Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Carrie by Stephen King

44 reviews

chezler24's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There's always something about Halloween/October that makes me want to pick up a Stephen King. We also had a 50 Years of Stephen King display at work, so I figured I'd better brush up on his work to get myself in the right headspace for designing the display. For this year's pick, I decided to revisit a previous read via audiobook. I figured Carrie would be a great pick with its fragmented storytelling devices from books to new reports to various POVs of different characters. We have notes of power, religion, trauma, high school torment, etc. all brewing to create the perfect environment for what occurred in this little town. King does an excellent job at clearly defining his characters so that each is easily discernable even with just a small amount of seeing them on the page. I heard this book was getting adapted into a tv series and it'll be interesting to see if it will stay more true to this book's format or if it will follow the movies' routes. It's wild to think that this book is the one that started Stephen King's career! Here's to 50 Years of King. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

rfish0615's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder

witchintherain's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

3.75

Read this with my partner for Halloween 🎃 First Stephen King book! Glad I got to finally read this classic horror novel. I enjoyed the different perspectives and article clippings in the novel and chilling writing. However, found the sexist and fatphobic descriptions of characters and racist language frustrating to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

emadisonc's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

“Sorry is the Kool-Aid of human emotions. It’s what you say when you spill a cup of coffee or throw a gutter ball when you’re bowling with the girls in the league. True sorrow is as rare as true love.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Body shaming, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Pregnancy

aloy's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Racial slurs, and Racism

martyrbat's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

nasab's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

أول تجربة حقيقية لي في تصنيف الرعب وأول تجربة لي مع ستيفن كينج. شجعني حجم الكتاب كونه لا يتعدى الثلاثمئة صفحة.
لم تكن لدي فكرة مسبقة عن الرواية، أو هذا ما ظننته حتى قرأت الصفحات الأولى وتذكرت وصف صديقتي المشوش لأحداث الفيلم المقتبس من الرواية قبل حوالي عشر سنوات عندما كنا في الصف المتوسط لقتل الملل أثناء المحاضرة التوعوية في المدرسة ☺️ ذاكرتي لا تكون بهذه القوة عندما أحتاجها فعلًا، ولكن لم تتأثر تجربتي لأن الكاتب نفسه كان يحرق الأحداث بين الحين والآخر.
أسلوب الرواية في عرض مقتطفات من جرائد وأخبار وكتب خيالية راقت لي جدًا وعززت من اندماجي.
لدي مشكلة الترجمة، هي لم تخطئ المعنى ولكنها لم تكن سلسة تمامًا بالنسبة لي ووجدت قراءة النسخة الإنجليزية أسهل، ولا أعرف ما السبب بالضبط.
نأتي للقصة،

بالرغم من معرفتي المسبقة بما سيحدث كنت لا أزال خائفة وأتمنى أن تنقلب الأحداث لصالح بطلتنا. 
كاري قد تبدو شريرة في ظل أحداث الحفل المدرسي وعدد القتلى والمصابين الناتجين عن أفعالها التدميرية، لكني لم أستطع منع نفسي من دعمها في انتقامها، والرغبة في أن تُلحق المزيد من الأذى على من تنمروا عليها. يبدو من العدل أن تمتلك هذه القوى المتفجرة لتسوية الأمور معهم، ولكنه من المؤسف أيضًا أن الأذى النفسي الذي واجهته يساوي الأذى الجسدي الذي عرضتهم له.
موقف سو سنيل الأخلاقي مهم جدًا لعرض التخبط الذي يشعر به الإنسان عند التوفيق بين المبادئ الشخصية والرغبة في الاندماج مع المجتمع. سو سنيل لم تكن لتتنمر على كاري من تلقاء نفسها ولكن رغبتها في إرضاء كريس (الشخص المهيمن في المجموعة) جعلتها فردًا من القطيع منعدم الرأي إلى أن استيقظ ضميرها وأدركت ما تفعله وتقوله. سو ندمت حقًا ورغبت بالتكفير عن خطئها بالطريقة الوحيدة التي تؤكد لها صدق ندمها. لم ترضى بعقاب المعلمة فقط حتى لا تخسر تذكرة الحفل، بل عوقبت وتنازلت عن الحضور بإرادتها. موقف سو سنيل يعطي أملًا بأن الإنسان يستطيع التغير للأفضل.

لم أتوقع أن تؤلمني رواية رعب بهذا الشكل العميق، شعرت بعدم الراحة طوال القراءة

سوى في مقاطع قصيرة من السعادة اللحظية التي عاشتها كاري قبل أن يتشوه كل شي في الحادثة التي هدت السد المتهالك الذي أقامته وأدت إلى فيضان الغضب الذي دمرها وجرف كل شيءٍ في طريقها.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism, Abortion, and Pregnancy

hiddenfallacies's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Carrie is a landmark achievement in horror for many reasons. It's the start of King's long and celebrated career, a novel that centers around women and places their pain at the epicenter of its plot, and it created a cultural memory that endures to this day - one that empathizes with Carrie rather than demonizes her. Told over three parts that function as three long chapters, the novel tells Carrie's story in retrospect through a collection of articles, interviews, and varying point of views. Going through the past, present, and future of the ill-fated prom night, the reader gets to know Carrie and all she has endured. Above all else, this novel is a tragedy about Carrie White's last hope to become a person and the ways in which society crushed that dream.

The first of the three parts suffers the most, lacking the natural momentum and masterful framing that surrounds the prom night itself and its aftermath in the story. This fact alone is what keeps this novel from garnering five stars for me. The novel is also littered with the artifact of being King's first, lacking some of the grammatical and structural prowess he cultivated over time. It's also important to note that there's a fair bit of racism present throughout the novel, dropped in small phrases and cultural references that leave the modern reader wondering if King meant to include them to indicate moral failings of certain antagonists or the time period itself, or if he simply was ignorant of certain biases he held himself. I believe informing potential readers of this is crucial, as I was blindsided by their sporadic inclusion while reading, taking me out of the story.

Although King has published better novels, as well as worse, I believe Carrie deserves a space not only on an essential reading list for King, but for horror as a whole. It remains culturally significant and moving to this day. May Carrie White never be forgotten. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Pregnancy

pocketegg's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

heikosstories's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

2.5

My first Stephen King novel and here are some thoughts:
- This was super racist. I don't care that the book came out in the 70s. The original passages are giving me the ick and show that Mr. King was viewing characteristics of PoC as a tool to degrade his characters. Not. Cool.
- It's not scary. It had some moments that were chilling and at times I was actually quite hooked but..not scary.
- Stephen King is not a good writer. Especially for an English teacher. His writing style is very simplistic, you can either enjoy or it not, but what bothered me was the frequent repetition of the same literary devices over and over.
- This book felt longer than it should have been. This makes sense after reading the afterword: "Carrie" was originally only 98 pages long and Stephen King was then asked to make this longer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder