Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

9 reviews

lizziaha's review against another edition

3.75

I think I might’ve enjoyed this more in a print format. Hearing it as an audiobook made the plot feel a bit disjointed at times. This is a story about girlhood and trauma and grief and religion and the things we tell ourselves and others. It’s got a powerful message, even if the execution wasn’t exactly to my liking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Drug abuse

dee_hzz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death

angietheace's review against another edition

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Racism, Drug abuse, and Suicide

ellsbellsreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Just beautiful. So so so beautiful. It could be read more quickly but I found it was worth lingering on passages in the same way you do with poetry. And this book has been compared to poetry before, for which I can understand why. Wilson captures the experience of living in a way I have never seen done before. I am blown away as a result.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Drug abuse

zoes_human's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A quietly sad coming-of-age tale set in the impoverished Brooklyn of the 1970s. Brilliantly performed on audio by Robin Miles and one of Jacqueline Woodson's rare adult novels. It explores friendship, grief, and the traumas faced by girls as they become women.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, and Suicide

irenemarie's review

emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Drug use

Moderate: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Suicide

suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

2.5

I loved Red at the Bone and was looking forward to reading more by Woodson.
In Another Brooklyn, she explores the possibility and precariousness of Black girlhood for August and her friends in 1970s New York. This had very sparse, lyrical writing with interesting use of repetition. 
But, it sped along too quickly for me. I kept wishing it was slightly more fleshed out, because RATB was so masterful at balancing brevity with deep character studies. This felt like an outline of the pain without the full picture of these characters’ lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and War

azyef's review

challenging emotional relaxing slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Rape, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

mmatti300's review

reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

The writing style of Another Brooklyn blew me away. Woodson knows how to utilize language to her advantage, transporting readers into her world quickly and efficiently. However, because of the length of the book and the vague nature of memories I feel as though I am missing something from the characters, even August, our protagonist. That being said, we do fully experience the sense of the rose colored glasses that cover our memories of childhood, even though Woodson is not afraid to bring to mind the traumas and realities of Brooklyn in the 70s. A beautiful, stunning novel, that I just wish was a little longer. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Slavery