The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kappafrog's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The writing was really beautiful. I liked seeing the world through Bird's eyes, a child's perspective in a novel aimed at adults. I enjoyed the use of folktales, etymology, and gardening through out. There were many horrifying bits in the book. I can tell it will stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, and Deportation
Minor: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Medical content, Rape, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, and Slavery
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
After reconnecting, Margaret shares her story with Bird and the reason why she had to leave. Margaret is faced with such a difficult choice, wanting to be with her son but also wanting to fight for all the stolen children. In the end she chose to fight for the children and sacrificed herself.Â
I am glad we eventually got Ethan's POV, because the whole time Bird was with his mom, I kept thinking about how frantic his father must have been.Â
This book dives into many social issues and there is a clear parallel between events in this book and many real world events.Â
-With PACT, anything deemed anti-american is destroyed (drawing a parallel to the Nazis)
-Children are removed from homes with parents who are deemed sympathizers or unamerican (ie. residential schools, migrants)
-Racism and prejudice of Chinese Americans (ie. Japanese during WW2)
-Margarets parents just wanting to blend with their white neighbours
-Riots, protests, police brutality
Though this book discussed some very pressing issues, it felt a little flat for me. The pacing was very slow and the characters felt a little one dimensional. I was hoping to be hit with this incredible dystopian world, but I never felt fully emersed into it. Everything felt very detached from our main character, all of these things were happening around him, but he was never really a part of anything, never really experiencing anything.Â
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Hate crime, and Racism
celestialg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Abandonment
Minor: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Deportation, Genocide, and Gun violence
vedpears's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This should be considered an instant classic and to me is on par with 1984 and Animal Farm. Cautionary tales warning us all of the potential consequences if politics and media, and thus culture, continues on a certain trajectory.Â
It is incredible how many parts of Ng's book became reality while she was writing it. So many moments in this book have clear parallels in reality now, unfortunately. I hope we can turn American culture around and stop accepting the blind hate being paraded as patriotism.Â
I do have a favorite quote from this book - ""...unity required a common enemy. One box in which to collect all their anger. One strawman to wear the hats of everything they feared." This has been a worry of mine for a long time. Growing up here, it seemed really obvious to me that Americans need an enemy outside of us to focus on in order to come together and see one another as neighbors, or else we turn on each other. That is how our nation was born, so I suppose it makes sense that it is really hard for us to break away from that and learn healthier relationship skills, as a nation.Â
I feel this should be required reading.Â
Celeste Ng has solidified herself as my favorite modern day author.
Graphic: Trafficking, Xenophobia, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Stalking, Bullying, Classism, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Police brutality, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual harassment
Minor: Pregnancy
laurenkimoto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Why did you have to emotionally destroy me?Â
Regards,
A distraught readerÂ
Only complaint is the lack of quotation marks but in this book I can understand stylistically why it was done
Graphic: Police brutality, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Antisemitism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Murder, Cursing, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Trafficking, War, Blood, Confinement, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Gun violence