Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

11 reviews

katharina90's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

The author tries to tackle a lot of important issues related to race and identity, but it's a fairly short book which doesn't leave much room for depth and complexity.

A lot of telling rather showing, and characters that stay one-dimensional and pretty stereotypical (the white racist brat, the gun-toting gang member, etc.).

It could still be a good starting point for discussion in a classroom, or between youths and their parents. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Classism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexism, Genocide, and Colonisation

ghostlyprince's review

dark emotional informative 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: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Child death, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Classism, Bullying, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Alcohol, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

achay91's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Racism, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Child death, Classism, and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol and Blood

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

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

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

theasbookworld's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Classism, Death, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Child death, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism

kathis_wonderland's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

Dear Martin by Nic Stone is about Justyce, who is unjustly handcuffed by a white cop. From this day on, he realizes that even though he goes to a good school, he can't escape racism and injustices. He starts to study the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to see if he can somehow apply his doings in his own life. But more bad things happen and people are murdered.
 
I wanted to read this book for a very long time. It reminded me of THUG but was different in so many aspects as well. What BIPoCs have to face every single day is devastating and a crime. No human being should be discriminated. No matter what. Reading books like this break my heart on so many levels. But is important to get this reality out there more. I learn something new every time I read a book. And I learn even more when it is about a topic that I am personally not affected by. This book helped me to broaden my horizon even more and to keep on calling out racist people and content.
 
I really liked the concept of the journal that Justyce writes. He is trying to apply concepts to his own life, which is good for learning. The entries give a great insight into Justyce's life and how he is thinking about the world. Jared is one character I absolutely hated! He talked about reverse racism and how he was the one being discriminated. He only saw his mistakes towards the end as he realized that ALL BIPoCs experience racism, even when they are the "good" BIPoCs. Even though the second half of the book was really heartbreaking and unjust, I liked how the book ended. It showed that people can change. Beliefs can change. But you have to be willing to open your eyes and listen to the experiences of people and believe them!
 
This book gives a strong message to its readers. The story is heartbreaking and shows perfectly that America has a problem with gun violence and racism (but that is also a problem for all of the world). I can highly recommend it to everyone! Really liked it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Blood, Bullying, Child death, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism

mandi4886's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Everyone needs to read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship