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pbraue13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism
balfies's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
What struck me about it now as an adult was its beautiful blend of subtlety and didacticism, it really speaks the same story at different levels so deftly.
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide and Incest
jillian_b's review
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Bullying, and Racial slurs
ashleighamble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Rape, Murder, Animal death, Bullying, and Death
Minor: Incest
pianokeys's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Sexual content, War, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Rape, Mental illness, and Bullying
dionysius_miller's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Murder, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Classism and Police brutality
shadymist's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Hate crime, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Grief, Rape, and Murder
taulkstoomuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I've always heard of this book as a 'classic' and a 'must-read', so I (as one would) assumed that it was one of those books that had to be read to truly understand the black experience during the 1930s. Much to my surprise, the author is a white woman; maybe this was the reason that it took me so long to get around to read it.
Not only this, but the choice to write a story regarding the mistreatment of black people through the perspective of a young white girl, one that is so naive to all the happenings of her society, was an odd one. It feels like a convenient mechanism to make the audience forget that Scout's family, hence white poeple, would undoubtedly benefit from their environment at the time, and even now. The story reeks of white saviour complex - are we supposed to be proud of Atticus for standing up for the right of black people? It is his job as a lawyer, but also a person to instill those morals into his children. Expecting a commendation for such a basic moral code (being the best out of a bad (incredibly racist) bunch) seems odd, so I feel unjust in rating this book anything higher than I have.
Subject matter aside, I found the book to be quite dull in general. I felt like it dragged through the first half in the name of character building. It took me a long time to get through the book because of the writing, and I was listening to it in audiobook (let's not even talk about the language and how uncomfortable it made me to listen to a white narrator say slurs over and over again).
That is not to say that this book doesn't have any positives. I can appreciate that it is a classic and highly revered within the education system. It does bring into question why this, out of all the others books on racism, is the classic. There are so many beautiful(-lly depressing) books about the experiences of black people during this era, written by black people themselves. Perhaps we should be highlighting those experiences and reading books by them to have a more accurate view of history.
Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Murder and Violence
eedle_cacleberry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Ableism, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, and Child abuse
wagnermelissam's review
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Murder and Rape