Reviews tagging 'Death'

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

73 reviews

taliatalksbooks's review

challenging 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Dear Martin by Nic Stone is an important YA story that easily explains the implications of racism in the US. Even though this is a short book, I think this story is easily digestible, which is important for communicating complex issues like racial injustice, profiling, and police brutality towards people of color. I really loved the character dynamics, and the way that character grew over the course of this book. Again, though it’s not long, it packs a lot of information and emotion into the pages. You can feel the frustration coming off the characters and I certainly believe that this book should be studied when talking about the state of racial relations in this country. This book is approachable no matter what your view point is, and I think it could do a lot to change the perspectives of people who hold views/act like Jared and his friends. No one has to remain ignorant, and everyone, even people who have been wrong in the past (which I think is a key takeaway from this book) has the potential to change for the better with more education and information.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, and Drug use

blombern's review

challenging sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Murder, Violence, Hate crime, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Antisemitism, Grief, and Gun violence

erinmcav's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Death

saara_ilona_muu's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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

4.0

The book probably needed another 50 pages, just to try to make the story and the ending make more sense, and not just cut off how it did. 

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that though it was a very tough read, I loved the first 3/4 of the book. Then things just got to the point where I had too many questions about how things were turning out. Like ... when he's surrounded by so many rich people, why weren't they able to hire a better lawyer and get him some coaching... and why was a kid who was so good at debate able to be painted into a corner so thoroughly, and then with all of the character assassination, why was he just able to head north for school anyway with no repercussions in that corner? Just messy.

Despite all of that, the book was still worth reading and gave me a lot to think about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Murder, Gun violence, Racism, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, Death, Alcohol, Bullying, and Racial slurs

len_magoi's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

i hate white people!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Racism, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Drug use

Minor: Death of parent

paulabekkerus's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Blood, and Child death

chaoticnostalgia's review

reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Genocide and Fire/Fire injury

veskumelooni's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Police brutality, Hate crime, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death

Minor: Grief

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Touching story about growing up Black, trying to better your situation, and the issues that can arise. This story is tragic yet hopeful and shines a light on the ways that racism is both a domino effect in communities of color and a cyclical phenomenon that affects people of all races. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Racism, Death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Grief, Alcohol, Bullying, Antisemitism, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Sexism

charlotteschapter's review

challenging reflective medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death, Police brutality, and Gun violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, and Murder