juliethere's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Police brutality, Violence, Child death, and Death of parent
zabiume's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The writing style was so gut-wrenching and precise, so evocative and vivid, that it really comes alive in the mind's imagination. I liked the way the entire story unfolds like an epic (somewhere between poetry and drama). The author tackles some intriguing themes, like trying to live your life amidst global (or local) political crises – and the complexities of that life as well. A lot of lines were truly beautiful and makes you ponder about human resistance, interconnectedness, hope and faith. Kaminsky captures little nuances or gestures of human behavior that pull you into the poetry and make it very believable. I thought it was very clever how he integrated the semi-autobiographical (his own experience with deafness), with the political (deafness as a form or protest or insurgency).
There were some parts I didn't get, but I think that's entirely a me problem. Overall, this was a short but good read!
There were some parts I didn't get, but I think that's entirely a me problem. Overall, this was a short but good read!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, War, Sexual content, Gore, Police brutality, and Violence
halfcactus's review
sad
4.0
This was a short but very very very difficult read. :( It's a poetry collection that's written with the structure of a stageplay, and it's brilliantly executed but extremely heavy and devastating. As the title suggests, it covers the full spectrum of what deafness means to a people, from unified resistance/rebellion to individualistic selfishness and desensitization. It's very much a story of systemic oppression, how it wears you down and breaks your sense of humanity, how violent silence can be. The opening and ending poems tie you back to the present, reminds you how current these issues still are, no matter where you are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child death, Violence, and Gun violence
jialatlibrary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, War, Death, Child death, Sexism, Violence, and Misogyny
saint_eleanor's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Beautiful and thoughtful
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Torture, and Child death
Minor: Rape
imrereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
I think this is something I need to read several times to truly appreciate, yet I appreciates it plently this first time around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Child death, Death, Gun violence, and War
aeudaimonia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Child death, and Police brutality
shereadsmysteries's review
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Pregnancy, War, Child death, and Murder
meaghanelizabook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, War, Child death, Death of parent, and Violence