Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Sanctuary by Abby Sher, Paola Mendoza

17 reviews

adnaw06's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

niquee3317's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

mgspray's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Deportation

Minor: Racial slurs, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, and Trafficking

joisaddler's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, and Deportation

maevedora's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Cursing and Blood

paigereitz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

5.0

Damn. This book was intense and hard and important. A near-set dystopian future in which Americans are chipped and undocumented immigrants are hunted by the government. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Deportation

Moderate: Sexual assault and Blood

melmoony's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Non-spoiler synopsis: We follow Vali, a sixteen-year-old girl who is undocumented. The government is very anti-immigrant and in a dystopian future all residents are tracked by a microchip on their wrists. Vali and her mom get fake ones implanted, but her mom’s tracker malfunctioned one day in the past. With turmoil starting at the California/Mexico border, the government doubles down and decides to start going after all undocumented folk. Vali, her mom and her younger brother (a citizen himself) are forced to find sanctuary and safety when things begin to affect her local community and the country as a whole.

This story was heartbreaking and tragic. This reads like a young adult book but there are moments in the story that are quite intense and somewhat graphic. The struggles Vali and her family go through are not new, many people suffer from having undocumented status. What’s scary about this story is that though it’s a dystopian story, it could honestly become real life very easily.

Not only does Vali have to deal with the trauma of her dad being deported, but once the specialized police force start hunting and taking away undocumented people in her neighborhood, she flees only to have her mom’s tracker not work and they take her mom! She managed to escape, but got close to being taken thanks to the lady sitting next to her on the bus, seriously why open your mouth lady?! At the end of the book, she does get to make it to California with her brother (CA seceded from the US & became a sanctuary state for immigrants) but she’s not happy. The ending felt very bleak because she said she would never feel good until they help the others taken into interment camps back in the US. She also thinks she saw her mom in one at the CA/Arizona border?! But we don’t see her finding her mom after that or rescuing her. Quite sad.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Deportation

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use and Sexual assault

tania_mybookishsecret's review

dark emotional reflective fast-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? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Deportation

Moderate: Rape

kshertz's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

I loved this book. It’s dystopian but just barely. The genius is in just how not far out in the future it feels. People who are not born in America being marked and tracked, forced to try to get to California for Sanctuary. It so clearly connects you to the main characters and you root  for everyone. It breaks your heart over and over again. But it’s so important. I wish I could make everyone read it. Especially my students from conservative households. The empathy is essential. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

theroastedbookery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Wow.  This book was a hard read.  Not in the difficulty of the writing but in the subject matter.  The main character's journey is one of pain and suffering.  It is not a world that is too hard to imagine, though I hope it never comes to pass.  The political messages in the book are clear and present.  This book could serve as a warning for what could happen should Americans choose to turn a blind eye to immigration, climate change, and rhetoric rather than working to help and solve problems in a peaceful and inviting way.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Deportation

Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, and Vomit

Minor: Rape and Sexual violence