagonist, is lost in the chaos. Told from an extremely early point in his life that he should just give in to the white man and white society, the protagonist goes with the flow easily, aiming to please and not be noticed as different. But when he makes his way to New York City, he's forced to be noticed. The protagonist is used as a political prop by a movement that cares little about him, is fought over by opposing sides and is worshipped only for his powerful voice and body — not for his character, his intelligence or his kindness. The protagonist is not treated as a human being, but as a way of being, as a set of values and to further an agenda that he is barely involved in. This novel is all about what being caught in the wave of history is like, and how invisibility, despite its loneliness and often futile attempt at security, is the only escape if we want to hold ourselves dear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Classism
reachingforstardust's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Police brutality, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Gun violence, Rape, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
maddiebo97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
4.0
a timely classic that almost feels like it could have been written yesterday. it’s scary how much this book is still relevant.
I wish I would have been able to read it in a class, because I feel like I didn’t get everything out of it that I was supposed to… almost feels like I read it “wrong”. it was a daunting novel that was difficult to pick up. the plot was not difficult to understand, but the plot of this book is definitely secondary. it’s there to deliver the message, but I missed out on the message half of the time.
I wish I would have been able to read it in a class, because I feel like I didn’t get everything out of it that I was supposed to… almost feels like I read it “wrong”. it was a daunting novel that was difficult to pick up. the plot was not difficult to understand, but the plot of this book is definitely secondary. it’s there to deliver the message, but I missed out on the message half of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
gwennypenny15's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
This audiobook was scary how relevant it is still to this day but I wish it was only 8 hours. It just really dragged down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Rape
ha1yan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
sydneylount's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Incest and Rape
jadenbailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol
lilyenglish8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, and Sexism
booktribe's review against another edition
DNF at 13%. I am so damn tired of trauma porn. The only Black books that get labeled as classics are all about hardship and I am sick of it. Yt ppl have romance classics like Pride and Prejudice and horror classics like Frankenstein, but this is all we get.
The writing in this book is very pretty, but I refuse to make myself read a book with a scene explaining how a man raped and impregnated his daughter just because it’s a classic.
The problem is that we let yt school curriculum choose our classics, so they try to make sure the only books we read are about us are books about slavery, poverty , racism, and just being downtrodden.
Sorry about the mini rant. I’m sure that this book is good, hence why I didn’t rate it poorly. It’s just not for me. I can’t take the trauma porn any more. I see it enough on tv, I don’t need it in my books too.
The writing in this book is very pretty, but I refuse to make myself read a book with a scene explaining how a man raped and impregnated his daughter just because it’s a classic.
The problem is that we let yt school curriculum choose our classics, so they try to make sure the only books we read are about us are books about slavery, poverty , racism, and just being downtrodden.
Sorry about the mini rant. I’m sure that this book is good, hence why I didn’t rate it poorly. It’s just not for me. I can’t take the trauma porn any more. I see it enough on tv, I don’t need it in my books too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape