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samdalefox's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.0
This was on my to-read list for a while, and now felt the right time to read it (October-November 2023) as the genocide is underway. It feels like one more small (indirect) action of solidarity I can do, to understand the personal lives of Palestinians. The story follows protagonist, young Palestinian woman Nahr, and how her life unfolds being displaced, discriminated againist, exploited, and punished for pursuing resistance against Israel. It is a finctional story made up of various peoples' real-life experiences. As such, the story feels very realistic, which makes the violence even more horrible.
This was a glorious and heart wrenching scream of Palestinian identity. Nahr is a woman of many names and many countries. The narrative showcases the challenges faced by the Palestinian people while emphasizing their remarkable resilience, demonstrating their capacity to find hope and joy amidst heartbreak and injustice. It is an ordinary tale that showcases the extraordinary spirit of Palestinian people. Tough to get through (see content warnings), but a great way to get people to recognise Palestinians as wonderful, complex, oppressed people who need our solidarity and support.
Favourite quotes
This was a glorious and heart wrenching scream of Palestinian identity. Nahr is a woman of many names and many countries. The narrative showcases the challenges faced by the Palestinian people while emphasizing their remarkable resilience, demonstrating their capacity to find hope and joy amidst heartbreak and injustice. It is an ordinary tale that showcases the extraordinary spirit of Palestinian people. Tough to get through (see content warnings), but a great way to get people to recognise Palestinians as wonderful, complex, oppressed people who need our solidarity and support.
Favourite quotes
"I find that reporters and writers that come here don't actually want to listen to me or hear my thoughts, except where I might validate what they already believe" .
"I had not known the extent of our subordination until I knew what it meant to be respected."
"When powerless, following world events only highlights your impotence"
"I should have said it again, that her embroidery was more special than any desk job could be, that she was an artist, that western images of professional women don't have to apply to us, that concepts of respectability and modernity or manufactured".
"The ceaseless accumulation of injustice made me want to fight the world"
"Can something expected still be surprising?"
"The belonging and acceptance I had found was an illusion."
"I colonised the colonisers' space of authority. I made myself free in chains and held that courtroom captive to my freedom."
"The state will always find a way to imprison those who are truly free. Who do not accept social, economic, or political chains."
"You must accept them and accept them with love, for these innocent people have no other hope. They are in effect still trapped in a history which they do not understand and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it." - James Baldwin
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Classism, Confinement, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Torture, War, Sexism, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
Minor: Antisemitism, Murder, Hate crime, Infertility, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, and Grief
The protagonist does sex work for a while, which carries the usual increased risk of harms listed above.
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