Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Babel: Una historia arcana by R.F. Kuang

157 reviews

bedtimesnack's review against another edition

inspiring mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

If you were a fan of Harry Potter as a kid, reading Babel might scratch the itch for some magic/dark academia vibes. I was engaged with the plot the whole time, and the magic system was unique and well thought through. I would say the book's biggest fault is that it serves answers and interpretation a bit too readily. Themes of colonialism and racism are handled more openly as part of the plot and dialogue, so there's not a whole lot of poetic subtly going on. If you like to decipher meaning and plot yourself, you might not find what you're looking for with this book. 

That being said, R.F. Kuang does handle the themes well, and portrays several viewpoints on assimilation, resistance, microaggressions, and class consciousness from multiple characters of color. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism

hennie's review against another edition

3.0

i feel like i'm losing points as a reader everytime i dislike a r.f. kuang book. please don't throw me out of the readers' guild! 
robin was painfully naive, the story was painfully enlongated, the writing was painfully repetitive (ha. see what i did there?). i was annoyed for most of the 22 hours of this audiobook. the ending kinda safed the book but couldn't fully reconcile me.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Colonisation

mo_bookshelves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

the_scribe_of_amyklai's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Deportation

esme_may's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Slavery, and War

windowplant's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ethuiliel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Drug use

joliebean's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

• 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: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism

kri_29's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism