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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
En King i les libèl·lules by Kacen Callender, Kacen Callender
18 reviews
callme_tippy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Kacen writes books that seem like they are for Black people on the outside, but in reality they are actually written for white people.
I find it very interesting that in a book where Callendar themselves sates they wanted to make a book for young Black boys that have a Black gay lead, they still made the 2nd lead a white boy.
And not just any white boy, he' the son of the racist white sheriff, and the brother of the racist young man that killed a Black man by tying him to his truck and dragging him around town.
In what world is this written for young Black boys?
Wouldn't it have made more sense to have the main character as well as the 2nd main character/"kind of love interest" also be a young Black boy?
This novel could have given so much more than what it did. I think the book would have been much more powerful and impactful had both of the leads been young Black boys struggling with being gay.
On top of that, I found Sandy very annoying, I was sad for his situation but he was not a likeable character.
And to top it off, the only other young Black boy that speaks (besides the lead), is a misogynistic bigot. Meanwhile the young white boy in group is shown to be understanding and open minded.
I think some of the authors internalized anti-blackness and need for white approval shows through this book and characterizations.
This is the second book where I have had issue with the way Callendar portrays and writes their Black characters vs non-Black characters. I will not be reading another one of their books.
I find it very interesting that in a book where Callendar themselves sates they wanted to make a book for young Black boys that have a Black gay lead, they still made the 2nd lead a white boy.
And not just any white boy, he' the son of the racist white sheriff, and the brother of the racist young man that killed a Black man by tying him to his truck and dragging him around town.
In what world is this written for young Black boys?
Wouldn't it have made more sense to have the main character as well as the 2nd main character/"kind of love interest" also be a young Black boy?
This novel could have given so much more than what it did. I think the book would have been much more powerful and impactful had both of the leads been young Black boys struggling with being gay.
On top of that, I found Sandy very annoying, I was sad for his situation but he was not a likeable character.
And to top it off, the only other young Black boy that speaks (besides the lead), is a misogynistic bigot. Meanwhile the young white boy in group is shown to be understanding and open minded.
I think some of the authors internalized anti-blackness and need for white approval shows through this book and characterizations.
This is the second book where I have had issue with the way Callendar portrays and writes their Black characters vs non-Black characters. I will not be reading another one of their books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Outing
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Classism
kxc319's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.25
A very emotional and moving story that covers a lot of ground - death of a family member, homophobia, child abuse at the hands of a parent, and racism. Even with all that, the story reads smoothly and your love for the characters helps you empathize with all these topics. I can’t wait to read more by Kacen Callender!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, and Outing
kaitidid's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
rockythefreak's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Murder, and Outing
writingcaia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
It was so easy to rate this book.
Even though I rarely read middle grade I’m so happy I gave this one a chance because I loved the author’s work in their book Felix Ever After.
Now about King and The Dragonflies. What a wonderful, sad and hopeful journey along with King.
Kingston aka King is a twelve year old boy that just lost is 16 year old brother. Grief is what you first encounter, such pain and loss fill out young boy. But, King believes his brother has not left but instead is a dragonfly now. So, everyday we see him go to the bayou look at the dragonflies hoping one will make contact. It’s there he encounters is once friend Sandy. The best friend who once confessed to him he way gay. But, King’s brother overheard the talk and advises him to stay away from Sandy so people don’t think he’s gay too. King doesn’t hesitate to break the friendship.
Through loss, grief and confusion on how to act, because all he’s told is Black man don’t cry, don’t cook, are not gay because being Black is bad enough in the world as is, King doesn’t know who to be or how to be. He makes mistakes, he lies, but he amidst all he also fights to help Sandy when he finds him hiding from his abusive father.
There’s so much in this story, all the characters from Sandy’s supposedly racist murderous brother, to King’s friends, Jasmine who likes him, and Breanna who sees him, to the little nasty Camille and their homophobic friend Darrel.
They’re all so complex.
This book was a breath of fresh air, of warmth and light, even amongst all the hard feelings it portrays, because there’s also a lot of love and a lot of fighting for what’s right.
Loved, loved, loved.
My second book from Kacen and won’t be my last from them. They’re amazing writers and show such understanding of the emotions and lives they create on the page.
Another amazing for PRIDE MONTH 💖
Even though I rarely read middle grade I’m so happy I gave this one a chance because I loved the author’s work in their book Felix Ever After.
Now about King and The Dragonflies. What a wonderful, sad and hopeful journey along with King.
Kingston aka King is a twelve year old boy that just lost is 16 year old brother. Grief is what you first encounter, such pain and loss fill out young boy. But, King believes his brother has not left but instead is a dragonfly now. So, everyday we see him go to the bayou look at the dragonflies hoping one will make contact. It’s there he encounters is once friend Sandy. The best friend who once confessed to him he way gay. But, King’s brother overheard the talk and advises him to stay away from Sandy so people don’t think he’s gay too. King doesn’t hesitate to break the friendship.
Through loss, grief and confusion on how to act, because all he’s told is Black man don’t cry, don’t cook, are not gay because being Black is bad enough in the world as is, King doesn’t know who to be or how to be. He makes mistakes, he lies, but he amidst all he also fights to help Sandy when he finds him hiding from his abusive father.
There’s so much in this story, all the characters from Sandy’s supposedly racist murderous brother, to King’s friends, Jasmine who likes him, and Breanna who sees him, to the little nasty Camille and their homophobic friend Darrel.
They’re all so complex.
This book was a breath of fresh air, of warmth and light, even amongst all the hard feelings it portrays, because there’s also a lot of love and a lot of fighting for what’s right.
Loved, loved, loved.
My second book from Kacen and won’t be my last from them. They’re amazing writers and show such understanding of the emotions and lives they create on the page.
Another amazing for PRIDE MONTH 💖
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs, Murder, and Abandonment
melissaisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, and Outing
bookwyrmsam's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Outing
sierranorgan's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
VRC #2! I was not expecting this book to be what it was at all. I was surprised in the best sense. I will definitely read more from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, and Outing
nerfie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reading for my Children’s Lit class at Ithaca College
I find it crazy that this is marketed as middle grade. Such a strong, but heavy story—one that I don’t think could be told any other way, but might stress me out as a kid. I’m not sure if I would have been able to handle it while I was in the middle grade genre. Will be interesting to talk about it in class.
Books like this are so important to the canon. It’s a good way to introduce kids to diversity and grief.
I find it crazy that this is marketed as middle grade. Such a strong, but heavy story—one that I don’t think could be told any other way, but might stress me out as a kid. I’m not sure if I would have been able to handle it while I was in the middle grade genre. Will be interesting to talk about it in class.
Books like this are so important to the canon. It’s a good way to introduce kids to diversity and grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, and Violence
brookey8888's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very good middle grade about hard topics like grief, sexuality, homophobia, and racism. I thought it dealt with all these subjects really good. I really liked king as a character, but I do wish we got to see him and his brother interact more somehow. The friendships were interesting how different they reacted and who your true friends are. I do feel like king acted a little young for twelve but maybe I just grew up to fast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, Outing, and Abandonment