Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

6 reviews

ada_henry'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: Sexual harassment, Violence, and Death

Minor: Homophobia

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

Moderate: Lesbophobia

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

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

Minor: Child death

itsawrapxx's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-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

4.5

It reads like a tv series, and I was fully enveloped in Trey's story. The mix between real and fictitious is beautifully done, and each chapter feels episodic. The book's ending came a little left field and left me wanting more. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable and insightful read. I would recommend it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Police brutality and Sexual harassment

drraytay's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Racial slurs, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Death, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Medical content, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Bullying, and Addiction

moreadsnrambles's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was very interesting and enjoyable to read! I loved the way the main character’s life was explored and depicted through his sort of past tense narration. I also really enjoyed the way the fictional aspects of the main character were mixed in with historical figures and movements. The book was profound at times with a few brief moments of comedy and a sense of queer-coming-of-age. As a Black queer person it was definitely both touching and disappointing to read different actions and responses on the part of different characters, and entities in the book(like the government and police) that are still true and poignant to today. All in all a wonderful read and a fantastic debut from Rasheed Newson.

Thanks to Rasheed Newson and Flat Iron Books for the ARC and the chance to review the book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Racism, Child death, Death, Drug use, and Alcohol