Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga

9 reviews

kbhenrickson's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

While it's not an easy read, this is a book that I think every American and Canadian should read, especially if you are not an Indigenous person. The stories of the young people, their families and communities are heart-breaking, and the neglect, dismissal, and antagonism of the systems that were supposed to protect them are infuriating. For example how can any police and legal system routinely not call parents when their teenage children are reported missing or found dead - in the 2000s, no less? The author does a great job of humanizing the teens and their families and not sensationalizing what happened. She also masterfully weaves in the history of the oppressive systems in Canada - residential schools, colonialism, disparities in education funding - that underly all of the contemporary stories told in the book. The writing itself is as compelling as the stories, which are definitely going to stick with me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence

janada59's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

A must read for Canadians, but especially those who say Canada doesn't have a racism problem. This book enraged me and broke my heart.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 

This was a well-written and incredibly hard read (listen). Talaga took the time to create a portrait of each of the seven fallen feathers - who they were, what they were like, the things they liked to do. Every time a new person was introduced I found myself hoping that nothing would happen to them, even though I knew they would. This portrait of the challenges of Indigenous life in Thunder Bay is heartbreaking and felt so human. The interconnectedness of the community made it an even harder read. Everyone was trying so hard to keep these young people safe and were failed by so many systems, no matter what they did. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to learn more about Indigenous life in Canada, and in particular why people are fighting so hard for things like having the TRC calls to action implemented by all levels of government.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

mallory10100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

khourianya's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Powerful and sad.  But it is stories like this that help build understanding and foster reconciliation.  I recommend the audiobook highly.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

This book is so, so, so important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

jacq_s's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

tinana's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual assault