Reviews tagging 'Racism'

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

26 reviews

protoflux's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tomato_bisque's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.5

"And remember, its better to bend than to break." 

Fast-paced story about the forced confinement of Japanese people during the 2nd world war. Its mostly about people keeping their head down to survive. Its one thing to read about the conditions of the camps in a textbook, but its another to read about how mind-numbingly boring and hopeless they were.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

grey_writes_love's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

literarychingona's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

directorpurry's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stephalopuff's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The last chapter of this book is powerful and stands on its own as a poem, for sure.

My star rating is reflective more of the audiobook than the book itself. Do yourself a favor and read a hardcopy. The narrator sounded so prim and proper, her style of narration felt inappropriate for the subject matter and the way the book itself was written. That being said, the book itself feels a little detached from its audience - do I dare say a SparkNotes of the characters' experiences? I'd like to read more detailed, thorough accounts of Japanese internment. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

erinblue's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

3.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kennethwade's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rory1387's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

adrianna_isabel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I feel like the author did such an amazing job with narrating from a child's perspective. It wasn't too innocent, but it was absolutely there. They think the way a child would (daydreaming about when their lives got back to normal etc.) Flashbacks were well formatted. Learning about experiences in the camps was informative and eye opening.

I loved the awareness raised around PTSD and the discrimination victims from the camps went through when returning home. I loved how the author described adjusting getting back home. And, the way the family's identities as Asians during a time of war felt so authentic. It was so sad, seeing them feel ashamed for their ethnicity. 

 I loved the ending. It was realistic, and it was ending that gave good closure to the reader but was not perfect, whatsoever. important spoiler >>
when the father finally reunites with his children in the end, he's a completely different person (due to the ptsd). And the way the children reacted to it and described it felt so shockingly real.</spoiler

Very informative. It was an honor to read this book 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings