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rachelfayreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Torture, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Rape, Xenophobia, War, Racism, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Sexism, Death of parent, and Colonisation
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“Unusual, pretty things fill the store, mirrors and coral necklaces and leather-bound notebooks. But she must be onto something, because people want beautiful things even in hard times—perhaps especially in hard times—and the store keeps her afloat. Atef ends each trip feeling wistful, watching his daughter living the life she has foraged, like an island survivor in a palace of shells.”
“A wolf can be killed. Trapped, skinned. But Alia knows that certain men—she remembers them, with their flags and their teeth—have skin like steel, are reborn into other men in the morning, grow more terrible, more powerful, with each sun.”
“For years she kept a poster taped above her desk of a young man mid-hurl, a stone flying in the air. Along the border were sentences calligraphed in Arabic. His arm arched like an arrow, his face hidden beneath a scarf. The stone had just left his fingertips. A part of her knew such posters were romanticism, envy at best. Still, she hoped he hit what he was aiming for.”
- HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi
- THE STAR SIDE OF BIRD HILL by Naomi Jackson
- THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett
- PACHINKO by Min Jin Lee—TBR
- WILD THORNS by Sahar Khalifeh—TBR
- MY FATHER WAS A FREEDOM FIGHTER by Ramzy Baroud—TBR
Graphic: Rape and Torture
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Dementia, War, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Rape
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Colonisation, Genocide, Islamophobia, Rape, Racism, Death, and War
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
And woven throughout each generation are moments of raw tenderness that boldly refute the dehumanization and violent caricaturization of Arab men we’ve witnessed through the last several decades. Instead: Mustafa, cradling a baby bird for his sister. Mustafa, practicing a speech for hours to get it just right. Mustafa, released from prison, kneeling to kiss his mother’s feet as he whispers never again. Atef making wishes to the moon with Riham. Atef drinking tea in the garden every afternoon with his daughter. Karam calming his mother’s fears and his sister’s anger. Zain reeling in Linah’s wild temper and restlessness. Alyan whispering to us: see this, and this, and this. Every life, an entire universe.
Graphic: Colonisation and War
Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Confinement
Minor: Abandonment, Vomit, Rape, and Abortion
dragongirl271's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Racism, Dementia, War, Xenophobia, and Self harm
Minor: Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, and Domestic abuse
ayeshanagaria's review against another edition
- 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
it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while, and really delves into the flaws of characters borne through generational trauma – highly, highly recommend to anyone looking to bring nuance and life to the headlines and statistics of the past few weeks
just incredible muslim literature <3
Moderate: Rape
jobaji's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: War, Colonisation, Dementia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Police brutality, and Torture
Minor: Rape
brilliantsilver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape
erinblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: War
Minor: Rape