Reviews tagging Cultural appropriation
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
28 reviews
prynne31's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Chronic illness, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Vomit, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Drug use, and Cultural appropriation
lilybearillini3's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I honestly don't know how to write a review for this and do it justice, I am at a loss of words. It is a story of great friendship, love, and trials. Every character had their complexities and were not always, if at all, likeable
Spoiler
except Marx, Marx is perfectThere was never a dull point of this book, I was interested and engaged the entire time. The choice to show their friendship over decades was refreshing and I also really liked that we didn't switch POVs every chapter, I feel like that concept has been played out. The video game nerd in me loved that the author did their research on video game history and what it takes to make video games. While I don't like the miscommunication trope, I didn't find myself frustrated. I understood why they weren't communicating because the characterization was so well done.
I normally don't go into books with expectations, but John Green said it was one of his favorite books of this year, so the need to read it was urgent. John Green didn't let me down. It was truly an honor to read Sadie, Sam, and Marx's journey.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Ableism, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Abortion, Drug use, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Antisemitism and Terminal illness
deetabz's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Car accident, Death, Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Murder
Moderate: Antisemitism, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Cancer, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Vomit, and Cultural appropriation
isleoflinds's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
I thought that the characters - Sadie and Sam - were really well-rounded and flawed, but believable people. I was disappointed in the development of the character Marx, who felt most often like a plot device despite also appearing to be almost as significant as Sam and Sadie. Many of the tropes included about halfway through also felt unnecessary and I think a lot of the tension between Sadie and Sam could have happened without employing them. In general, I think Sadie's story was marred by too many gender-related difficulties. I know that being a woman in tech (now, but especially in the 90s) was difficult, but the bulk of the harm she experienced wasn't even related to her work, and I just wish we could have seen her face other issues.
The structure of the book was incredibly compelling - it is built around the vague idea that each "part" is its own game. Especially in the first half of the book, I could really feel the themes aligning with the structure of the book in an intriguing way. The story took a lot of turns in the second half that were just not for me (
Spoiler
miscommunication trope, two accidental pregnancy tropes for the same character, dead baby daddy, and just a general waste of what could have been a really enlightening use of the NPC chapter concept.Overall, I think that Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow had great bones for a story, I just wish it had been a little shorter and/or that it had spent more time considering the significance of Marx. In a story about the complex ways that people can love one another, Marx was central to this, and making <spoilers>the NPC</spoilers> seemed more of an afterthought to be profound rather.
My final very small complaint is the little statement at the end about <spoilers>"this generation thinking their whole personality is their trauma." I am a millennial, so perhaps this very Gen X sentiment just isn't for me, but in 2022, the inclusion of this bit feels quite purposeful. It was said and largely abandoned, squeezed in at the end and unexplored. Why say something that significant and then end the book with "oh I guess maybe our trauma made us who we are too... or maybe not!" Trauma use colloquially often refers to 'the difficult things I have experienced in my life that give me perspective on the world and how I interact with it.' Perhaps this is nuanced, but it just felt quite dismissive and not necessary.</spoilers>
Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, and Sexual violence
atomicbritt's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Grief, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Cancer
chichisode's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Hate crime
Moderate: Car accident, Genocide, Ableism, Cancer, Abortion, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicide, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Vomit, War, and Violence
apiora215's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/injury detail, and Sexual content
owenwilsonbaby's review
- 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
5.0
A book that had so many lines I wanted to include here that I actually found it pretty hard to choose. Zevin has crafted such a wonderful piece of art. There are so many layers to this that I think I need to reread it almost immediately. The entire last third made me want to ugly cry. Every scene of this book was on the surface about moving its tightly-wound plot onward, yet simultaneously managed to further an extraordinary portrait of play, art, ethics, performance, love and sex, disability and illness, relationships and family. Zevin's ideas about these varied topics are finely painted, always finding room for levity, lightness, nuance and exploration. At the same time, the scenes that lean more heavily into these themes never feel like they lack depth. If anything, the lightness of touch here in everything from narrative voice to plotting to recurrent images and motifs felt carefully considered. I learned so much about the gaming world and its history which I have never really interacted with before. And yet most of all I feel the novel's important insights boiled down to how humans relate to and care for another. That despite everything, in the end, love can be very simple. The conversation with Dong Hyun near the ending of the book where he incredulously looks at Sam and says "Are you kidding? [...] Everything is funny now." Insane. I wanted to sob.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Ableism, Racism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Drug use, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
lex_mags's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Cultural appropriation, and Drug use
scorpstar77's review
- 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
Graphic: Car accident, Suicide, Gun violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Death, Injury/injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Cancer, Vomit, Sexism, and Racism