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bookwoman1967's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is extremely interesting. But don't overlook the subtitle - it is to a greater extent memoir than travel narrative or history, although it is framed by the author's travels and Mennonite history. Even though the language can be exquisitely polished, it is as if she has a visceral need to share every thought she has. Words seem to be her very life, and working with them the reason for her writing, almost more than any narrative. It's a beautiful book, just a bit . . . fragmented and inward looking.
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
The White Mosque is an outstanding and wide-ranging memoir about the curiousness of religion and religious difference, the desire for community, and the unexpected relationships that come out of travel and history and time to think while riding a tour bus across a desert. Samatar writes in an open, self-questioning, thoughtful way. She takes care in writing about both her disappointments and her joy as she travels; in creating canny portraits of her fellow-travelers; and in relating the history of the places she visits. I can't wait to read more of her work. Highly recommended.
eternalsamnation's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
The White Mosque is among the most intersectional pieces of literature I’ve come across in more ways than one. Its author, Sofia Samatar, is the daughter of Somali and Swiss Mennonites, undertaking a research pilgrimage in Central Asia, grappling with the legacy of her German Mennonite ancestors in the area, along with the khanates and Russian presences that predate the arrival of Class Epp Jr. in Ak Metchet. Already weaving together seemingly disparate histories and identities, Samatar’s writing seems to be intersectional even in its style, moving in a flow of thought from history to poetry to memory. The content of the book is truly fascinating, but the narrative can languish when stuck in the bog of a tangential passage, and some thoughts are explored in-depth disproportionately to how interesting or connected they are to the central voyage. All in all a brilliantly unique work that’s perhaps a tad unhurried and unfocused, but nevertheless consistently interesting.
valodniece's review
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
A very interesting history and travelogue, brought to life by someone uniquely positioned to write about the variety of worlds that collide within. My only wish would be if there had been more focus in the telling, rather than jumping about with topics, which sometimes meant some were repeated over and over, while others were left barely explored.
rmuthiah's review against another edition
2.0
This is a memoir and a history. She writes about Mennonites who moved to central Asia in the 1880s. She also writes about being on a current tour of that area. She goes back and forth. She also adds in a lot of her own thoughts and process related to her story.
juliaehill's review
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This is loosely a memoir about belonging and outsider-ness, but more a travelogue and exploration of the history of a Mennonite community that left Russia for present-day Uzbekistan in the late 1800s. The writing style is fragmented into prisms of haunting and linguistically rich short stories. A slow-paced read that you will need some time to absorb, and a fascinating look at a religion I knew little about and a country I am eager to one day visit.