Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Molokaʻi by Alan Brennert

10 reviews

laurenpat's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• 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

3.25

It was interesting but dense. Story was good but felt longer than it was. I cried like 10 times. Not an easy read, but tried to keep the tone as lighthearted/hopeful as it could have been.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Abortion

themis_biblos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

4.5

 "I've come to believe that how we choose to live with pain, or injustice, or death is the true measure of the divine within us. Some choose to do harm to themselves and others. Others bear up under their pain and help others bear it." 

 You can feel how much heart and soul Brennert put into his research and this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, and Transphobia

lindsayerin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War

lynsea's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.0

Heartbreaking and realistic read. Informative read to understand this not-so-well-known history of Hawai’i. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Minor: Colonisation and War

dnpatterson2's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

alixcallender's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Transphobia, and War

paper_tea_honey's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

feathers4bookmarks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I loved learning about the Island, as well as the history and complicated trajectory of the leprosy colony and it’s inhabitants. It was painfully sad at parts and had me in tears despite myself. Overall it got a little slow for me in the third quarter or so when it felt like the story had been told abs was feeling a little repetitive and drawn out. I appreciated the authors real life facts and journals he based the characters off of. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical content

Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

3am_bookthoughts's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

niecierpek's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

An unexpected delight. 
A beautiful, traditionally linear novel spanning almost a hundred years of history of a leper colony on Moloka’i, one of the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. 
This book was a complete surprise.  I had it on my shelf for ages, and if I had read what it was about, I forgot.  I picked it up as a summer read, and was utterly surprised by its subject matter, and very engaging, unsentimental and tactful treatment of the theme.  
I loved the main character, Rachel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness and Forced institutionalization