Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

2 reviews

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.

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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

perenian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Mornings in Jenin is many things. It is a personal history of Palestinian strife, a commentary on the effects of war, a book that chronicles Palestinian life from the 1940s to the 2000s, an eye-opener.

As I read the novel, I felt like I held decades of Palestine’s pain in my hands. I was given a Palestinian heart in words—an imperfect, messy heart that bled stories and reflection and frustration and fear. And it was this that led me to understanding (or sympathy, at the very least). It all begs the question: is Palestine really a Jewish homeland if it must be colonized?

For me, the most impactful part was the inclusion of multiple generations. Yehya represented the deepest root of Palestine: he was uprooted from his land but refused to wither away and die without a piece of it in his hands. Hasan was younger; he watched as all he knew was taken away from him and went to fight for it without hesitation. Then it came to Yousef and Amal, who watched everything and everyone they loved be destroyed. It was their blood that watered Palestinian soil. I was angry for them, and I mourned their losses with them. I cried for Amal when she became Amy—no more long vowel of hope, no hope left in her but to continue.

Mornings in Jenin served as a reminder to me of love at its most human. We see love blossom and break people down all in the same breath. We see the characters’ love for Palestine and each other. We see how they love fiercely to the very end. 

In terms of criticism, however:

Amal’s connections to her home, to her family, to her emotions, could’ve been a way to explore her character further. In fact, because family seemed to be such a significant theme, I expected a deep dive into the relationships between the characters. I felt that they were a bit shallow, though. I suppose that “connection” can be a sort of overarching theme that ties it all together (albeit loosely).

The multiple narratives made the entire novel a tad convoluted, and the ending felt too abrupt, too detached. Many loose ends were left untied, and it left me feeling like the novel was unfinished.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape, Physical abuse, Death, and Racism

Not a light read by any means, but definitely worth your time.