Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

16 reviews

crystaljacksonwriter's review

dark emotional hopeful slow-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

4.25

This started slowly for me, but by the time the story transitions into college years, I was hooked. This was a beautiful story of both friendship and the power of women to change lives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Death of parent and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War

nataliebootlah's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

“Shir zan. A woman with the courage of a lion.” 

 

This gave me the FEEEEELS. I haven’t been touched by a book like this in a long time, what a gift! 

 

I knew next to nothing about the Iranian Revolution prior to reading this. Despite that, Kamali beautifully mixed fiction with historical facts to tell the tale of two young girls from different socio-economic classes become fierce friends. This is their story. The themes of girlhood, feminism, courage, political upheaval, resilience, and friendship—among others—portrayed in this story are relatable and incredibly timely. 

 

There were moments that had me laughing, crying, and rereading portions due to their profoundness. Sadly, it does not go unnoticed that the struggle for women’s rights seen in these pages is reminiscent of what many women around the world still face today, even here in America. And yet, this story sprinkles a bit of light into the darkness. 

 

What a truly fascinating, heartfelt read! One of the best I’ve read this year so far. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

llamallama527's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

Probably the easiest five stars I've ever given a book. The narration is impeccable. The story is incredible. I learned so much - about history, about Iranian culture, and more. And it's current relevance (I'm thinking specifically of the U.S. but I know it's relevant elsewhere as well) is astounding. A beautiful story of family and friendship, of betrayal and forgiveness, of despair and hope, of fear and love. Just incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Alcohol, and Classism

kimveach's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

4.25

This book resonated with me.  The story of women losing their rights in Iran in the late 1970s due to conservative religious men seems very timely.  The friendship between two young girls who grow into very different women is lovely.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage

ringofkeyz's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Misogyny, Police brutality, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review

emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

arkwen452's review against another edition

I thought I could get through this book because I understood Elle's desire for a friend and her feeling of isolation. But the toxic nature of her relationship with her mother at only 7!? Years old seems to trigger me. The classism, misogyny are very present and she's only in middle school. Don't think I can handle how things progress. I should stay away from books with mother/daughter relationships too I think 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Classism

clairebartholomew549's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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

4.0

This is a really striking story about generational change, what it means to fight for justice in your own way, lifelong friendships, and making peace or making waves. I felt deeply for both Homa and Ellie, and I learned so much about Iran. This book also had vivid descriptions of food that had my mouth watering, and it told a beautiful story of how food connects us and has so many memories and significance. The love story between Homa and Eleah really starts and ends with food, and it was a really meaningful throughline. It also made me very hungry, lol!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

story_singer_101's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• 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

5.0

 This book is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. The prose was beautiful, the characters were realistic and had nuanced, complicated, and understandable relational dynamics, and hard, traumatic topics were discussed with sensitivity without ever being graphic in their depictions. In addition, this book had one of the best depictions of and conversations about feminism that I’ve seen in a while.

There are several common tropes that I’ve seen in stories revolving around feminism that I find horribly annoying and often offensive:
1) A character’s entire personality and arc is reduced to “I am woman, hear me roar.” Women deserve more interesting and nuanced stories than just that one plot! Do men get all the other plots and we are only allowed to have ones that are about us overcoming the limitations placed on us because of our gender? Isn’t that just making the sexism worse by reducing all women to a single story?

2) Women are portrayed as being victims of a world consisting in its entirety of either brutish and predatory men who view the women as objects and never take responsibility for their actions or clueless and naive men who don’t realize how oppressive they’re being all the time and wont listen when told otherwise (one of the tv shows I’m watching right now has a ridiculous number of men that fit into this second category, so I’m extra salty about it right now 😆).

3) Women are provided with only one option for what it means to be a strong woman—normally some kind of career-minded girlboss—and any woman who chooses to be a stay at home wife or mother is viewed as brainwashed and oppressed. Doesn’t supporting women’s rights and choices mean that women have the right to choose to be a stay at home mom just as much as they have the right to choose to pursue a competitive career? Isn’t telling women they have no choice put to pursue a career just as sexist as saying women have no choice but to be a wife and mother?

This book avoids all three tropes. It depicts both men and women as multi-dimensional characters with complex motivations and inherent human dignity. Women are portrayed as men’s equals in their capacity for greatness and their capacity to make horrible, life-altering mistakes. They’re portrayed as regular, normal people. People who deserve to be treated with the respect and care that comes from all people being equal before God. People who deserve justice for the ways those rights and that inherent dignity and equality have been stripped from them by their fellow human beings. People who have hopes and dreams and who are petty, courageous, and loving just like anyone else.

That’s a feminism I can wholeheartedly support. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

bree_of_the_woods's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, and War

Minor: Infidelity