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petrifiedsap's review against another edition
To sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Vomit, Death, and Death of parent
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Wow. What a deeply painful book.
This is not the kind of book you can consume in a day or so. This is the kind of book that takes time to read, to process, to ponder, to ache. It is not necessarily a book to inspire you, but a book to anger you—and take from that what you will.
The title itself is a masterpiece: anger is in fact a gift, when it’s power is used to challenge, to fight, to motivate. I doubt any astounding social change has occurred without anger; it is this emotion that pushes people to fight for transformation. It is no coincidence that the rightful anger of marginalized groups is often framed as irrational and dangerous.
If you’re looking for a social justice centered book that will leave you warm and fuzzy at the end, look somewhere else. But if you want a painfully realistic story of the abuse that Black and Brown communities face, along with a diverse cast of characters, Anger is a Gift is for you. Prepare yourself for some harrowing scenes, difficult conversations, and complex characters.
I think my only complaint here is that the book could have benefitted from having a few more positive scenes. Our main character Moss goes through so much, so I would have loved to see him happy just a few more times. While pain, anger, and suffering were highly valid reactions to the tragedies in Moss’s life, one power that fiction holds is the ability to shape events and emotions however the author pleases. I personally think just a smidge more of joyful scenes would help balance out all the trauma in Moss’s life. I hope my point here is being articulated correctly. I just think that there are so many stories centering around Black pain that it is important to show that Black does not equal pain....does that make sense?
Other than that, Anger is a Gift is a fantastic example of the capabilities YA fiction can hold. Too often this genre/target audience is criticized for simplifying things, being unrealistic, having poor writing or characters, not being relatable or interesting to a larger audience, etc. etc. but this is truly a book that challenges those stereotypes. I 100% recommend—and encourage—anyone to read this, as long as you’re aware of the content.
TWs: police brutality, police shootings, death (murder), death of a parent, death of a secondary character, racism, racial profiling, ableism, panic attacks, general stereotyping, unjust school policies, violence towards students by authority figures, violence towards peaceful protesters, anxiety / panic attacks
Wow. What a deeply painful book.
This is not the kind of book you can consume in a day or so. This is the kind of book that takes time to read, to process, to ponder, to ache. It is not necessarily a book to inspire you, but a book to anger you—and take from that what you will.
The title itself is a masterpiece: anger is in fact a gift, when it’s power is used to challenge, to fight, to motivate. I doubt any astounding social change has occurred without anger; it is this emotion that pushes people to fight for transformation. It is no coincidence that the rightful anger of marginalized groups is often framed as irrational and dangerous.
If you’re looking for a social justice centered book that will leave you warm and fuzzy at the end, look somewhere else. But if you want a painfully realistic story of the abuse that Black and Brown communities face, along with a diverse cast of characters, Anger is a Gift is for you. Prepare yourself for some harrowing scenes, difficult conversations, and complex characters.
I think my only complaint here is that the book could have benefitted from having a few more positive scenes. Our main character Moss goes through so much, so I would have loved to see him happy just a few more times. While pain, anger, and suffering were highly valid reactions to the tragedies in Moss’s life, one power that fiction holds is the ability to shape events and emotions however the author pleases. I personally think just a smidge more of joyful scenes would help balance out all the trauma in Moss’s life. I hope my point here is being articulated correctly. I just think that there are so many stories centering around Black pain that it is important to show that Black does not equal pain....does that make sense?
Other than that, Anger is a Gift is a fantastic example of the capabilities YA fiction can hold. Too often this genre/target audience is criticized for simplifying things, being unrealistic, having poor writing or characters, not being relatable or interesting to a larger audience, etc. etc. but this is truly a book that challenges those stereotypes. I 100% recommend—and encourage—anyone to read this, as long as you’re aware of the content.
TWs: police brutality, police shootings, death (murder), death of a parent, death of a secondary character, racism, racial profiling, ableism, panic attacks, general stereotyping, unjust school policies, violence towards students by authority figures, violence towards peaceful protesters, anxiety / panic attacks
dgonzo's review against another edition
4.0
This honestly was an emotional read. The friend group was incredible, I loved his mother, and the story was very well crafted and absolutely accomplished what it set out to do
siri1's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
The writing style took some time to jive with and at times was not for me, but the characters and the story!
danishy13's review against another edition
5.0
Such an emotional book for me. Themes of racism, police brutality, and privilege. A recommend read for those wanting to dive deeper into understanding emotions behind an activist and how it can feel to be a young poc.
saintburns's review against another edition
5.0
This book gives an extremely realistic firsthand view of police brutality but also manages to be a primer on community organizing hidden in the depths of a queer love story. I feel like this book is going to be talked about for a long time. I love it thanks.
cerealisafunbath's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
raiofsun's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
This book is heavy. I cried so much reading this because of the reality of it. It isn't my typical genre but I reccomend it for all to read.
schmidtat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.25