Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Push by Sapphire

23 reviews

wends_nblw's review

dark 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? No

4.25

I picked this up at a local pride event that I recently attended because I recalled that it was banned in some school districts. 

Admittedly, it was a bit hard for me to read and sometimes I couldn't properly make out what exactly Precious was writing. Despite that, I think this was a good read. I see many reviews saying it's over the top, blah, blah. I really saw my own experiences in Precious' words and found the portrayal to be incredibly realistic. 

I'd say that a lot of these reviews expect a 'perfect victim' trope, but there is no perfect victim. What we go through is complex and our experiences aren't linear. That's what really sold the book for me. Push will always hold a special place in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Racism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Self harm

paigereitz's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Death, Rape, Child abuse, Incest, Murder, Self harm, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

tinadls's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Incest, Racial slurs, Ableism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

kvjrist's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Incest, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism

magicole's review

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Trafficking, Addiction, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Racism, Transphobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Incest, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Abortion, Bullying, Ableism, and Child abuse

sifairi's review

Extremely Triggering if there is a history of SA or Abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Cursing, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Incest, and Pregnancy

geonox's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Incest

Moderate: Ableism and Homophobia

midnightmarauder's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

3.0

I usually don't watch movies that are based on books before reading the book. But, I watched Precious years ago, as a child, not knowing that it was based on a book until I got older.

I've read this book before, in 2020, but didn't really read it with the intention of comparing it with the movie. This time around, however, I did just that.

Push goes more in depth about Precious and what she went through than the movie Precious ever did. We hear more about her childhood trauma, her mother's (possible) trauma, and even her classmates'. 

Here are some things I didn't like:

This book can be hard to read (aside from the subject matter) if you're a fluent reader because Precious

Spoiler

is severely illiterate

, so a lot of the paragraphs can be tough to decipher. Context clues and a basic understanding of phonics can help you somewhat make sense of it, though. 

Also, in the book, Ms. Rain is described as a dark-skinned woman with long dreads. In the movie, however, she's portrayed by Paula Patton, a light-skinned mixed woman with loose, wavy hair. I didn't really enjoy how they changed her.

Finally, Precious' neighbor, Miss West, was fully aware of what Precious was going through, yet didn't seem to care enough to call the cops. What kind of mess was that? 

Since I've seen Precious multiple times and know how much it's had an impact on me, I expected the book to be amazing. But, I didn't really vibe with it like I thought I would. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Self harm

mouwuol's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Infidelity, Ableism, Death, Lesbophobia, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

maggieparedesauthor's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

Trigger warning: Incest, rape, sexual assault, disability, learning disorder, death, disease

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Abortion, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content