Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

290 reviews

mxpringle's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

This book talked about really hard topics, but it was beautiful enough to where that was completely okay and warranted. It had such a unique reflection on both the value and harms of religion to a person's life that I found so inspiring. All of the hard topics that were brought up were like experiencing them the way real people experience them, not merely for a plot point, but intentionally crafting those as background to a person's character. This is the best book I have read in a long time. It was so stunningly beautiful that I'm honestly left a little bit unmoored after finishing it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Drug use, Addiction, Suicide, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

stellaperlic's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

An amazing story that read like a memoir. I thought Yaa Gysai was able to capture very complex feelings in a beautiful way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Racism

pandact's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

   This book nailed my feelings with scientific precision, and Gyasi simultaneously leaves room for different kinds of faith. This reflective fine-tuning happened to be exactly what I was looking for, plus the slightly lonely and queer first-generation bildungsroman. I'd read a whole book where they dive into ethical and religious questions!

   I hope it's also impactful for others who read it, and it shares similar themes with Freshwater, Liturgists, Semler, and the X-files.

   Spoilers in tags

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse and Animal cruelty

Spoiler

Also I thought the ending made sense, almost like when a documentary flashes forward before the credits. The mother still wrapped up the emotional arc better than I expected from getting it spoiled in reviews!

ksuazo94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Drug abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

A beautiful and painful book that demands the reader's full attention. Gyasi doesn't lay things out A then B then C; instead, she gives us a puzzle of C then A then Q and trusts that we as readers are clever enough and paying enough attention to put the pieces together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Child death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Ableism, Drug use, and Racism

Moderate: Blood, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Bullying, Body shaming, Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, and Animal death

Minor: Medical content, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

frazilice's review

challenging informative inspiring reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Racism

m_maria's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Mental illness

Minor: Racism

lermaline's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical content, Drug use, and Addiction

Moderate: Racism and Suicide attempt

aainym's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Addiction

Minor: Racism

kyana_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

5.0

Spoiler

charaktere:
Gifty hat mich so beeindruckt und hab sie so bewundert. vor allem für ihre persönliche Entwicklung, teilweise war ich schon bisschen stolz auf sie als sie am ende dann mit han zsm gekommen ist und überhaupt nicht mehr diese Bindungsängste hatte wie mit Raymond (den mochte ich eh nicht). 
fand die Beschreibung der mutter auch so gut, diese Hassliebe (hass ist vlt bisschen zu stark) zwischen mutter und Tochter ist super erzählt und man kann es total gut nachempfinden.
was ich bei Gift vermisst hab an manchen stellen war die reflektion. sie hat immer alles reflektiert und man hatte als Leserin daran teilgenommen aber z.b. als sie im college was mit ihrer Freundin Anna oder Anne hatte, hat sie das irgendwie gar nicht gross reflektiert, das fand ich bisschen unrealistisch, weil sie ja schon sehr religiös aufgewachsen ist und es dann sinn machen würde immerhin ein bisschen innerlich mit sich zu ringen wenn man eine gleichgeschlechtliche Beziehung führt



story:
plot fand ich super gut, immer spannend, konnte es nicht weglegen und sind mir alle ans herz gewachsen. 
was ich aber  etwas schade fand, war, dass das ende ein bisschen zu plötzlich kam. ich hatte das Gefühl viele dinge waren nicht so ganz abgeschlossen und dann aufneinmal stirbt die mutter und Ahn und Gift leben zusammen. das ende für die mutter fand ich auch etwas schade, hätte mir ein anderes ende für sie gewünscht, oder genauere Beschreibung, ausführlicher... 

look:
das format/ die ausgabe vom buch die ich hatte war leider +berhaupt nicht schön (war aber auch ausgeliehen). war viel zu gross und sperrig, Seiten waren zu dick, Schrift war schön und angenehm zu lesen aber hätte auch kleiner sein können von mir aus. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Racism, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death