Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi

61 reviews

lizclark81's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

A powerful read about the generational trauma of slavery in West Africa and the United States. Cleverly structured around multiple characters in different time periods, Gyasi weaves together a narrative that manages to touch on many important issues in history. A little heavy-handed at times, IMO, but a well-crafted first novel with serious themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, and Slavery

Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Colonisation, and Torture

charlie6's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Abandonment, Bullying, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Car accident and Suicide

jae_bird's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Slavery, Infidelity, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Blood, Colonisation, Rape, Injury/injury detail, Excrement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Drug abuse, Bullying, War, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Suicide, and Homophobia

justsmileandnod's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Racism

Moderate: War, Pregnancy, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Rape, and Racial slurs

Minor: Excrement

marissasa's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

This book is heartbreaking, harrowing, devastating, and deeply moving. The story stems from one woman name Maame who gave birth to two daughters in different villages, each half-sister unknowing of the other's existence. Each chapter alternates between the next generation of both branches of the family, and tells different but parallel stories of the lives each child lives. It's a story of the lasting effects of colonization, war, and slavery on Ghanian people both in the homeland and in United States. As the book spans 8 generations, it ties major historical events to the appropriate character's narratives for that time period. There are so many difficult and upsetting situations that family members on both sides face, and they become deeply flawed but complex characters because of their experiences and the experiences of their parents that have been passed down both verbally and metaphysically. Generational trauma is a central theme throughout the book and I could feel my heart ache each time a character went through something or had a fear that could be tied back to experiences in their parent's or ancestor's chapter just a few pages before. The ending brings everything full circle with the recurring symbols of water, fire, and the black stone passed down from Maame herself, and it left me with a bittersweet feeling knowing both the indescribable pain and incredible resilience of each ancestor that lead to the two latest generations being able to come together and feel connected to the land where it all started.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Racism, Vomit, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Violence, and Kidnapping

artsyxbookish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, War, and Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Excrement, Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Blood

valwwy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

i had been stuck on the first couple chapters for months, but finally decided to pick it back up again because of the reviews i heard… and once i understood the structure of the book and its scope, i absolutely tore through the rest of it in 2 days. absolutely captivating stories told simply but beautifully and unreservedly, and the final chapter gave me chills… an absolute must-read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Content Warnings

Minor: Excrement, Racism, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

heyitsashleigh's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Slavery, Death of parent, Child death, Addiction, Child abuse, Colonisation, Rape, and Sexual violence

ashleytong's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Trafficking, Addiction, Drug abuse, Excrement, Racism, and Slavery

fazazzle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Yaa Gyasi had such a clear vision for this novel, and she executed it beautifully. Although I wish some of the chapters were longer so I got more time with some of the characters, this truly is a remarkable piece of literature that should be considered a modern classic. One of my favorite components of the novel was the dichotomy between Fire and Water, which was beautifully addressed in the book’s final chapter. Be aware of the content before reading as it might be triggering, but this truly is a must read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Drug abuse, Slavery, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Police brutality