Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza

51 reviews

kenzieburns's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Required reading for White people. This book caused so many emotions in me: uncomfortable, angry, sad, annoyed, and so many others. I gave this 4 stars because while the message and emotion was there, the writing fell a bit flat at times. Like, I fully expected to bawl, but the prose just didn't move me like I expected it to, despite the tragic subject matter. For all the pros (if you can call them that) of this book, though: I thought the authors did a great job of showing "both sides" and the internal/external conflicts around race in the horrible situation Riley and Jen were in. When the tension came to a front in their friendship with the conversation in the car, I think the authors did well to make it not a complete resolution to the tension, and I also think they did well to "give credit" to both sides, both in that convo and throughout the book. I was equally frustrated with Jen's naïveté and Riley's refusal to call Jen out, and then in that convo I could really sympathize with both Riley's frustration and anger and Jen feeling like Riley didn't give her a chance by always hiding the "hard" parts from her. 

Above all else, I appreciated that this book made me wrestle with my biases. I think the authors did something important in

making it so that Kevin wasn't the "main officer at fault"

in the shooting, because it made me more sympathetic to Kevin/Jen, even though the whole point is that the system is broken and Kevin and all cops are as much at fault in being complicit in the system. It was hard to care for Jen as a character while knowing that truthfully she and Kevin are racist in their biases and complacency in the system. I also really appreciated Riley's perspective, especially for how it showed the intricacies of being a successful Black woman in a predominantly White world. I feel like, though I'll never fully and truly understand what it's like to be Black, I could gain more insight and understanding for the uphill battle that exists for Black people, especially Black women, in America. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, and Child death

mdavis26's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Child death

guardianofthebookshelf's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Gun violence

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Pregnancy, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Slavery

kdonovan's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, and Child death

Moderate: Miscarriage and Infertility

Minor: Grief and Racial slurs

pamnc's review against another edition

dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence

d0505's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Racism and Infertility

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

i really disliked this. i can see what the authors were trying to do, but this just feels like a cheap caricature of police brutality. in the end, it feels like they are supporting it and trying to have us agree.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

lindsayerin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Death, Police brutality, Gun violence, Racism, Pregnancy, and Child death

Moderate: Grief

cdoubet's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Child death, Pregnancy, Violence, Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Body horror, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Drug use, and Blood

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence