Reviews

Love Is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar

writingtothevoid's review against another edition

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4.0

Read for English 132, spring semester freshman year

moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

4.25

This memoir covers many parts of the author's life, going from moments during her travel, to her childhood, to her relationships as an adult. She weaves them together, discussing pain and violence from these different parts of her life, but also pleasure and healing. 

She speaks candidly about racism and fatphobia that she experiences from stragers, but also violence from her parents as a child and partners as an adult. The violence of a homeland she can no longer visit and of a home that was too hostile to return to. She also speaks of the relationships  and small interactions that have facilitated he healing, from the kindness of strangers to reconciliation, to entering the world of kink. 

This was well-written and engaging. I listened to the audiobook over the course of just a couple of days.

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thelesbianlibrary's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

sahanac's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

2.5

meandering, hard to decipher the point. felt like the shock factor mattered more than the story at some points, to a distracting degree. i tore thru it and i appreciate the politics of this one, but perhaps the bold-faced brashness jarrar delights in is made for bolder folks than me

xanthao's review against another edition

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medium-paced

5.0

I listened to this as an audiobook. I really enjoyed her storytelling and her approach to her sexuality and her identity. This is a good read. 

selinaleona_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

amyjo25's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75


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spacem0nkeyyy's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

5.0

slenoch's review against another edition

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3.5

not the best memoir I've ever heard but still really enjoyable! I'm glad she got out of an abusive relationship and yet another book about understanding how parents are harmed as children and the way they perpetuate it (that I'm reading, I don't think there are too many books like it). I want to read her sex books and further work, which i think is a good indicator of a memoir actually.

george_and_books's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

4.0