Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Honor by Thrity Umrigar

36 reviews

karmapen's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

yukirarin's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Honestly had mixed feelings about Smita at the beginning with how negative she was about India as a country, it initially gave me the impression that the author may have been trying to paint India itself as a general country in a negative way just because. But the explanations for her character traits became so well defined and explained in the second half of the book it made me do a 180. This book made me feel so much feelings and it's complicated for me to process them. 

I don't belong to a racial minority, being a Chinese in Singapore. But I know how I'd likely be seen if I were to go to more southern parts of the USA for instance. Racial segregation has never been something I'd been forced to think about until I read this book. A man's honor is not something I had ever had to think to step around. The saddest thing is that this story rang so true to me of a case I remember hearing coming out of India years ago, where men thought the life of a woman was just disposable because they felt like they were dishonored. It's a painful reality, one that I'm sure does not just exist within the beautiful words of this book but also is just daily life for many others around the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder

samburkhouse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Vomit, and Death of parent

butle2em's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism and Classism

ka_cam's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I listened to this on audiobook. I often struggle to finish audiobooks but I enjoyed this one- the reader did a great job of distinguishing characters and expressing complex emotions through tone and pauses. The book was pretty difficult subject matter (check content warnings) which I felt the author handled well while exposing Smita’s own biases and complicated reactions to gender based violence, religious violence, and state violence. I thought it odd that a gender based news international reporter wouldn’t tie this experience in more to her experiences reporting on GBV in other situations- the vague ‘bad things happen in the west/the us has police brutality’ references ended up feeling underdeveloped.  I was expecting her at some point to mention reporting she had done on issues like missing and murdered indigenous women, DV, etc and how she’s experiencing this situation differently (or similarly) but we never got that. Some of her backstory felt rushed or underdeveloped as well. All in all a solid read but I finished it feeling that the audience was underestimated and some characters underdeveloped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content and Alcohol

shesheshelby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I learned so much about Indian culture in this book! It was focused on women’s rights and dealing with trauma through a journalist’s trip to India. I would have considered 5 stars if the main character didn’t bother me so much!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

jaelynna's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I’m almost speechless after this book. Thrity Umrigar beautifully captured the story of Meena and those who fought to help and bring her justice. To restore honor to her life. This is 100% in my top 5 books of all time — the emotions it brought are hard to shake. 

I naively believed this book to take on the “privileged savior” approached and was gut wrenched at the reality of this story - Meena was doomed from the start all because she loved.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Islamophobia, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

beccastayton's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder

sushmita_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

Despite its dark subject matter (gender violence), I found it very difficult to put down. I found the characters flawed but well-written and engaging, the plot moved at a reasonable pace. The whole story felt deeply human. And being part of the Indian diaspora, I related to parts of the main character. The feeling of being responsible for India's struggles, relief and gratitude for being brought up in the Global North and grief at what culture I've lost. 

Like others, I was a bit confused by Smita's choice to stay in India. Considering how much trauma she'd suffered and seen. But I think a) she decided to extend her stay by 3 months not forever and b) it wasn't just Mohan but also the promise she made to Meena. I know it's fiction but would've been nice to see at least a convo or two about Abru's future. Consistency and routine is so important, the child's life felt like a plot point rather than an important consideration. The trauma of uprooting her or abandoning her after forming a bond etc.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body shaming

jess_michiko's review

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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? N/A

5.0

A whirlwind of emotions reflections on loving a country with hurtful politics. Truly unforgettable story that brings you compassion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault and Medical content

Minor: Animal cruelty