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internationalreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Death of parent, Child death, Animal death, Colonisation, Blood, War, Violence, Racism, Medical content, Hate crime, Grief, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Death, Antisemitism, and Alcoholism
booksonadventures's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For readers of Pachinko and Homegoing, another multigenerational saga to shed light on untold stories.
First released in 2006, Mornings in Jenin is credited as the first mainstream novel in English to explore life in post-1948 Palestine. Being "the first" always comes with a lot of pressure, but Abulhawa delivers with a detailed and well-researched timeline of events. As a result, this novel is more historically dense than some of her other works, at times sacrificing story and character development in her commitment to walk the reader through Israeli occupation from the Palestinian perspective.
Abulhawa's attention to detail is for the benefit of western readers, but political specifics are less important to refugees of Jenin who have been displaced and terrorized in response to shifting borders. This is the truth that we all need to understand about war, civilians always pay the highest price in times of conflict.
Although Mornings in Jenin is unable to match my love for Against the Loveless World (only because I prefer a more story-driven approach), I still relished Abulhawa's heartfelt writing. I also feel like a more empathetic and informed person having read it... especially because I spent more time researching these events & context than I did actually reading the book.
First released in 2006, Mornings in Jenin is credited as the first mainstream novel in English to explore life in post-1948 Palestine. Being "the first" always comes with a lot of pressure, but Abulhawa delivers with a detailed and well-researched timeline of events. As a result, this novel is more historically dense than some of her other works, at times sacrificing story and character development in her commitment to walk the reader through Israeli occupation from the Palestinian perspective.
Abulhawa's attention to detail is for the benefit of western readers, but political specifics are less important to refugees of Jenin who have been displaced and terrorized in response to shifting borders. This is the truth that we all need to understand about war, civilians always pay the highest price in times of conflict.
Although Mornings in Jenin is unable to match my love for Against the Loveless World (only because I prefer a more story-driven approach), I still relished Abulhawa's heartfelt writing. I also feel like a more empathetic and informed person having read it... especially because I spent more time researching these events & context than I did actually reading the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Death
writingcaia's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
You will never be the same after this book.
It’s hard to transmit all I’ve felt during it, even now after a few hours.
This book is not only informative and deeply meshed into the history of Palestine, the culture, the family ties, the smell and love of that country, it is also a very open window into the invasion/occupation and conflict with Israel, the camps, the ethnic cleansing, and all the atrocities of the apartheid since.
Although this is the fictional story of a Palestinian family going back three generations when they’re first taken from their ancestral home in 1967 and forced into the Jenin refugee camp travelling time and countries to end in 2003, this is still based on hundreds of real stories that happened during those 40 years.
A book that I now consider a must read to all that want to understand humanity at its most intense level of experience, from love to hatred, loss and despair to hope, from war to art.
The writing is poetic and deeply resonating, and the way it tells of the love of country and people even through such severe loss is humbling and takes you on a journey inside your own feelings as you follow those in this tale.
I cried, despaired, and raged, and still feel the aftershock of all the information, all this history, all these feelings, this is definitely not a book for the faint hearted still I cannot recommend it enough, and will be doing so forever more.
It’s hard to transmit all I’ve felt during it, even now after a few hours.
This book is not only informative and deeply meshed into the history of Palestine, the culture, the family ties, the smell and love of that country, it is also a very open window into the invasion/occupation and conflict with Israel, the camps, the ethnic cleansing, and all the atrocities of the apartheid since.
Although this is the fictional story of a Palestinian family going back three generations when they’re first taken from their ancestral home in 1967 and forced into the Jenin refugee camp travelling time and countries to end in 2003, this is still based on hundreds of real stories that happened during those 40 years.
A book that I now consider a must read to all that want to understand humanity at its most intense level of experience, from love to hatred, loss and despair to hope, from war to art.
The writing is poetic and deeply resonating, and the way it tells of the love of country and people even through such severe loss is humbling and takes you on a journey inside your own feelings as you follow those in this tale.
I cried, despaired, and raged, and still feel the aftershock of all the information, all this history, all these feelings, this is definitely not a book for the faint hearted still I cannot recommend it enough, and will be doing so forever more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, Genocide, Hate crime, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child death, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage
avidlyalexis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, and War
kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rep:
- full Palestinian cast
- Muslim MCs and SCs
- Jewish MC and SCs
...I don't even know where to start.
If you're looking for a book that may put you through a bunch of emotional turmoil as the reader, this is your book. It follows four generations of a Palestinian family, from before Al Nakba to a couple years after 9/11, as they try to make a life after Israeli occupation and war uproots them from their ancestral home. It dealt with the horrors of war and genocide, which was contrasted by the beautiful purple prose. If you connect with the writing early on, you will probably be put through the wringer repeatedly as you read.
I will say this: I do not regret reading Mornings in Jenin. It's unbelievably sad and, at times, hard to get through. But I appreciate every minute I put in to reading it, and I hope you do, too, if you decide to pick it up.
However, please pay attention to the content warnings.
A full review will be on my blog next week.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
The ableism also includes internalized ableism. Other warnings include: war (graphic); bombing (graphic); execution (graphic); effects of trauma (moderate to graphic)
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