Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

52 reviews

bookgardendc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

The title does the book justice. I’ve never read anything quite like this - it’s funny and complex and deeply profound and yet somehow two-thirds of the book manages to 
 feel fairly light. I clearly felt the inner struggles of the characters, and the generational trauma that African Americans must experience. Beautiful book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol

Trauma is a major feature. This book centers on police shootings of black men and boys. While descriptions aren’t graphic, it is an ever present theme.

megdye487's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Police brutality

jbosio's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

3.5

I loved the writing, but I struggled with where the author was going with the story. I did love the ending though. Very thought-provoking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

randisworld's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This was an incredible read. It made me cry. It put into words so many complicated emotions I have about being Black in this country. Stellar achievement and absolutely deserved The National Book Award and all of the accolades it received. Just WOW. It made me cry. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Sexism

Minor: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Murder

paigereitz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

 It is, as the name suggests, a hell of a book. It is an intense deep dive into race relations in novel form, from the Black experience, and it is an emotionally heavy read, but it was so, so good. An indictment on modern society, skillfully woven through a story that is disorienting and jarring and hard and emotional.  I'll be processing this book for a long time. 

From the book, "Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country when you're told that you're a plague on the economy, that you're nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there's nothing you can do about it - learning to love yourself in the middle of all that? Hell, that's a goddamn miracle."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

emilye's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Police brutality, and Death of parent

axo17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I really loved it. Not a huge fan of books where they jump back and forth between voices/narrations. But once you get a feel for the characters it helps a lot. I loved how it touched on a lot of different arguments to racism or what “isn’t” racism/the problem. The reason I ranked it a lower than the full 5 is because even though I understand where the the author is coming from by also using mental health as an example with the (?Schizophrenia?) I feel like that’s a whole separate issue. Yes, it adds another level to it, but it left me wanting a little more of that side to the story. Be it clarity, meat, whatever. 

Ultimately, for me Hell of a Book really showed more of what I have never experienced, as far as this depth. The only other comparison I have to what people of color could go through is as a woman, I was taught to not dress a certain way, carry keys in my fingers, tell friends where I am are going on a date, dealing with misogyny, so on and so forth. I think that might be the only way I related on occasion to the multiple examples given. But. It’s just a whole world I’ll never know and I think reading it and trying to understand that hurt, is one small aim from the book in a much larger - seemingly never ending - story. 

I recommend this to anyone. It might put something into perspective a little more.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

finnft4's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

Liked it! 

Good blend of both sad and funny beats, with moments that made me laugh and ones that made me tear up. It offers a unique perspective on society, and it has one of the most interesting and bizarre concepts out of any book I've ever read. Recommended!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Police brutality

Moderate: Racism

heatherilene's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

hannah2186's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism