Scan barcode
sassmistress's review against another edition
5.0
Favorite fictional father so far! Just wow. And the slow unfolding of events as understood by a child overhearing things and not fully grasping the implications of situations is just perfection.
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Drug use, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Suicide, and War
This book is for adults. It centers around a rape trial in which a black man is (falsely) accused of assaulting a white woman in a heavily segregated Alabama town.It's deeply immersive, in a culture where racism is woven into the culture and impossible to avoid. The KKK and the "War Between the States" are part of recent cultural memory. Black defendants are always convicted no matter what. Lynching and mob violence are a very near threat.
Expectedly, the n-word abounds, among other racial slurs. Other language is not infrequent, including he**, g-d-, b****, wh*re, d**n, sl*t, etc. Lord's name in vain quite a few times.
Lots of death--not gory, but as close as it gets without actually witnessing it. Old age, and talk of the body being carried out of the home. Death penalty discussed often. A man dies:
Domestic violence:
Morphine addiction is discussed and withdrawals are shown.
Both respectable and "unrespectable" poverty are shown.
Schoolyard bullying and fights, neighborhood verbal abuse and gossip about many culturally relevant "deficiencies" like unladylikeness, mental illness, intellectual disability, not being sufficiently racist, etc.
Lots of portrayals of Christianity. Some are good, including the nearest relationships to the MC, but many are not. A neighbor reports that a different sort of baptist told her she was going to hell, MC loses "confidence in pulpit gospel" when thinking on what a good person the neighbor is. "Foot-washers think women are a sin by definition. They take the Bible literally, you know." The ladies' missionary society talks about global cultures with pity and exaggeration, often conflating spiritual issues with cultural differences. A white employer tells her black housekeeper she's not being a good Christian when she is visibly affected by a serious injustice in the local community and nearly fired her for it. Etc, many more.
Other spiritual content: Kids spook each other with talk of spirits on dirt roads. "Dill was a villain's villain: he could get into any character part assigned him, and appear tall if height was part of the devilry required. "
Besides the rape trial and moderately explicit testimony, which includes brief mention of domestic SA, there's other, more minor sexual content. Incest in local families is mentioned very specifically a few times. There's a quick joke about infidelity. Kids lie and say they were playing strip poker, which gets them into trouble (less because they played with matches instead of cards). There's a "swift" kid kiss, and a boy climbs into bed with a girl he keeps promising to marry some day, but it's platonic.
"I'll tan you" and many other such comments, severe corporal punishment for children being an expected part of the culture. Kids laugh when the teacher gives "quick little pats" on the hand when they realize it was meant to be a "whipping".
joshmacaroni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Slavery, and Death of parent
tinkithesquirelll's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
vickeyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved loved reading this book, and this book was my favorite to read in English the year I read it. It was easy for me to follow despite a lot happening in the chapters. At times I did not find Scout to be all that likable but I really liked her character development. And seeing Jem’s character development was tragic but made sense due to his empathetic nature.
I really enjoyed the antiracist themes of it as it not only relates to the books own setting, and the time the book was written but even our own time today as police brutality and other racist systems still exist in America today.
I think my favorite characters in this book either have to be Atticus, Boo Radley, or Miss Maudie.
With Atticus I find him to be a great role model for the kids showing how a caring human being should act as he teaches scout the idea of “walking in another person’s shoes”. And is a great role model by staying true to his own values to not only infront of his kids but to an entire court. And he breaks many societal norms by being a single dad raising his kids.
I loved Miss Maudie as she is a generally caring individual for Scout and the other kids. And seeing the entire community come together when her house was on fire is a testament to how kind of a person she is. Also Scout looks up to her and Maudie herself breaks many codes regarding gender as she tends to wear “men’s clothes” as it’s more convenient for when she upkeeps her flower garden. And Scout sees this and wears similar clothing and views Miss Maudie as a comforting character.
Boo Radley is such an interesting character, he is a mysterious character because he is shut-in himself.
Overall a great book would recommend to anyone interested in social issues to read it!!
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent
magatsumandala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Death
Minor: Drug use