Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

28 reviews

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Torture, Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, Genocide, Child death, and War

morybaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Hate crime, War, Violence, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

nineinchnails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

5.0

 this book broke me. this was definitely hard to get through at some parts, knowing it was first published in 2006, because despite it being 2023 almost nothing has changed. this is technically historical fiction but so much of this has been written around real life events in palestine and even if the characters are fictional their trauma isn't. the story is beautifully written (albeit slightly confusing with the switching of narrator) and gut-wrenchingly painful. it follows the lives of 4 generations within a single family against the backdrop of 1948-2002 palestine.

it feels weird to rate this book like i would other fiction novels, since many of these fictional events are recurring as we speak. what i will say is that anyone even slightly interested in learning about palestine stands to gain a lot from reading this book. while it is definitely heavy and dark, it shows so much beauty in the land and culture too. the story switches hands between characters a fair amount here but i think it works in its favour and is necessary to tell this particular story. i don't think anything i write here could do this book justice but i loved this book from front to cover and i don't think the contents will ever leave my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Grief, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Gore, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Hate crime, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, Dementia, Blood, Confinement, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Torture

Minor: Incest, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Rape

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

So much sadness in this book. I am admittedly anti Zionist. I cannot fathom the entitlement they feel they have based on the writings of men long gone. Neither can i fathom the pain that brought them back. But it seems they too cannot fathom the pain they are rendering on people undeserving of it. This book seems to reinforce all of that for me - people behaving badly, people trying to survive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Death, Grief, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Genocide, War, and Xenophobia

mariekeroos's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Racism, Gore, Colonisation, Violence, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, and Child death

liannaengland's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Xenophobia, Child death, Death, Rape, Animal death, Torture, Racism, Murder, Islamophobia, and Violence

sangsmiles's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Torture, Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, War, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Police brutality

katharina90's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A heartbreaking, powerful, beautifully written book about the Palestinian experience and the world's indifference to and complicity in past and present atrocities committed against the Palestinian people.

"How does one live in a world that turns away from such injustice for so long? Is this what it means to be Palestinian, Mother?"

"For if life had taught her anything, it was that healing and peace can begin only with acknowledgment of wrongs committed."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Torture and Confinement

Minor: Rape and Alcoholism

readwmichelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Islamophobia, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

ollie_again's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Violence, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, and Child abuse

Moderate: Antisemitism, Racism, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Child death, Blood, and Mental illness

Minor: Pedophilia and Incest