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pirateenthusiast's reviews
54 reviews
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
so not worth the hype. the racism is apparent and the writing isn't even that good or scary. lameass.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne
1.25
A well researched book. I learned a lot, but this is where the positives end. The language used in this book is repeatedly and horrendously racist. I'm not sure if this was the authors intention or not, but he portrays the Comanches and Native Americans as a whole as "backward stone age hunters". Gwynne claims to be providing an unbiased neutral book that shows both sides in an accurate light. He certainly succeeds in not straying away from the violence of the Comanches with his brutal and graphic descriptions, yet when he describes the violence of the other side, the terms are much more vague, giving the reader the wrong impression. Here is a list of words used in this book and the frequency that they appeared.
Native: 32
Indian(s): 1,177
Savage: 28
Primitive: 19
Redskin: 3
Squaw: 25
Indigenous: 1
Native: 32
Indian(s): 1,177
Savage: 28
Primitive: 19
Redskin: 3
Squaw: 25
Indigenous: 1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs and Rape
Minor: Animal death
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
challenging
emotional
4.5
Really solid, beautiful book. And the concept is just amazing.
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book made me feel so much. I kept crying because I looked at the pages I just kept thinking "that's me, that's me."
Both of these books have been very meaningful to me, because as Ari discovered himself, so did I.
A matter that was highly confusing to me, however, was Rico's death. One minute he was fine, and the next, they were at his funeral. This was not explained beyond what happened at the funeral. I'm not sure what the point was.
Although this book was very moving to me personally, I do not know that I would recommend it. The writing style is...very simplistic. It has it's beautiful moments, but mostly it is written like it is for children, which, it kind of is, but at the same time, some of the topics like sex in this book I would not be wanting a 5th grader to read. Also, the way the characters speak is so. Not how anyone speaks.
Both of these books have been very meaningful to me, because as Ari discovered himself, so did I.
A matter that was highly confusing to me, however, was
Although this book was very moving to me personally, I do not know that I would recommend it. The writing style is...very simplistic. It has it's beautiful moments, but mostly it is written like it is for children, which, it kind of is, but at the same time, some of the topics like sex in this book I would not be wanting a 5th grader to read. Also, the way the characters speak is so. Not how anyone speaks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Murder
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. . .