Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

101 reviews

victoriaaurora's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

aniquegrace's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

My best read of 2024, thought I might be let down after all the hype but it was genuinely incredible. Made me nostaglic for my small town and heartbroken for the kids that fall through the cracks, truly a masterpiece

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, and Suicide

paytfowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence

melbell016's review

dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

This is a really good retelling of David Copperfield. Granted, I never read it, but the modern themes in this book make this a compelling story. 

It gives a good window into life in Appalachia, into poverty, into an unforgiving world that keeps beating you down. This is truly a modern classic. 

This is a sad and painful read, but it is worth reading. And it’s a good window into

how Purdue really destroyed people’s lives.

I also like the end of the acknowledgments section. Very poetic. “For the kids who wake up hungry in those dark places every day, who’ve lost their families to poverty and pain pills, whose caseworkers keep losing their files, who feel invisible, or wish they were: this book is for you.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Miscarriage and Rape

Minor: Animal death and Racism

ashlynregan's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.5

This old white lady does not write like an old white lady. She is very talented. READ THIS BOOK.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

sandro_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

I have never read Dickens’ David Copperfield which provided the inspiration for this novel so I did not have that as a reference point. But, Kingsolver delivers a tour-de-force with characters who felt so real, I often heard their voices while reading.

It’s a heartbreaking tale of systemic poverty and the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia that grabs you and takes hold. I did not want it to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

thequeenofsheba3's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment

Minor: Racism

infinitezest's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

This is a really heartbreaking and evocative coming-of-age story that sets the reader squarely in the center of the opioid epidemic, rural poverty, and a broken child welfare system. I felt a LOT of emotions following along with Damon's story. I would rate the first half or so of the book 5 million stars, but the second half was so depressing and I felt it difficult, emotionally, to keep going at times. The ending felt like too quick of a wrap-up, like it was trying to meet a deadline for the book and spent too much time on the early years. I would still recommend it but with all the trigger warnings, and it's NOT a vacation book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

maisiehcrb's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

stellahadz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Pulitzer prize for this book was well-deserved. The writing is immersive and descriptive, plunging the reader into a world that may not be familiar to them (it certainly wasn't for me). I loved the descriptions of family life and Demon's desire to have somewhere to fit in. I was captivated by his journey and constantly rooting for him to find his home. The other characters were great, too - my personal favorite was Mr. Armstrong. The story is equal parts funny and heartbreaking, and it's definitely long, but absolutely worth it. The scene where

Demon drives away from Lee County and hikes into the mountains

made me tear up. It's the kind of book that I feel almost sad to have finished.

Spoilers ahead:

I know some people aren't fans of the "everything gets tied up neatly" type of ending, but I personally love it, and if anyone deserves it, it's Demon. Also, if I HAD to choose a complaint about this book, it would be that he may or may not end up dating his foster sister...

but the rest of the book is so incredible that I stand by the 5-star rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, and Abortion