Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

46 reviews

mattyvreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

Enthralling, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and raw. I loved this book from start to finish. One of my favorite books I have read this year.

Plus there are really sexy parts. I cannot tell a lie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Slavery

danaslitlist's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

"A childhood spent attending church services, and the first time I ever felt the Word touch me was during a sermon from Dorothy Cotton delivered in Larry Kramer's bedroom. I felt like I'd finally reached a long sought destination and tasted the purest water (....) Until Dorothy removed the scales from my eyes, I'd had one hundred ways of asking one thing: Why did I feel hunted in my homeland? Because my government means to kill me. Amen! Amen and glory hallelujah! At last, I could explain the force shaping my existence."

 
I commend Rasheed Newson for such an impactful, creative and bold debut that is My Government Means to Kill Me. The decision to make this historical fiction read as an autobiography was a choice that could've not worked, but not only did it enhance the reading experience, I fully believe that it was one of the only ways to properly tell Trey's story effectively. When the queer community talks about the Pride, when we talk about queer history and activism, we are talking about the people like the ones in this book. The focus on intersectionality between race, gender, and sexuality, the conversations about activism and how it changes with time, and the sheer emotional impact of the topic of the AIDs epidemic make for a powerful history lesson of how much we owe to the older queer generation and the allies who fought for us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

chellemerrill's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

notcharlottete's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship

ada_elisabeth's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book was phenomenally written. Gritty, heartbreaking, and real. Rarely do I read a book as hungrily as I read this. Trey is so real that I often forgot that I was reading a novel not a memoir. The footnotes add another level of realism; this book served as both a work of art and an important history lesson. The characters were compelling, multi-dimensional, and had intersectional identities that were explored in great depth. The plot, while not particularly exciting on its own, was supported by near-perfect writing and incredible storytelling. The relationships in this book were messy, complicated, and beautiful. The entire novel felt so incredibly real.

Newson writes with incredible grace yet a sense of urgency. I would love to read more of his work, and I would be delighted to read more about Trey. This novel was both a learning experience and an important piece of art. I believe everyone should read it at some point. 5/5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia

jayisreading's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Lesbophobia

kkreads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence

anxiousnachos's review against another edition

4.0

Absolutely loved the way this was written in the style of a fictional memoir!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

jdianm's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

Halfway through this book, I wondered how I’ve made it this far without reading a protagonist like Trey before. I want more! Through the story, I felt like I was right with him and it was where I wanted to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death

lvosler21's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic