Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

27 reviews

char_a_lot_te's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

im going to give this book 4.75 stars because i feel like it deserves it but honestly i dont know how to rate it.

it is, an absolute bloody miracle the way Akbar crams, several lifetimes worth of stories into like 300 pages. i read this book in way fewer sittings than i probably should have read it in and felt a bit dizzy afterwards.

this is a story about… nationality and identity, i suppose. about trying to piece together your identity in a world fractured by borders, conflict. trying to find your place. its about love, family, and of course, Martyrs! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Lesbophobia

Minor: Racism and Islamophobia

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional relaxing sad slow-paced

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

2.25

This book made me so angry. The protagonist embodies patheticism, and his whole life can only be described as futile.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

zara89's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and War

kalagrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Compelling and a bit too relatable. Beautifully written. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Grief, and Abandonment

historicalmaterialgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

This isn't a book to be reviewed, this is a book to be analyzed. There were so many lines (just lines! let alone conversations, symbols, themes!!) I wanted to unglue from the text and melt into my body because it feels like that's what it would take to give them the justice of resonance..... 

(just ignore how annoying cyrus gets there's a real ass point)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Racism

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

many many many thoughts…will leave review after book club

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and War

sadhbhprice's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content

andyetandrew's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

I am so grateful that Akbar published such a heartfelt and beautiful book to explore the importance of being earnest (not to steal Oscar Wilde’s title here), in spite of everything that has happened, in spite of the world being the way it is. I am thankful that Akbar created a protagonist like Cyrus, who wears his heart on his sleeve and relentlessly feels the blistering pain of hope. Martyr! is, in many ways, a messy novel. It’s messy in how Cyrus navigates the world and feels everything, the way it oscillates between the past and present, how it plays with different perspectives, and more. I know this novel won’t be for everyone because of its structure and lyrical prose (after all, Akbar is a poet), but I personally thought it all came together really well to show how earnestness means dealing with life’s wonderful and horrible messiness.

I do think it’s worth picking this novel up—regardless of what your reading preference is—to contend with what life and death might mean to you, and what it means to sincerely look for meaning in your aliveness. With that said, I do recommend checking the content warnings, as Akbar dives deep into these themes to get his points across.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, and War