Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Unbowed: A Memoir by Wangari Maathai

3 reviews

laurenlolson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Rape

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

I already admired Wangari Maathai before reading this, and I admire her even more now. The Kenyan government truly tried her!!! I learned so much about Kenyan history and cultures. I had no idea that Kenya had/has such a repressive government. I loved how Maathai's reverence for nature shone thoughout the book. I look forward to learning more about her legacy and about Kenya. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and War

Minor: Cancer, Rape, Terminal illness, Excrement, Car accident, and Death of parent

Dictatorship, Divorce, Incarceration

hollyd19's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

4.25

Dr. Wangari Maathai was an environmentalist and activist in Kenya. Unbowed chronicles her life, from birth in the rural highlands, through her education in both Kenya and the USA, into her early professional life as a professor, and through to her advocacy work for environmental issues, democracy, and human rights. I am in awe of this woman. Her tenacity and conviction are incredible. She speaks of her life with a combination of humility and clarity, showing that a single-minded commitment to what is right and good can truly drive large-scale change. Her efforts with the Green Belt Movement & pro-democracy activism deeply impacted Kenya, with an eye towards generational change and stewardship. 

The writing in this book is forthright and plain, very much a recounting with only snippets of philosophizing or moralizing. Dr. Maathai has remarkable confidence in her voice and actions, clearly speaking from a place of peace with her choices and assurance in her stances. I was particularly moved by her commitment to the “long arc of justice” and to the next generations. She sees what needs to be fought for and takes up the mantle, with an intersectional and deeply people-oriented outlook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Police brutality

Minor: Genocide and Death of parent