Reviews tagging 'Death'

American War by Omar El Akkad

17 reviews

athnyx230's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, and Death

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Death of parent

blake245's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and War

frogggirl2's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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

5.0

What a stunning, impactful, important, well-characterized book!   There are a lot of complex things discussed here with a lot of depth and grace.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Murder, Death, and Torture

wafflepolly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.25

I think this is one of those books that is going to stay in my head for a long time. I strongly recommend listening to the NPR Throughline podcast episode "Extremist Futures" which features some really insightful input from the author about his thoughts, metaphors, and own experiences behind the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, War, and Death

Moderate: Genocide, Death of parent, Confinement, and Grief

cara_elaine's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense 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

4.0

a twisted and disturbing idea of what our future could hold. set in the near future- the book details what another american civil war and splintering of the country could be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Gun violence, and War

Minor: Medical trauma

hopefulpterodactyl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, War, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Confinement, Alcohol, Genocide, and Forced institutionalization

deparme's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

foxgallagher's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Title: American War
Author: Omar El Akkad
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: January 30, 2018

T H R E E • W O R D S

Plausible • Unsettling • Inventive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Narrated by Benjamin Chestnut, an older man living in neutral Anchorage in the aftermath of the war, American War begins in 2074 in a post-apocalyptic world where climate change was wrecked havoc on the coastal United States. In an attempt to halt emissions, the government has banned the use of fossil fuels, greatly upsetting the Southern states. Sarat Chestnut is only six as the second American civil war breaks out, and soon finds her and her family forced into the sprawling tent city known as Camp Patience.

💭 T H O U G H T S

What a fierce and powerful cautionary tale from debut novelist Omar El Akkad!

I didn't expect this to be a book for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. While reading, the storyline felt eerily plausible with a future America torn by it's own political tribulations, climate change, plague, and power struggles and conflict. It forced me to imagine the uncomfortable realities of our current world and the complex ruins and implications of war at many different levels. The writing and the story are equally powerful.

My one qualm would be that it was overly detailed at times, but other times there were gaps in the world building. Overall, a solid read worth picking up.


📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• dystopian fans
• readers who enjoyed The Underground Railroad

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"You fight the war with guns, you fight the peace with stories." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Grief

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, and Racial slurs

lucyob's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

3.75

Super fun and light read that was perfect in our Current Political Environment and definitely didn’t stress me out at all!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Police brutality, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Racism and Homophobia