Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi

271 reviews

bek_p87's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I loved Yaa Gyasi's debut novel, Homegoing, so much that I was worried that this wouldn't live up to it, but I soon found that it isn't fair to compare them. While Homegoing is a sweeping epic spanning continents and centuries, this is a still, quiet story of one woman's life. The way Gifty grapples with shaping her identity through her thoughts and feelings on religion, science, and family resonated so deeply with me, and Gyasi treats these topics - and more (addiction, mental health, racism) with sensitivity, openness, and care. I await with bated breath Yaa Gyasi's future books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Racial slurs, and Racism

jazhandz's review against another edition

DNF at 27%. The writing is really lovely, but I found the story to be too slow and dull for me. I’m also very sensitive to medical experimentation, which I didn’t realize was going to be such a huge part of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Racial slurs

The main character’s neuroscience research is based on experimenting on mice, and this is described in some detail.

abrdoodle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Child death, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Sexism, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Classism, Sexual content, Excrement, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Physical abuse

astridrc's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Yaa Gyasi did it again. This book left me heartbroken. But it's such a beautiful, important and interesting dive on religion, family, addiction, science, racism and so much more.
Now that I've just finished it, I find myself hoping that Gifty continues to heal and find happiness. She felt real, alive. Like this was a real memoir.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Racism

lindsaylhunter's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

Much like with Homegoing, Gyasi writes with incredible sincerity about topics of substance. She is the voice of a generation, and I hope that voice only gets louder and stronger as the years go by.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Death of parent

harvest_moon'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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism, Death, and Abandonment

sunshineinabag's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Drug use, Addiction, Racism, and Death

lyricallit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, and Grief

silverrose187's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racism, Mental illness, Addiction, and Death

tilda_bookworm's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Loved this one. Absolutely raced through it. It's beautiful and real and painful and comforting. Sensitive exploration of some weighty themes. Part of me wants to start reading it again from the beginning immediately. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Death, Mental illness, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail