Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

3 reviews

princzukos's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

“We leave, we leave, we leave. We always leave. It is in our blood to leave. But perhaps it’s also in our blood to return” (pg. 137)

Synopsis: A collection of short stories and think pieces of what it’s like growing up as women of color from the dregs of Queens, New York.

likes:
- pacing -- quick read
- representation: there is no one specific race/ethnicity that was prominent in this book since it was narrated as if it was a consensus of all types of women of color -- i thought it was a cool concept. the author also perfectly portrayed the guilt WOC feel when they leave their homes and childhood friends behind to pursue a degree, which is something i resonate deeply with

dislikes:
- i wish the chapters were much longer, but i think this is a great piece of literature to start with then delving into the topic of race, diversity, and inclusivity (i would <b>LOVE</b> to see this being taught in schools!!)

comments:
i wanted to hate this book at first b/c i thought it was going to be a rupi kaur-esque (idc for rupi kaur) x house on mango street type of book, but it’s not like that at all!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

axel_p's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

rachreads925's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

This isn't a book meant for everyone, and I'm counting myself in that. The writing is good, but the usage of the collective We negatively affected my experience of it. The story loses some effectiveness through the method of trying to tell the story of everyone, and absolutely everyone who is a woman of color (Asian, Hispanic, Black, etc.). At one point, I thought it was finally giving us some characters names but then you aren't sure what's happening to whom. Despite the usage of the collective We, the story focuses on a certain kind of experience - those young women who make it out of their immigrant neighborhoods, become white collar professionals, and more affluent lives. There is no emotional connection to any characters, because there are no characters - at least whose names you know. I appreciated the story of the children of immigrants who straddle two worlds, but I wanted something more than good writing. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House who provided me with a free e-copy of the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol, and War