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bashsbooks's reviews
207 reviews
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Vomit, and Abandonment
4.25
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Blood, and Vomit
2.0
So, for some context, I read Weird Indiana, which is basically this book but with Indiana lore instead of Ohio lore, when I was a child and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I am a part-time resident of Ohio, so when I saw Weird Ohio at the library, nostalgia and curiosity compelled me to check it out.
And there is some really interesting stuff here - I especially like the cemetery section because I have an interest in cemeteries, and who doesn't have their curiosity piqued when it comes to abadoned places? There are some neat things to be found in this book, for sure, and I definitely noted down some places I want to check out (and some I already have checked out and can vouch for - I thought it was hilarious that Jungle Jim's (which is like the coolest international market ever, it's near Cincinnati) wouldn't let them publish pictures).
HOWEVER. This book came out in 2005. So... in multiple regards, it is outdated. I'm sure a lot of these odd places and objects have been destroyed or misplaced in the nearly 20 years since it came out. And a lot of the language, especially in the more ghost-story sections of the book, is outdated at best and offensive at worst - obviously, some of that is because of a linguistic shift in what's appropriate now versus what was appropriate then, but even with the knowledge of it being a different time, some references to racial and religious minorities (seriously, evil witches make a mecca to a ghostly sight? Hm, wonder why we didn't use the word pilgrimage there.) and some references to the mentally ill still feel in very gaudy and poor taste, even for the time. I understand a lot of it is recounting folklore, but certain people get the authors' benefit of the doubt in retellings... and certain other people do not.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
- 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
A gripe I usually have with queer fiction - especially queer YA fiction - is that the queer characters are not allowed to be messy disasters. There is a very limited amount of disaster allowed for queer characters before they have to be consumed by guilt and apologies.
That is not a problem here! These guys - the two main characters, Jeremy and Lukas - are selfish and angry and hurting and think that ruling a high school via Homecoming Court can fix that. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that it obviously can't. There are some truly painful moments in here, but I loved that. I loved that they did awful things that I totally would've also done if I'd been in their scared and miserable positions when I was seventeen. This is not making excuses for them, though - they are completely in the wrong most of the time- just, it makes their character growth wayyy more satisfying than usual.
This author clearly has a very nuanced understanding of queerness, and he approached how transitioning goes from a number of angles, including an important one that I don't usually see - that trans people themselves need to grow into their genders and resist toxic behaviors for the sake of validity.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the autistic representation in Lukas, which I wasn't aware of before I started reading this. I appreciate that a trans gay guy and an autistic got to be assholes and not use their identities as an excuse, but that those identities were integral to how they process the world. That's a fine line to balance, and I think Ellor did a great job.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism and Classism
4.75
Minor: Transphobia
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Death of parent
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Rape, Dementia, and Death of parent
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder