Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
13 reviews
dannothedino's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Racism, Misogyny, Classism, Murder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racial slurs, Death, Cursing, Gun violence, and Blood
Minor: Drug use, Dysphoria, and Colonisation
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review
- 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
5.0
Now, I will be honest and say I wasn't a big fan of the original book by Fitzgerald. In addition to some bad experiences in school when I read it, I also felt like the characters were flat and unlikable, and the story boring and outdated. Now, of course, there can be many arguments that Fitzgerald purposefully wrote it this way, especially with the characters, but I am not here to critique the original story, just adding context for this review.
Self-Made Boys takes everything I disliked about The Great Gatsby and makes them great and unique. The characters were much more likable, even Daisy, who in both versions rides the line between terrible/annoying and sympathetic. I personally enjoy reading likable characters more than unlikable usually, so this was a huge plus for me. As well, the characters just felt more real, fleshed-out, and down to earth. Instead of just acting as caricatures for Fitzgerald to use as vehicles for his main message, they actually felt like they had their own wills and purposes in the narrative, especially Nick who easily could've been relegated back to the simple self-insert for the reader that he was in the original.
With these well-rounded characters, I felt much more invested in their lives and the outcome of each situation they found themselves in. I didn't even remember Jordan from the original and I don't know if Martha existed, but I loved the addition of more female characters. It was so easy to get connected to each character and the story was so much more rich and compelling for me.
The unique elements Anna-Marie McLemore added to the story, from their heritage as a Latine person to their queer identity, really made this book perfect for me. There is something to be said about using personal experience in a novel that really fleshes things out in a way no one else could. McLemore is a fantastic author who knows how to write very well, and I couldn't find a single mistake in this book when I tried. I'm glad to give this book the 5 stars it deserves.
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, War, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Car accident
aspie97's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: War
kshertz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Minor: Racial slurs, Alcohol, Racism, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
ericaberica5126's review
- 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
5.0
The way that the author made the characters fit to the original but also not was amazing! I highly recommend this to anyone who thought that the original novel should've ended with Nick and Jay ending up together!
Graphic: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Classism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Transphobia
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I never read any of the original and only made it 5 minutes into that movie version from like 10 years ago. So I went in knowing basically nothing except that people already shipped Jay and Nick from the original so there was precedent and these days I just really want to read trans stories because the cis annoy me sometimes so give me that t4t joy.
I really enjoyed the trans rep and overall queerness in the story, it was a cool speculation on queer community in the 1920's. I found most of the characters to be shallow in that YA kind of way but still just complex enough to be enjoyable and intriguing. I think if you enjoy reading about messy people and their drama this is a good one, but personally I found it a little tiring at times. The obsession with wealth, class, and aesthetics was not something I personally enjoy a lot which is why I haven't bothered tackling the OG but I think the commentary on race was interesting to read seeing as it's own voices and I'm not American. I was pleased with how well the themes of which were woven into the story.
I don't if it's just because I've been having a health crisis in the days of reading this but this shit made me cry. The queer joy and acceptance in this story is its biggest selling point in my opinion and so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this even if it didn't fully capture my interest.
Graphic: Classism and Racism
Moderate: War and Alcohol
Minor: Violence, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
there's a scene where a character says a racial slur directed towards the latino main character, but the exact word used isn't on page. There is some descriptions of a character's experience as a soldier in WW1 which mentions death, disease, and chemical warfare. I'm happy to say there is no outing, transphobia, or homophobia here!novelty_reads's review
- 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
Confession: I didn't really like The Great Gatsby when I read it a few years ago.
I loved the movie though and, book crime or not, I watched it before reading the book. In fact, it quickly became my favourite movie and while it isn't currently, I was excited to delve back deeper into the Gatsby-esque world of 1920's America in Self Made Boys. I also hoped that perhaps it may even spark a love for the original book for me. While I likedthe book, I didn't love it. Although that may also be because it was an English Lit book for school.
Self Made Boys is a remixed classic of The Great Gatsbyfeaturing a vastly diverse cast of characters. It follows Nick, a transgender boy who arrives from Wisconsin to New York City to live alongside his cousin, Daisy and her partner, Tom in the cottage they leased to him in the West Egg. While living there, Nick becomes fascinated by his neighbour, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby who throws wild parties all for the likes of impressing Daisy. He also discovers that Jay is also a lot like Nick. He's transgender too. As the two get closer together, Nick falls in love with Gatsby as he tries to reconnect him with his first and lost love.
I think I preferred this book more than the original which is a testament to the writing of Anna-Marie McLemore. This book, while sticking to and maintaining the heart and soul of The Great Gatsby and what makes it so special, was able to completely reshape it in a way that kept the story fresh, alive and modern. It had heart, it had tenderness and it had character and I absolutely loved the story it shaped up to be.
I loved all the characters from Nick to Gatsby to Daisy. In the original book, I admittedly didn't like Daisy much, not even in the movie either. But this book elevated her character and really developed her more. She wasn't just a rich girl who was about to marry an old-money man, she was a Latina girl who's heritage she hid to fit in with the rich-white society she was hoping to marry into. She was by all means a flawed character but I loved how honest she was, how real she felt and how she developed and grew from trying to meet other people's expectation and mould herself truly into who she wanted to be. And her ending? Satisfying. I loved that she ended up happy and I loved the twist.
For me, Nick, whether be in the original book or movie, always seemed like a passive sort of character. We saw everything from his perspective but we didn't really get to know him that well. I was so happy with this book that we got more glimpses into who he is. I liked seeing his work relations too and I found I learned a lot about commerce, finance and how markets operate economically from this book. I also liked how we also got more glimpses into his family life and how accepting his parents were of his coming out. I overall just enjoyed reading from his perspective and he provided a captivating lens that helped navigate the story well.
I was also really impressed with the hints of transgender history the author incorporated in the book. Admittedly I didn't know much and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to learn through reading. I also liked how we learned more about Latin-American's and how they lived in 1920's society. I also loved how the reflections on the racial systems were handled in this book and Nick's perspective on how his cousin was changing herself including changing her family name to appear more "white" for the sake of fitting in.
All in all, this book was a fantastic take on the Great Gatsbytale with flawed and real characters that made this book come alive on the page. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves The Great Gatsby because, despite the few changes to the original story, Self Made Boys keeps the essence of Gatsby's legend and brings it forward to a new generation of readers.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.4 STARS
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Murder, and Classism
brianareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Misogyny, Gun violence, Sexism, and Car accident
delz's review
- 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
5.0
Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism
libscote's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Racial slurs