Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

6 reviews

gabuwu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

sjduncan's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, and Rape

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Dementia

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

erd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Love how the story is organized into chunks diving deeper on specific characters and their pain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

None of content is over-the-top or overdone, all of it drives the story along.

beiiadonna's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

ifersinklings's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

This book was so good. It really highlighted the difference between being white, white passing, and Black. The story of the two twin sisters and their daughters and the different paths that their choices as teenagers took them was very interesting to follow. I loved Jude and Reese's storyline, too.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

mezzarella's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like most family sagas, Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half feels as long and slow as the river. Two Black twins, one who is light-skinned and the other who is dark-skinned, forge their own ways into adulthood. One woman grows into a Black woman living through the racism and hardship of the mid 20th century. The other is able to pass as a white woman, and raises a family without even her husband ever knowing the truth. While the twins parted ways long ago, as they raise their own families and live their own lives, time brings memories surging to the present often. This story is reflective on its subject material, looking at how race and truth affect their families (both near and far away). 

I truly loved watching the twins grow older and watch how their level of privilege affected their lives. Tough questions were asked about racial injustice and colorism as well as the extent that living comfortable is worth lies and forgetting who you are. This would make a great book club read, where all the details and histories can be written down and unwoven.    

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs