Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

12 reviews

claraarianne's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

anjasshelf's review

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

haleybird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This book was incredibly thought provoking and informative, it’s just really dense and was personally hard for me to get through, but I’m glad I did! It’s difficult for me to keep up with so many acronyms, company names, so much data and stats, etc. 

Regardless of that, however, I do believe this is a book that anyone who uses rechargeable electronics or electric vehicles should read. The more people know about the atrocities that continue to be committed in the Congo for the sole purpose of exploiting their resources, the better. 

I will surely be much more conscious about my consumption of products that use rechargeable batteries moving forward, as I can’t in good conscience keep blindly consuming while children, women, and men in the Congo continue to die indiscriminately. We all need to do better!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

zippz's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

Detailed and horrifyingly informative. It's an important read, but I wish a little more time was devoted to solutions and strategies to support the people of the Congo, rather than just failures to do so.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Classism

ecn's review

5.0

Mandatory reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

scmiller's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death and Car accident

ekmartin's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

jasisreading's review against another edition

While I think the connection the author makes between the previous exploitation of the Congo and the current exploitation, is a solid base for a novel it does not go far enough. I wish there had been more interrogation about the companies themselves and what they have been doing. Allowing the interrogation to be interwoven with the personal anecdotes would have been a more impactful. As it is, the writing feels more akin for a long form journal essay than full-length novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Medical trauma and War

had to DNF when I got the line “While violence is not the answer, I understand why…” when talking about the residents fighting back against the direct harm a mining company was causing them. Like?? That was a takeaway????

stephanieluxton's review

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Thos is an important book. The injustice happening in the congo in real time is unimaginable. 

I can appreciate all the work that the author did to research and write this book. No one seems to really know or talk about cobalt mining even though it's directly linked to our rechargeable devices. I think this book will become more important now that electric cars are being pushed so heavily.

It really makes you think about what other injustices are occuring in the world. Our first world problems suddenly seem so superficial after reading a book like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Nothing is overly graphic.

aiyam's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism