Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

10 reviews

e11en's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

It’s so hard to rave about a book when you arrive to the party 25 years late… everyone is probably thinking “well, duh!” But… what 👏 a 👏 book 👏

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Kidnapping and Pregnancy

nenaveenstra's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was long, spanned half a century and followed three families - and it never got boring. The characters are all so vivid and unique, the prose is so witty, and the social commentary is *chef’s kiss *. It showcased the cyclical nature of human life & history in an amazingly accurate way, as well as the lives of people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds. It taught me a lot about the inner workings of people I rarely meet in my day-to-day life, as well as English culture, and it was a lot of fun. 

I did feel like it was maybe a tad too long, and that certain histories of people we meet could have been left out. I’m also not a big fan of the slurs that were used; sometimes they made sense for the characters, but at others it felt more like a sign of the times when this book was released. It is over twenty years old now, after all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

noahsingh's review against another edition

2.0

reaaally don't get why people love this book, it's super Islamophobic and also why does Zadie Smith hate fat people so much.... Get a grip

Also frustrating ending with no real closure re: the marriages, the twins, etc 

soooo many things I disliked about this but saving a Nazi twice as a plot point really killed me what is this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Islamophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Cultural appropriation

bookwhore07's review against another edition

4.75

i’m gonna make a dentist’s appointment 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

Moderate: Homophobia

lizziaha's review

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The way that Zadie Smith writes people is uniquely complex and compelling. I was surprised at the depth of my hatred for these characters and then by the equal depth of my sympathy and appreciation for the same characters. (Neena was the only character who escaped without hatred from me. And niece of shame is a kickass nickname.) Their convoluted natures and equally, if not more, convicted relationships with each other were the thread that tied the whole novel together and made the ending of it feel like something more than it was—though I would’ve liked to know even more. Some of the scenes of prejudice in this book wrenched a visceral reaction from me, especially in the casualness of their presentation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Islamophobia, and Lesbophobia

riverofpages's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-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

4.0

The writing is excellent. This book is for you if you appreciate wordsmithing. It’s not for you if you’re looking for a light read. The author has a way with words and so she sometimes spends entire pages on an idea that could’ve reduced to one paragraph. Worth the read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Homophobia

sadiemclaughlin's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

3.75

I loved how Zadie Smith would use fun and original formatting in this book to spice the otherwise slow paced story up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

bookishplantmom's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-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

4.5

This was one beautifully written piece of fiction. It’s no wonder this became an instant classic. The topics explored in the novel are expansive and the discussion is presented with commendable nuance and intricacy. Parts 2 and 3 (Samat and Irie) were my personal favourites. I loved how the author tied everything back to Archie in the end as well. Beautiful! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

debookgeek's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

katewilson's review against another edition

challenging dark funny slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Antisemitism