Scan barcode
anne_shouseofdreams's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content and Xenophobia
calamitywindpetal's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Miscarriage, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Terminal illness
bybookandbone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Knowing that 215 children's bodies were found at a Canadian Indigenous residential school and 796 children were found buried in a septic tank at a Mother and Baby home in Tuam (Ireland)... not to mention asylums and the 'schools' in Australia, The Degenerates hit hard.
Set in a time where young girls can be incarcerated and labelled 'morons' or 'imbeciles' for the crime of being pregnant, in the way, LGBTQ+, having a clubfoot or numerous other ailments, The Degenerates follows four girls during their incarceration. Rose is my absolute favourite character in this. She's so sweet and happy despite how dark her life is. She's the first DS character I've read the POV of and I now realise that's a flaw in my reading. Her sister Maxine is wonderful too and I can't give much away as it's an important story beat but she literally has no 'illness'. Neither does London, who is beaten and arrested for being pregnant. Alice has a club foot but that's it.
Many of the women and girls at this institution have little or no ailments, though regardless, none deserve to be there and treated the way they are.
It's the story of people who society is trying to pretend don't exist.
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexism and Lesbophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment