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elsieols's reviews
198 reviews
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
This book is…WOW.
I think this may be the best thriller I’ve read. The horror behind these horrible actions and the fear in Chiamaka’s and Devon’s perspectives are so impeccably depicted. This entire book is written so amazingly, and it is CHILLING.
What is even more chilling is how this plot behind the school can represent how society works and the institutionalized racism that works in the background for white people but right in front of people of colors’ eyes. The way that petty high school drama can turn so quickly into questions of life and death. The danger that people of color face in society because of these racist systems designed to take them down. This book and its fictional school make up a perfect metaphor for the world and what it does to black people simply because they’re black.
Àbíke-Íyímídé so seamlessly threads this story together and makes it begin as what people may assume is any regular YA high school novel but chips away at that facade bit by bit until the readers sees the violence and horror beneath every section of Devon’s and Chiamaka’s lives. Two ordinary high school students become the center of an entire mass cult’s eugenic plot to wipe out black people from society, and the kicker? It’s been this way the whole time. They never were normal students. Their peers and teachers alike merely tricked them into believing that their lives were normal or that they were safe in any way. And this was all revealed with perfect pace and just the right amount of foreshadowing, misleading, and anticipation. I am definitely excited to read more of Àbíke-Íyímídé’s work going forward!
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
A Mercy by Toni Morrison
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Love by Toni Morrison
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
4.0
Sula by Toni Morrison
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature by William James
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
i just didn’t have time for reading it, especially since it was an old hardcover and i had to be in a very specific position at a very specific (and rare) pain level to be able to read it. it’s a fascinating read, though.
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
that heartbreak hits you like a sock in the face. the book has a wonderful message, and it’s saying something that i rated it 5 stars since im notorious for not liking romance books, especially m/f romance books.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
this is a must-read. i decided to start off black history month with this read, and i don’t regret it. this work does so much in unpacking the way that black children experience childhood in many parts of the us, and it also very clearly depicts how an african-american boy growing up learns new things about himself and comes to new conclusions about the society around him. this book is one that i will definitely keep in the background of my head. if anyone has trouble seeing how they sit by and let racism occur, why pure non-violence in teachings demeans the civil rights movement for what it was, or simply how an african-american boy will experience childhood, i cannot recommend this book enough. it is easy to understand and filled not with inaccessible, hard-to-read concepts but completely understandable depictions of racism and the impact it has on every part of life in the us.
also the section on france was wonderful and showcased so beautifully how to experience another culture and see its beauty for yourself and also the ugliness it has within itself. it’s really such a masterful depiction.
i recommend this to everyone! it’s nice and short too, so it won’t take long to read!
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
this is like the horticulturalist version of the godfather. it’s kind of funny to me that literal jail doesn’t stop this guy from gardening. the whole concept of choosing the tulip or rosa as cornelius’s greatest love gets so bizarre, honestly. like, the fact that she thinks he loves the tulip more than her, is convinced by him that it isn’t true, and then requires him not to speak of the tulip for like 36 hours (i can’t remember if this was the part or the whole of the time she required) to prove that he loves her is weird enough. what’s even WEIRDER is how hung up he gets on that and how he ponders that and comes to the conclusion that it just means no woman is perfect, that he would compare her to a goddess and like fall at her feet if she had let him talk about the tulip within those hours. like?? if you can’t go that long without talking about a tulip to your insecure girlfriend then she deserves way better than you, dude. someone save this woman from these flower freaks.
all that being said, why do i kinda love it??? rosa is a girlboss, and this entire book is so bizarre but kinda in a good way.