Tag Archives: Racism

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of racism.

See also White supremacy, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Antiziganism.

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland

For the first time the Joker’s origin is revealed in this tale of insanity and human perseverance. Looking to prove that any man can be pushed past his breaking point and go mad, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane.

After shooting and permanently paralyzing his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl), the Joker kidnaps the commissioner and attacks his mind in hopes of breaking the man.

But refusing to give up, Gordon maintains his sanity with the help of Batman in an effort to beset the madman.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Sexual assault
  • Paralysis
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping
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The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils … Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Racism
  • Rape
  • Paedophilia & incest mentioned
  • Child abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Graphic suicide
  • Self-harm
  • Recreational drug use
  • Bullying
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Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P Manansala

Arsenic & Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties. But when a notoriously nasty food critic ex-boyfriend drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Racism
  • Domestic violence mentioned
  • Drug abuse
  • Police intimidation
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An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

It’s 2003, the US officially declared war on Iraq and the American political world evolved. Hate crimes are on the rise, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down. She’s too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart—it’s broken. Shadi tries soldiering through, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes. She explodes.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Islamophobia
  • Domestic violence & abuse
  • Attempted suicide
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Self-harm
  • Panic Disorder & panic attacks
  • Drug use
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Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried. Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book – he thinks he’s made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor… never to Eleanor. Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs, including the fetishization of Asian characters
  • Ableism & ableist slur
  • Fatphobia & body shaming
  • Transphobia
  • Domestic abuse & child abuse
  • Alcoholism
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Recreational drug use
  • Bullying

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma Carstairs must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Racism
  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Rape by coercion mentioned
  • Psychological, emotional & physical child abuse recounted
  • Trauma (theme)
  • Nightmares
  • Schizophrenia
  • Hallucinations
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Emesis
  • Physical injuries
  • Cancer mentioned
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a brother
  • Death of a mother & father
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping
  • Home invasion
  • Exile
  • Drowning
  • Fire
  • Whipping
  • Cults
  • War themes including graphic battle scenes
  • Bullying
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The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. When he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Attempted forced abortion
  • Stockholm Syndrome
  • Kidnapping & captivity
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City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian—but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableism & ableist language
  • Homomisia & queermisia
  • Racism
  • Hate crimes
  • Attempted rape & sexual assault recounted
  • Incest
  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Parental abandonment
  • Intimate partner violence recounted
  • Cheating recounted
  • Nightmares
  • Suicide, self-sacrifice & attempted suicide
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Self-inflicted injuries
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a brother & sister
  • Death of a mother & father
  • Death of a husband & wife
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Blackmail
  • Exile
  • Drowning
  • Fire
  • Whipping recounted
  • Disappearance of a loved one
  • War themes including graphic battle scenes
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive. His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan.

But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show weakness to anyone – even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists. When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, Okonowo takes violent action. Will the great man’s dangerous pride eventually destroy him?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Misogyny
  • Religious persecution
  • Suicide
  • Colonialism
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Beloved by Toni Morrison

Beloved by Toni Morrison

In the troubled years following the Civil War, the spirit of a murdered child haunts the Ohio home of a former slave. This angry, destructive ghost breaks mirrors, leaves its fingerprints in cake icing, and generally makes life difficult for Sethe and her family; nevertheless, the woman finds the haunting oddly comforting for the spirit is that of her own dead baby, never named, thought of only as Beloved.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racial slurs
  • Slavery
  • Sexual assault (forced fellatio) & gang rape
  • Bestiality mentioned
  • Murder of an infant by a handsaw
  • Strangulation