Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

9 reviews

merakiforest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Gore, and Mental illness

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My favorite part of this book is that every character is the main character. I was invested in every one. I don't understand how Gyasi was able to construct the life motivations of each character so perfectly with only giving each character like 20 pages. Seeing some of the characters age throught the generations is such a gift. Because so many wonderful characters had their life cut short as a product of white violence. 

It is awe inspiring and heart breaking how many generations were and still are affected by slavery. How slavery has direct ties to the oppression and cyclical struggles of black people in America and in Africa. White oppression has killed generations of black joy. 

This story demonstrates the struggle of being a woman so brilliantly too. How many generations of woman went undefined until a man defined her. 

I learned so much through the course of this book. The birth of our modern prison industrial complex being born of the enslavement of African and Black men is something that makes perfect sense. But it was laid out so clearly here.  Some of the violence was so vividly painted that I keep retracing those scenes in my mind. Some of the heartbreak too.

Absolute must read. We have been privileged to not know these stories for long enough. And we are privileged now to see these stories through the perspective of each of these characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, and Police brutality

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence and War

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

3.75

It is not easy to cover such a vast temporal space in a single book, so I recognize Gyasi's ability to tackle a story so big in scope. 
Still, I think that this kind of narrative structure (chapters with an ever-changing point of view) is just not my personal preference. Inevitably (as it happens, for example, with short stories collections), there were certain characters' storylines that I appreciated more compared to others. In general, I found the final chapters (those closer to us in time) less engaging. 
There were also sections that I liked but that ended a bit too abruptly, leaving too much left unsaid about crucial events and the characters' fate (and not all of the storylines got mentioned again and expanded upon, further on in the narration).

At times, the book got a bit too graphic for my (I admit a bit delicate) sensibilities, but it does deal with very heavy topics; just be sure to check the content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Murder

bashsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I don't have words for how incredible Homegoing is. The blurb cannot do justice to the journey it takes you on. Two Ghanaian half-sisters with divergent paths (one as a wife to a white colonizer and slaver, the other captured and sold into slavery) is only the beginning. This book follows Effia and Esi's lineage for seven generations, one line primarily in Ghana and one line primarily in the United States. It is a sizzering, raw, unflinchingly honest depiction of the experience and the legacy of the slave trade, in all its awful minutia; the creation and the evolution of the systems that still oppress black people. Truly, I've never seen a clearer depiction of generational trauma. It's incredible. That's all I can say. Cannot recommend enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicide

Minor: Medical content and Car accident

someonelikeblue's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Hate crime, Police brutality, and Car accident

jojo_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Excrement, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

skudiklier's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

This book was incredible, and heartbreaking, and beautiful. I knew nothing about it going in, but I don't think anything could have prepared me. So much of what happens in it is so hard to read, but I'd recommend Homegoing to anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and War