Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Don't Cry for Me: A Novel by Daniel Black

24 reviews

ethan_bridgesgarcia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

“Live your life freely, Isaac. Rise above our history and be your unapologetic self.”

What a roller coaster of emotions! This book has all the feels. I don’t know how many time I had to put this book down because of the sole fact that I related so much with the son and how he was treated by his father. The amount of hardships and struggles Jacob went through not just as a man but as a Black man struggling in a world that was already made hard for him by history but to have a gay son as well.

Many of the words Jacob said to Isaac my own father/mother has said to me. I don’t know if it’s a Southern thing but the fact that many of the gay men, or supposed gay men, in this story were called “funny,” only cemented how ignorant some people can be. Upon my own liberation from the closet, my mother asked me if I was funny… and it was the single most hardest silence I’ve ever felt. But for her to dismiss my answer only hurt more. My own father didn’t speak to me for 2 weeks. But now, nearly 10 years later, I’m married, my family has an amazing relationship with me and my husband. But still I would recommend this to any parent struggling with their kid’s sexuality.

This book Daniel Black has brought forth to the world had me in a whirlwind of tears and laughter and anger. In the particular scene of a friend suffering from AIDS comes to visit Isaac but Jacob stops to inform him that his son had moved away. I ugly cried for 20 minutes. The fact that Jacob was disgusted by how the young man looked, with sores and emaciated look to him. Jacob’s only thought was that his son would never sink that low to get the “gay disease.”

This book is possibly my favorite book I’ve read all year and I will recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you have tissues. In fact, make it a crying towel. There’s a lot of tears to be shed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black might be my favorite book of the year.  I know we have 5 months left to go, but this story was incredibly special.  In this fictional novel a father, Jacob, is writing to his son, Isaac, from his deathbed.  

 

He writes of his relationship with Isaac’s mother, his reaction to learning that Isaac is gay, his experiences as a Black man and father, and ultimately his journey with the choices he has made throughout his life. 

 

The writing in this book is beautiful and free flowing.  It feels as though someone has poured their life and their reflections into letters.  There is honesty with vulnerability, and I ached for both Jacob and Isaac.  Please read this book and sink into it; it’s absolutely wonderful.  

 

I hope the rumors are true that a follow-up book from Isaac’s perspective is in the works. #fingerscrossed 

 

Content warnings: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Bullying 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent

random19379's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Hate crime, Rape, and Slavery

Minor: Suicide

evilyn's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, and Transphobia

buttermellow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual violence

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Medical content

hanreadin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, and Abortion

tysbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I didn't know what to expect going into this, but I certainly didn't expect for this to be so deep. I viewed this as an apology letter from a father to a son. We have Jacob, the father, who we learn is dying from cancer, who decides to write a letter to his son, Isaac, to basically explain all of actions over the years. Jacob describes his upbringing, his relationship with Isaac's mother and why he had such a hard time accepting the fact that Isaac was gay. This book really touched on a lot but it primarily focused on the relationship that Jacob really wanted to have with Isaac and why he had a hard time accepting his sexuality. This book touched on bullying, double standards, abusive relationships, how people are a product of their environment and what it looked like to grow up in the 50's and 60's for black people. 

I liked how we saw Jacob grow throughout the course of the book and how remorseful he felt for how he treated his son, but there was a part towards the end where I felt like no matter how awful he was he still wanted someone to pat him on the back for the couple of nice things or fun moments he had with Isaac. This is really picky, but you can't tell someone else how to describe you or what to point out about you because to that person it might not be important. That just didn't sit well with me. I also wish we got at least one response from Isaac. It would have been really nice to see how the son truly felt about his father especially once Jacob revealed his remorse. All in all, I thought this was solid and would read from this author again.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicide

fran_buesa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Homophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Death, and Sexual harassment

bookworm247's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Slavery, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

ekmook's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death and Abortion