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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC of this book! The author did a great job narrating the book, and I felt compelled to continue reading, which is why I finished this so quickly.
I will say there’s quite a bit of internalized ableism, racism, and classism, especially in the beginning of this book as NS reflects on her childhood. She discusses growing up on the Upper East Side and not even really recognizing that she was Palestinian-Lebanese or “different” until she was a teenager. I totally recognize the authenticity and vulnerability in sharing this naivety and sheltered perspective, but I almost wish she spent less time focusing on that, and more time reflecting on and investigating her adulthood as she came into her own and began to really connect to her cultural background.
Suffice to say, my favorite parts of the book were the last 20% of it because that’s where she finally shares more on her own experiences with learning about Gaza and the West Bank, Zionism, and apartheid. NS’s father was a prominent advocate for a free Palestine, which is why I find it so wild that NS really didn’t understand nor take interest in learning about this until she was a new adult. However, I of course give her grace, as we all have our own journeys. It’s just fascinating to me.
Anyway, it was an easy-to-listen-to audiobook, and I’m glad NS is using her privilege and position of influence to talk about Palestine.
Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC of this book! The author did a great job narrating the book, and I felt compelled to continue reading, which is why I finished this so quickly.
I will say there’s quite a bit of internalized ableism, racism, and classism, especially in the beginning of this book as NS reflects on her childhood. She discusses growing up on the Upper East Side and not even really recognizing that she was Palestinian-Lebanese or “different” until she was a teenager. I totally recognize the authenticity and vulnerability in sharing this naivety and sheltered perspective, but I almost wish she spent less time focusing on that, and more time reflecting on and investigating her adulthood as she came into her own and began to really connect to her cultural background.
Suffice to say, my favorite parts of the book were the last 20% of it because that’s where she finally shares more on her own experiences with learning about Gaza and the West Bank, Zionism, and apartheid. NS’s father was a prominent advocate for a free Palestine, which is why I find it so wild that NS really didn’t understand nor take interest in learning about this until she was a new adult. However, I of course give her grace, as we all have our own journeys. It’s just fascinating to me.
Anyway, it was an easy-to-listen-to audiobook, and I’m glad NS is using her privilege and position of influence to talk about Palestine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Xenophobia, Eating disorder, Islamophobia, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Genocide, Ableism, Body shaming, and Death of parent
qnawal97's review
3.0
I had such an in depth review that this stupid glitchy app deleted lol, but tldr; this was an ok book that perhaps meant more to the author than it does to the reader and also kind of made me feel less inspired by her father in the way that he has been made to be known by the Palestinian movement. It also sucks that much like the Arab world has a hierarchy of sorts, that hierarchy was ultimately reflected in this author’s own feelings about her identity with her feeling more proud of her Lebanese background and less inclined towards her Palestinian one but I guess thats makes sense since much like many people, she was never able to become close to it since she lost all ancestral ties to the region when her family left before the Nakba. Also, I think it can be a lot of pressure to be a daughter of such a prominent writer because then it unfortunately leads to increased scrutiny of your own work.
lafoliedujour's review against another edition
1.0
Well, that was disappointing. I went into this expecting a compelling story of a search for identity and political awakening. However, that was not the case.
What irked me most wasn’t the incredibly misleading title, or that she failed to bring to life any of the characters she wrote about, or that the writing was mediocre at best, but it was the fact that she witnessed the Lebanese Civil War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the 11th September attacks yet the extent of her political commentary is something akin to ‘there are good and bad people on both sides.’ I couldn’t help but find this laughable.
What irked me most wasn’t the incredibly misleading title, or that she failed to bring to life any of the characters she wrote about, or that the writing was mediocre at best, but it was the fact that she witnessed the Lebanese Civil War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the 11th September attacks yet the extent of her political commentary is something akin to ‘there are good and bad people on both sides.’ I couldn’t help but find this laughable.
tazisbooked's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
kelswid's review
3.0
I am trying to say this neutrally, but…….when she said this was adapted from her one-woman show I was like “oh that makes sense”
caitfoges's review
3.0
This book was not what I expected, and I am honestly not sure how I feel about it. The writing itself leaves much to be desired, as the author does a whole lot more "telling" than "showing" and repeats herself quite a bit. It still mostly held my attention though, I think due to Najla's candid voice and my prior interest in the subject matter.
As an American who lived in the Middle East for several years, I definitely related to Najla grappling with her privilege while interacting with the region, yet I was frustrated with how long it took her to get to this point. For much of the book, I struggled to be sympathetic as she complained about not liking her fancy summer camp or being a little less wealthy than the others at her high-class prep school in New York. She did encounter aspects of the war in Lebanon during summer vacations, which I am sure was challenging, but also she was able to fairly easily escape, unlike her extended family.
I don't want to be too harsh though, as I realize everyone is on their own journey of understanding the world and their place in it (including me, of course). I do relate to some of the very real difficulties Najla faced (especially her anxiety), and I admit to not really understanding others (what it's like to live as an immigrant in America).
In the end, I think this memoir does bring up some important issues through an interesting perspective. I can see it having a powerful impact on young Arab Americans wrestling to come to terms with their personal identities, as demonstrated through the touching quote on the final page.
As an American who lived in the Middle East for several years, I definitely related to Najla grappling with her privilege while interacting with the region, yet I was frustrated with how long it took her to get to this point. For much of the book, I struggled to be sympathetic as she complained about not liking her fancy summer camp or being a little less wealthy than the others at her high-class prep school in New York. She did encounter aspects of the war in Lebanon during summer vacations, which I am sure was challenging, but also she was able to fairly easily escape, unlike her extended family.
I don't want to be too harsh though, as I realize everyone is on their own journey of understanding the world and their place in it (including me, of course). I do relate to some of the very real difficulties Najla faced (especially her anxiety), and I admit to not really understanding others (what it's like to live as an immigrant in America).
In the end, I think this memoir does bring up some important issues through an interesting perspective. I can see it having a powerful impact on young Arab Americans wrestling to come to terms with their personal identities, as demonstrated through the touching quote on the final page.