Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

70 reviews

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!

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

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Medical content, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

meaglovesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse

sunshineinabag's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Drug use, Addiction, Racism, and Death

jenmcreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Racism

jmoke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Whilst not cruelty, those who are adverse to animal experimentation will not like this.

yeimyaileen's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective

• 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

5.0

This book wrecked me the whole way through.  I feel everything right now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Addiction, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty

chaos_fairy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

The story explores the apparently incongruous viewpoints of science and religion, both central to the development of main character, Gifty. Born to Ghanaian immigrants in Alabama, Gifty is raised in an Evangelical tradition by her mother, and as an adult, works in researching neuroscience out of Stanford University. From a family of four, to a family of two. Where the missing family members have gone is revealed in time, but from the outset it is clear that Gifty has had her share of childhood trauma. 

Gifty uses religion and science in very similar ways, though at different stages of her life. Both, for her, are refuges from a world in which she feels powerless; both, she turns to for answers to some of the most difficult questions. 

It takes time for Transcendent Kingdom to move from an interesting array of snippets from Gifty’s past and present to the engaging and thought-provoking heart, but once you get there, there’s so much to unpack. Much like Gifty herself. 

The story includes starkly honest representations of substance abuse, addiction, depression, abandonment and grief, and how the human - mind, soul, brain - strives to process and overcome these hardships. At times overtly religious or loaded with scientific jargon, it is never alienating. It is simply the world as Gifty strives to understand it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Addiction, Racism, Abandonment, Death, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Mental illness

aolfes's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.75

Yaa Gyasi strikes gold (again)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Addiction, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty