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brittonmc1221's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Murder
bookwyrmsam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Another wonderful book recommended by my dad!
This book is the best kind of coming of age story! It follows a boy named Cory who wants to be a writer after he and his father witness a car with a murder victim inside sink into the local lake. There is a murder mystery. There are many adventures, in fact the chapters felt somewhat episodic to me in a good way! There is historical and social commentary. These characters all feel very real and though I grew up in the early 2000's, not the 1960's, the spirit of childhood and friendship between Cory, Davy Ray, Johnny, and Ben was still very nostalgic and relatable. The way this book dealt with themes about what it means to grow up, find your voice, become independent, deal with grief, etc. really worked for me. I will say I at times wished that the exploration of social issues of the time period was a bit deeper, but the book does address that at the beginning Cory was too young and naive to understand what was going on in the world, and I think as he ages and the book nears it's end the exploration of these themes and ideas grows and becomes more nuanced.
I would give general content warnings for this book due to the murder mystery part of the premise and the 1960's Alabama setting including: murder, alcoholism, physical abuse, death, nazis, racial slurs, depictions of anti-black and anti-indigenous racism, and references to historical events such as the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing.
This book is the best kind of coming of age story! It follows a boy named Cory who wants to be a writer after he and his father witness a car with a murder victim inside sink into the local lake. There is a murder mystery. There are many adventures, in fact the chapters felt somewhat episodic to me in a good way! There is historical and social commentary. These characters all feel very real and though I grew up in the early 2000's, not the 1960's, the spirit of childhood and friendship between Cory, Davy Ray, Johnny, and Ben was still very nostalgic and relatable. The way this book dealt with themes about what it means to grow up, find your voice, become independent, deal with grief, etc. really worked for me. I will say I at times wished that the exploration of social issues of the time period was a bit deeper, but the book does address that at the beginning Cory was too young and naive to understand what was going on in the world, and I think as he ages and the book nears it's end the exploration of these themes and ideas grows and becomes more nuanced.
I would give general content warnings for this book due to the murder mystery part of the premise and the 1960's Alabama setting including: murder, alcoholism, physical abuse, death, nazis, racial slurs, depictions of anti-black and anti-indigenous racism, and references to historical events such as the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing.
Moderate: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
This book follows a murder mystery in Alabama in the 1960's and includes references to specific historical events, nazis, kkk activity, etc. I felt most of it was handled well but it is definitely prevalent in this book
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