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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Mixed feelings- at times this read as a memoir, other times as a higher ed lecture, sometimes like a novel, sometimes as if ripped from the headlines. had to go back at times and relisten. I have not had the experiences expressed by the author, but remember all too well the backlash against all people who "looked like an arab" after 911. Hard to imagine what that felt like then, or what the continued discrimination feels like now... but trying to understand what the ignorance, anger and despair of some have done to the lives of others. Kind of wish there was a map forward
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-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
I was going to give this book 2 stars but I’ll settle for 3. This book was too long, too self indulgent, and spent too much time describing having sex in detail & describing the genitalia of different women in detail. In other words, there was too much in-depth discussion of how much the author slept around w/o seeming reason. But I’m giving it 3 b/c some lines were funny or insightful.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really more so a collection of short stories. At times brushing the boundary of didactic yet enlightening all the same. Seems like there’s a lot of cliches but that appears to be the intent — providing an overarching commentary on modern American life, especially from the lens of someone from the Muslim world. Ayad and the cast of characters serves as an amalgamation of different experiences. Bold and ambitious project handled impressively well. Particularly fascinating to view through the lens of forthcoming second Trump term.
Phenomenal. An honest portrait of the immigrant experience and the experience of People of Color in America. This is singularly the best example of autofiction I have ever read. When I picked it up, I couldn’t imagine that it would live up to all the hype, but I would be unsurprised and delighted if this won the Pulitzer this year.
It's hard to know where fiction ends and reality begins in this novel/memoir. After reading Akhtar's debut novel (reviewed here) this winter, I knew I had to read this one and was even more drawn in by his candid explorations of post-9/11 American society and being Muslim in the Trump era. Weaving together personal story, political commentary, vignettes about wealth, privilege, and culture, this novel/memoir complicates our understanding of so many ideas and narratives. The single emotion that rises to the surface in these accounts is rage. And yet, this rage is so mundane, so frustratingly ordinary. Amidst the rage is also humor, and heartache, and deep longing. This is artistic, witty, and wise, and so worth the read.
4.5 stars. Part fiction, part memoir, part essay collection about identity, religion, politics, america, family, community, capitalism, home. I blew through this in two days & have been thinking about it for days since. A little disjointed at times but I think this mostly enhances the experience in this case.
I really wanted to like this one but I kind of struggled to get through it. Things I liked: the writing is good and at times wonderful, I learned a good deal about middle eastern/ south Asian history, as well as Muslim and Pakistani culture, I liked learning about what it feels like to be an American from another perspective.
Things I didn’t like: it felt a little disconnected- like part memoir and part fiction, I didn’t expect it to be so sad and depressing but many parts of the book were both, disappointment in people, it felt a bit dense and heavy to get through. Maybe I was just not in the headspace for a depressing memoir with long historical antidotes.
Things I didn’t like: it felt a little disconnected- like part memoir and part fiction, I didn’t expect it to be so sad and depressing but many parts of the book were both, disappointment in people, it felt a bit dense and heavy to get through. Maybe I was just not in the headspace for a depressing memoir with long historical antidotes.