Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous by Jessica McDiarmid

10 reviews

crybabybea's review against another edition

challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.0

A very compassionate, thorough account of the tragedy of MMIW on Canada's Highway of Tears. 

I really appreciated how the author spent time with many of the standout cases of the Highway of Tears, and took an empathetic point of view on not only their case but their life and the way they affected their relatives and friends. I have a lot of issues with the genre of true crime, and I felt like this book was done with love & care with respect to the victims and their loved ones. If you are a fan of true crime, you will like the way this is written.

Jessica McDiarmid also made sure to talk about the many systemic issues, pointing out all the broken cogs in a broken wheel. 

There were some times I wish the argumentation was a bit more solid and in-depth, and there could have been more acknowledgment of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, but to be honest, the breadth of this issue is huge, with so many systemic issues that play a role that could each have their own book. I have to appreciate that the author tackled this issue and the respectful way she approached it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Trafficking

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

jackiepaigecat's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, and Murder

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

alexandrias_library's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Homophobia and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Rape

highleyginger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

This book is heavy. It reflects the tragedies of aboriginal groups within Canada, how children around 14 were murdered along the highway of tears, the victim blaming done by police by saying they were alcoholics and prostitutes, even when at that age, it is rape. Yes, some were sex workers but the lack of care and interest directly lead to a long term abuse, murder, and neglect of indigenous communities across North America.

It lays out options on how groups can work to improve the situation but often are met by being viewed as "not worth the political spending" even though they are extremely marginalized by fault of the government and colonialism to begin with.

This book names so many names. Even taking my time, I'm overwhelmed by just how many dead it took to get some level of momentum to look into this cause.

This is a strong reflection of the changes society must make for women in general but especially those of marginalized communities.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

This book provides an important overview of the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. True crime done with compassion and in collaboration with families and communities, there is justice done in the portrayal of lost loved ones and the joys they had in life. This will make you furious at the inaction, continuous stalling to address these problems and the racially, gendered motivation to disregard Indigenous women’s lives. If you want to learn more about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, check out this book.

I do have to say, two of the most popular books written on this topic are by white women journalists, and it’s worth keeping that in mind while reading these books about why Indigenous Peoples telling our own stories haven’t received the same reach…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Alcohol

whatannikareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75

such an important book that humanizes these victims rather than letting them fall victim to forgotten history. i was tearing up at some points because my heart hurt at how these indigenous GIRLS--yes mostly teenage girls--were treated before and after their murders/disappearances. how shameful that this continues to be something that these families are fighting to get recognized, and that indigenous women are still going missing at higher rates than average. mcdiarmid reports both sides of the story, from the families as well as law enforcement. as a journalist, she sticks to her duty and highlights all aspects of the story (that can be tracked down). i only vaguely knew about this genocide beforehand, and so i'm glad i picked this up and am able to put names to faces--not just know their tragedies, but also their personalities and how much they meant to the people around them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

katiescott's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief

haylethal's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

merrrry's review against another edition

informative sad

4.0

Thoroughly researched, moving, nuanced, and horrifically organized. A beautifully written and highly informative book about a topic I cannot believe people aren't screaming about on the streets everyday. I also learned a lot of unexpected things unrelated to MMIW. From the existence of forensic entomology to the workings of the RCMP to the shortcomings of archiving in policing systems. Reading this made me realize how truly marginalized indigenous people are, and how apathetic I was towards the issues despite being somewhat aware of them. This book was a good reminder that these issues are real and harming people everyday. I definitely will be doing more reading and learning surrounding indigenous peoples in Canada. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation