Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

170 reviews

squishmallow161's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Genocide, Police brutality, War, and Misogyny

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, War, Racial slurs, Murder, Hate crime, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Classism, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Sexism

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Violence

emsavors's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Confinement, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Xenophobia, Genocide, Grief, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Colonisation, Hate crime, Torture, and Toxic friendship

noahsingh's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Easily a new favourite book, can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much.
 Ramy, Victorie and Robin are gonna stay with me for a While.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, War, Vomit, Suicide, Islamophobia, Confinement, Grief, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, and Violence

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Torture, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Violence, Medical content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Sexism, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Child death, War, Rape, Genocide, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Infidelity, and Deportation

erinmargaretmary's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexism, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

bookishmaggie's review against another edition

adventurous reflective tense

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Excellent commentary on atrocities of colonialism, the self destructive force of imperialism, and the bonds formed among the marginalized in this violent demanding world 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic friendship, Torture, Racial slurs, War, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Bullying, Child abuse, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Xenophobia, Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

This is a strong recommendation for complex world building, deep characters, analysis of colonialism, racism and sexism and their inherent ties to academia and the British Empire. It was brutal in its evisceration of both academia and the British Empire, but beautifully written and thoroughly researched. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Medical content, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Hate crime, Blood, and War

beccaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Classism, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Death, Racial slurs, Colonisation, War, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Toxic friendship, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Cultural appropriation

roseleebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

This historical fantasy set in the 1800s about a translation institute at Oxford is a profound story. It's hard to properly review this because I think it is less a book to be reviewed rather than a book to sit with and think about. 

Kuang centers it on a specific class going through the British translation institute, mostly through the eyes of Robin, a boy brought to England from China by one of the professors of Babel. Robin's experience of England going through a magical version of the industrial evolution is a way to show the reader the realities of that time and our own. How colonial expansion and exploitation were used to build wealth and power for those who already have it, how "progress" was measured by production and wealth rather than the well-being of the people not in power, and how resistance could be met with indifference by those in power.

There were so many elements and moments of this book that reflect clearly into the realities we see today. There is a lot of discussion of colonialism, imperialism, racism, and suppression. Our own refusal to acknowledge the wrongness of how our modern world was built, harming so many so that a small few can "thrive". If we do not learn and grow and seek to change, to support those who suffer concretely, what kind of world are we perpetuating?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Violence, Classism, and Child abuse

Moderate: War and Sexual harassment