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michaelion's reviews
250 reviews
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Automatic negative points for being pro-Paris / pro-France and using the French language. AUTOMATIC !!!!!! I can't help my dislike, nay I say hatred of those baguettes!
Negative points also for the main characters, all characters being white. I understand that the story couldn't be told without them being white. It's just hard for me to relate to white stories. I don't understand them. Usually when I read them I think "Okay but you don't have real problems. Why are you complaining?" Which is only halfway a joke. 55% a jape.
I did relate to the main character however. For future me reading this, you just broke up with your first girlfriend. You only related in some, a few ways, not completely, but it was noticeable.
Despite my criticisms the writing was lovely. It feels like thee queer/gay book that mothered or grandmothered queer books. I loved the brief analysis into gender and heteronorms. It came out of nowhere but it really stood out. Every thing you feel for the first time has already been felt by the rest of humanity a billion times over. I also love when classics can still be relatable.
Negative points also for the main characters, all characters being white. I understand that the story couldn't be told without them being white. It's just hard for me to relate to white stories. I don't understand them. Usually when I read them I think "Okay but you don't have real problems. Why are you complaining?" Which is only halfway a joke. 55% a jape.
I did relate to the main character however. For future me reading this, you just broke up with your first girlfriend. You only related in some, a few ways, not completely, but it was noticeable.
Despite my criticisms the writing was lovely. It feels like thee queer/gay book that mothered or grandmothered queer books. I loved the brief analysis into gender and heteronorms. It came out of nowhere but it really stood out. Every thing you feel for the first time has already been felt by the rest of humanity a billion times over. I also love when classics can still be relatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Biphobia, Confinement, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Death of parent
After a Thousand Tears: Poems by Jimmy Worthy II
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
I keep saying it. Georgia Douglas Johnson would've loved Mitski!
What a blessing that these poems were still available! She's my favorite poet and it's amazing that someone found more of her work! Wow!!!!!
My one complaint (that didn't affect my rating) is that the book should've been broken up with the text in the introduction giving more context after you read the poem. It was over 50 pages! I guess books aren't traditionally written like that but it'd be cool if they were. I came for the poems but here's someone who found her works and chose to provide context, it's fine if we break the mold a lil.
What a blessing that these poems were still available! She's my favorite poet and it's amazing that someone found more of her work! Wow!!!!!
My one complaint (that didn't affect my rating) is that the book should've been broken up with the text in the introduction giving more context after you read the poem. It was over 50 pages! I guess books aren't traditionally written like that but it'd be cool if they were. I came for the poems but here's someone who found her works and chose to provide context, it's fine if we break the mold a lil.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Grief, and War
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Xenophobia
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
3.5
For once, sort of, the experience of the Youngers is not relevant to today. They bought a house for $4k. Somebody had to die for them to afford it. Meanwhile in this present day when most people family die they can't even afford to bury them. Everything else is pretty much the same though. Just called by different names now.
Lorraine Hansberry was definitely ahead of her time.
This may have a higher rating if I actually saw it on stage instead of read / listened to it. I read it in pretty much one sitting to stay true to the theater experience – you can't pause a play, you have to sit through it – and it was still very moving and hooked my attention. But reading and listening to the play I'm sure doesn't compare to actually seeing and living it in the theater.
Lorraine Hansberry was definitely ahead of her time.
This may have a higher rating if I actually saw it on stage instead of read / listened to it. I read it in pretty much one sitting to stay true to the theater experience – you can't pause a play, you have to sit through it – and it was still very moving and hooked my attention. But reading and listening to the play I'm sure doesn't compare to actually seeing and living it in the theater.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Grief, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Blood, and Colonisation
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
3.5
Read with book, reviewed separately.
I kept thinking "I know these voices! Why they sound so familiar!"
I kept thinking "I know these voices! Why they sound so familiar!"
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
challenging
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listened to this audio version while reading the book so I'm not gonna repost my review here.
In the beginning he says Mark Twain's style of writing revolutionized modern American writing and it's very clear how which is really cool but I think books like this should mark the beginning of modern English. Like it's still obviously a classic, still a little uppity, but it at least feels / sounds normal.
Also I looked up when modern English began, 1450 !? That's so wrong. It's been 600 years we definitely in a new era. I say anything before the 1950s should at least be called Old Modern English and the current era be Modern Modern English, but only bc it would be confusing and funny.
In the beginning he says Mark Twain's style of writing revolutionized modern American writing and it's very clear how which is really cool but I think books like this should mark the beginning of modern English. Like it's still obviously a classic, still a little uppity, but it at least feels / sounds normal.
Also I looked up when modern English began, 1450 !? That's so wrong. It's been 600 years we definitely in a new era. I say anything before the 1950s should at least be called Old Modern English and the current era be Modern Modern English, but only bc it would be confusing and funny.
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The moral of the story is that being white makes you instantly evil. Roxy and Tom blamed the 1/16th and 1/32nd Blackness in them for their bad actions but let's take in account the other 15/16ths and 31/32nds mayhaps?
I read this in high school for AP English. I hated the characters then and I hated them now, but I can't deny how good the writing and the story is. However I'll never forgive my high yellow teacher for having a handful of Black and a majority Latinx students popcorn read this book and have the Latinx student be so uncomfortable saying n****r so much. Then one of the girls, MELISSA, said it with her whole chest when we weren't reading, I'll never forget it!
I read this in high school for AP English. I hated the characters then and I hated them now, but I can't deny how good the writing and the story is. However I'll never forgive my high yellow teacher for having a handful of Black and a majority Latinx students popcorn read this book and have the Latinx student be so uncomfortable saying n****r so much. Then one of the girls, MELISSA, said it with her whole chest when we weren't reading, I'll never forget it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Hate crime and Death of parent
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
No, I am not Palestinian. No, I am not from New York nor have I ever been. No, I am not a mother. No, I am not married. No, I have never been a teacher. No, I am not the eldest daughter, nor do I have siblings.
BUT SHE JUST LIKE ME FR !!!!!! I LOVE HER SHE IS ME. ETAF RUM YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS. Perfect writing. Perfect exploration of culture and family. I don't have the words to express how moved I was. Am! She just like me fr !!!!!
BUT SHE JUST LIKE ME FR !!!!!! I LOVE HER SHE IS ME. ETAF RUM YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS. Perfect writing. Perfect exploration of culture and family. I don't have the words to express how moved I was. Am! She just like me fr !!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Iola Leroy, Or Shadows Uplifted by Frances E.W. Harper
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
An interesting peak into the state of America / Black America a hundred years ago. I don't feel that the one drop rule has the same weight as it used to for obvious reasons that are partially predicted in the book. Harper couldn't account for the burgeoning Black bourgeoisie era that was on the horizon, which leads to a lack of recognition of the one drop rule today, but also not really. I mention that because the book doesn't have the same weight to me as someone who's viewing these characters as white people. They are described as pretty and beautiful, straight up with pale white skin and blue eyes and fair hair. The term for them is octoroons. At least two characters are told to just assimilate as it'll be easier and they wouldn't have to explain things, and I understand why they didn't but 160ish years removed from that era, it's just not relevant or a question anymore. Maybe in some areas. I also mention all this because it's harder for me to have sympathy for the troubles whites go through, and in this current era those people are white, because in that era they were so white they were told to assimilate! It seems like I'm erasing their stories but I honestly went into this book hoping for a story where a Black author let Black people shine and multiple pages / chapters are dedicated to showing and telling the audience that the darker skinned Black people were uneducated, ignorant, and come from heathen / pagan / non-Christian ancestry. These things are what give it a low rating for me. The writing is pretty smooth and beautiful even with it being older, which is usually hard for me to read, but the Black bourgeois era was probably finding its footing when this book was written and published. Many if those ideas still plague the community to this day.
Also it was weirdly anti-alcohol. Like in a preachy way. Clearly written before the Prohibition era. I'm a person who is very anti-alcohol myself and even I was like ew don't tell me what to do.
Also it was weirdly anti-alcohol. Like in a preachy way. Clearly written before the Prohibition era. I'm a person who is very anti-alcohol myself and even I was like ew don't tell me what to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Maybe the real Psychos were the Americans we made along the way...
A book is bad when I have to question what purpose it served humanity. I am a person who fundamentally believes that all art can be made with no reason or goal in mind; art for art's sake; art because the person who made it felt something, felt they had to get it out, felt they had something to share with the world. I read this book because I wanted to watch the movie, yes I'm that kind of person, and I wish I could unread it. What purpose did this book serve to the greater good of humanity? Fuck the greater good, what contribution to humanity does this book give? It has no analysis, no deeper introspection into the era, the mindset of the people. There's no meat on the bone that is this book.
It has its moments and its beauty, for sure. I love the stream of consciousness and unreliable narration, I love the speaking to the audience, the break rom reality and seeing things in the perspective of a movie, sure. Those elements are great. But as a whole? I never question why art is made. There's art I like and art I don't like. It's easy for me to spot art I like, It's easy for me to spot art I don't like, and there are definitely things that lie in a middle grey area, but for all three of those things I almost never question why it was made. It's an inherently fascist idea to say art should have a purpose else it is a waste of time or attention but this is one of the few exceptions I've encountered. The movie better be good after the shit I just read.
And to be clear, I'm not just mad at the content of the book. It was very upsetting sure, butabout a quarter in is when you get to the first kill and it's mentioned nonchalant. So you read almost 100 pages and finally get to the part you came for. Most of this book is a whole lot of nothing. It works, only because that's the style of this particular type of writing, but once the kills start to ramp up it's like Oh, you wasted my time, and now this is TOO intense. And I'm sure the whiplash was also purposeful, and I'm starting to get a little too nitpicky, but there are things that are more important / could have been more central to the plot that were not given any spotlight.
I tried to find it in my heart to give it a higher rating, I really did, but I can't lie to my future self who will reread this review and go "damn, the book was that bad?" Hi, future self. To answer your question: No. The book was much worse.
A book is bad when I have to question what purpose it served humanity. I am a person who fundamentally believes that all art can be made with no reason or goal in mind; art for art's sake; art because the person who made it felt something, felt they had to get it out, felt they had something to share with the world. I read this book because I wanted to watch the movie, yes I'm that kind of person, and I wish I could unread it. What purpose did this book serve to the greater good of humanity? Fuck the greater good, what contribution to humanity does this book give? It has no analysis, no deeper introspection into the era, the mindset of the people. There's no meat on the bone that is this book.
It has its moments and its beauty, for sure. I love the stream of consciousness and unreliable narration, I love the speaking to the audience, the break rom reality and seeing things in the perspective of a movie, sure. Those elements are great. But as a whole? I never question why art is made. There's art I like and art I don't like. It's easy for me to spot art I like, It's easy for me to spot art I don't like, and there are definitely things that lie in a middle grey area, but for all three of those things I almost never question why it was made. It's an inherently fascist idea to say art should have a purpose else it is a waste of time or attention but this is one of the few exceptions I've encountered. The movie better be good after the shit I just read.
And to be clear, I'm not just mad at the content of the book. It was very upsetting sure, but
I tried to find it in my heart to give it a higher rating, I really did, but I can't lie to my future self who will reread this review and go "damn, the book was that bad?" Hi, future self. To answer your question: No. The book was much worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion
Gone Wolf by Amber McBride
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.5
I had very conflicting feelings about the first section of the book. It's a good way to teach kids about fascism and the horros of American history, and present day honestly, but many of the elements left me feeling sour toward it.
Then I read the next section. Things made a lot more sense.
Despite not liking it at first, this would've been the perfect book for me around this age. It would've warped my little brain, I would've been obsessed with it, I know it.Some / many of the ideas and characters were irresponsible concepts to have children read about until you get to Black and you learn the story is actually coming from a 12 year old girl trying to make sense of the world. My opinion changed because this was the same stuff going on in my 8 to 12 year old mind. Outside of that context, my opinion on the book would've been bad / worse.
The writing is good and I didn't feel like it talked down to the target age range, more like it met them where they were, which I appreciate.
Then I read the next section. Things made a lot more sense.
Despite not liking it at first, this would've been the perfect book for me around this age. It would've warped my little brain, I would've been obsessed with it, I know it.
The writing is good and I didn't feel like it talked down to the target age range, more like it met them where they were, which I appreciate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Hate crime, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, and Self harm