#theremoved

Books I finished last week: @gingerhazing’s enchanting #Nimona and @brandon.hobson.7’s haunting #TheRemoved. 📚 #amreading #bookstagram #readharder https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSdNHCJFaA/?igshid=xr1my7zk2ki0

✨The Removed✨ . QOTD: What are you currently reading? . The Removed follows a Cherokee family preparing for a bonfire to honor their son and brother, Ray-Ray who was a victim of police brutality fifteen years earlier. . This isn’t an easy read, not just because of the subject matter, but because the way the story is told isn’t a structure you might be used to if you tend to only read white, western authors. Though this book is only 270 pages, it takes time to process and think about. Without spoiling anything, there are chapters that do not take place in the real world. There are chapters told from the perspective of an ancestor of the family that don’t seem immediately connected to the main story but if you sit and think and maybe watch some interviews and do some outside research, the genius of this book starts to become more apparent. This story draws from Cherokee folklore as well as history. There are discussions about, not only the trauma that has impacted this family in their lifetimes but also intergenerational trauma. I am reminded of Toni Morrison’s Beloved when I think about this book though they are still very different. I really enjoyed it and if you’re in the mood for a book that forces you to take it slow and think, I’d suggest picking this up. Flying through it just because it’s short probably won’t give you the best experience and taking it slow is worth it. . Please check out own voices reviewers for this book as I am not Indigenous and will certainly have missed some of the nuance and maybe even some important aspects of this story. . Trigger warnings include: Death of a family member Alzheimer’s Addiction Police Brutality Racism Mention of animal abuse, Physical abuse Suicide attempt . #theremoved #brandonhobson #contemporary #indigenousliterature #botm #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookblogger #bookblog #bookishcommunity #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookishlovegroup #bookishlove #readersofinstagram #reader #books #book #bookworm #bookish #instabook #booksofinstagram #bookphotography #read #booklove #booksbooksbooks #instabooks #igreads #bookcommunity (at Wilmington, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKJ1L2RAJJW/?igshid=9mz5xoqqp972