Reviews tagging 'Racism'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

175 reviews

payson's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

cinn_vida's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Drug use, Dysphoria, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Medical content, and Mental illness

acalla7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Read trigger warnings!! This book spans over 50-60 years of a very tormented persons life and the people surrounding him who also have their own traumas and struggles. These characters are deep and feel like real people that I now have known my whole life. I wish I could find Jude in real life to just hold him for days on end. </3 I think it's definitely going to stick with me for a long time but I feel like I learned a lot from it and that's all I can ask for. It's a book that represents many other peoples lives in many different ways. It's not for everybody but when you break it down, isn't that what all art is? For some, this is reality and not just an 800 page story and that's the awful truth of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Death, Rape, Drug abuse, Racism, and Bullying

canisand's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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: Drug use, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Body horror, Bullying, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Outing, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, and Violence

jacobandthefrogs's review against another edition

Just actual torture, I truly don’t know what would make her write this book but I hope she has been able to heal from it because I don’t think I will

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Rape, Racial slurs, Death, Ableism, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Car accident, Bullying, Body shaming, Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Suicide attempt, Racism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Outing, Homophobia, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Dysphoria

alinute's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Mental illness, Bullying, Violence, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Gaslighting, Cursing, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Torture, Xenophobia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Racism, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Car accident, Child abuse, Body shaming, Body horror, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship

thetinysnail's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Vomit, Homophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Self harm, Suicide, Ableism, Medical content, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, Racism, Cancer, and Adult/minor relationship

libraryofsachi's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.0

This is miserable. My first thought upon finishing this was “what the fuck did I just read?! And why would anyone write this?”. There were some beautiful moments in this and I enjoyed the found family themes, but that was where it stopped. The trauma is overwhelming in this story. The author has stated numerous times that she wanted to create a character that NEVER gets better, which I think is important to understand going into this (and messed up!), as a book like this can be really damaging to read.

Poor Jude 😭 I feel so sorry for him. But I’m more annoyed at the author than sad. I think my main issue with this book is that it lacks sensitivity towards trauma survivors and sends a pretty harmful message suggesting you will never overcome your trauma - which I think is awful. I think the author exploits trauma more than she claims to explore it. This book doesn’t send out much of a positive message, there isn’t some huge resolution that leaves the reader feeling cathartic. Is this torture p*rn? I don’t know if that’s for me to decide but this book just seems unrealistic at times, like the author threw everything at the wall to see what would stick. I know some people find this book to be “real”, which I’m happy you do, but I found her torture of Jude relentless. Her portrayal of race and gender were a bit strange too.

What I’m choosing to take away from this book is that you really do need to treat everyone with kindness, because you have no idea what they may be going through. Sending lots of love to anyone reading this 💛

I ✨DO NOT✨ recommend this book. Do yourself a favour and don’t read this!!!!! I hate this. 🧍🏽‍♀️

My rating: 1/5 ⭐️

Also “nishihara syndrome”???? 😂

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Ableism

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, Drug use, Eating disorder, Transphobia, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

⚠️ Please see the trigger warnings for this book! ⚠️ There are some really sensitive topics and graphic scenes throughout it. Stating upfront that I don’t recommend this book to anyone!

bart_gibbs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Weeping.

A deeply dark and Shakespearean tragedy. Modern Romeo and Juliet without the frills. 

Initially, every page read like poetry. What a revelation! I thought. What a joy to read! 

And then the plot developed further and descended into complete darkness.

So cleverly written. Weaving complex narratives that loop around one another. With descriptions that feed you plot points across chapters and across characters, creating this complex life history for each character. Flows effortlessly across timescales with a never-ceasing feeling of impending terror. 

I am deeply disturbed and utterly moved by this story which will likely stay with me forever. 

Huge content warning (child SA, suicide, church abuse, DV, self harm, drug use, disability abuse, physiological warfare).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, Drug use, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

venusianonmars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Death, Racism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Child death