Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel by Rasheed Newson

4 reviews

woolgatherer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

I have mixed feelings about this one. Newson did a wonderful job giving the reader a very personal look into the world of a young gay Black man in 1980s New York City during the AIDS epidemic. Woven into the story were footnotes explaining who certain individuals, organizations, etc. were to enrich your understanding of this time and situation. I really appreciated the distinctly Black perspective and learned a fair bit.

On that note, the book often read more as an opportunity for Newson to teach the reader than to experience a story, making things feel a bit labored at times. There were also some plot points that kind of floated around, most notably the story with Trey’s brother. I wasn’t entirely sure what Newson wanted to get out of this.

This novel is a great dive into queer history, and it’s clear that Newson took great care to do as much research as possible. However, as a fictional work, I felt that there was a lot left to be desired. 
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lvosler21's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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dustghosts's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective relaxing 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

4.0

A really interesting take on the fictional memoir, with all the best structural and pacing qualities of a contemporary novel. The narrator, Trey, is charming and likeable— but also messy and often wrong (which, fair, because he is a rotten youth). This is historical fiction that educates not just on a key portion of LGBTQ+ history in the US but also feels pertinent to social movements and activism of today. Newson paints a scene beautifully— I can picture the movie that this book would make (and he is a screenwriter, so that makes sense!). At times tempting to think that some of the perspectives feel a little outdated— but I think some of that is the point, and Trey is very actively growing before our eyes, anyway. 
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moreadsnrambles's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was very interesting and enjoyable to read! I loved the way the main character’s life was explored and depicted through his sort of past tense narration. I also really enjoyed the way the fictional aspects of the main character were mixed in with historical figures and movements. The book was profound at times with a few brief moments of comedy and a sense of queer-coming-of-age. As a Black queer person it was definitely both touching and disappointing to read different actions and responses on the part of different characters, and entities in the book(like the government and police) that are still true and poignant to today. All in all a wonderful read and a fantastic debut from Rasheed Newson.

Thanks to Rasheed Newson and Flat Iron Books for the ARC and the chance to review the book!!
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