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Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'
This Arab Is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers by Elias Jahshan
5 reviews
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual violence
melsage1823's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
A Fantastic Unapologetic, Empowering Short Story Collection That Perfectly Represents Both The Arab and Queer Community.
Wow, wow. This is a fantastic collection and every essay was very entertaining and fascinating to read. It was very bold and authentic as well as authentic. All the essays connected together to tell a perfect story of intersectionality and how two worlds shouldn't be forced apart. I also loved how diverse each essay was and that whilst all being intersectional they also had their own stories to tell.
It's a wonderful collection and I'm so glad that I read. I cannot recommend checking it out for yourself. Some of my favourite essays were Catching The Light: Reclaiming Opera As A Trans Arab, The Bad Son, My Intersectionality Was My Biggest Bully and Dancing Like Sherihan. I loved all the essays but those stuck out to me in particular for how bold and powerful they were. These essays are worth picking up the collection alone.
The collection is rounded to 5 stars because generally I didn't find anything wrong with the collection, it was well edited, a good length and paced very well. Some essays were a bit too spicy for me but that's just my preferences as an aro-ace reader.
There's so much I could praise but I'm gonna break down what I like about the collection. First I love how diverse it is, as normally with this sorts of collections you'll only get one type of person and all the contributors will be really similar but This Arab Is Queer makes sure to include a diverse range of queer arab experiences, from trans folk, to gay folk to even Non-Binary folk a wide range of experiences are shared which reflects how diverse the queer community is and how sanitised by whiteness it has been. I also think the diversity allows you to get something different out of each essay which is also important. It's not just the voices that are diverse the writing is as well, each essay has it's own distinct writing style that makes it enjoyable to read.
Secondly I have to praise the language used. When I say the writing it top tier, I mean it. The language is very bold with lots of clever similes, metaphors to let the sentences stick with the reader. Each contributor makes sure to include powerful language so that every essay sticks with you and leaves you reflecting and contemplating about what you just read. Language is powerful and unique and This Arab Is Queer utilises it perfectly to get its overall message across especially to non arab reader. It's brilliant to read essays that leave you reflective and contemplating oneself. All the contributors are a hundred percent pouring their best into this essays and it definitely payed off.
Finally the honesty and personality in the writing. My criteria for a good nonfiction Memoir or essay is that it perfectly captures the personality of the writer and that it's honest and authentic. This collection is really raw and honest and you can instantly feel the writers emotion as you read the piece, it's absolutely incredible. Nothing is sanitised and every essay feels raw and real which isn't an easy thing to do. The biggest challenge in writing is sharing your own experience in a bold and unique way. Every essay is full of personality, boldness and pride. It enraptures how proud each reader is to indeed be Arab and Queer.
Overall its an amazing collection full of fabulous, educational, informative and intersectional pride. It's a collection wether your Arab or Non Arab a like, I cannot recommend enough. Definitely check this out and give it some love.
My overall rating for the collection is five stars but here are my individual ratings for each essay in the collection.
Introduction: 4.5 Stars
The Decade of Saying All That I Could Not Say: 5 Stars
Return To Beirut: 4.5 Stars
This Text Is A Very Lonely Document: 5 Stars
Catching The Light: Reclaiming Opera as a Trans Arab: 5 Stars
You Made Me Your Monster: 5 Stars
My Kali- Digitising A Queer Arab Future: 5 Stars
The Artists Portrait Of A Marginalised Man: 4.5 Stars
Pilgrimage To Love: 4.5 Stars
An August, a September and My Mother 4.5 Stars
The Bad Son: 4.5 Stars
Dating White People: 5 Stars
My Intersectionality Was My Biggest Bully: 5 Stars
Trio: 4 Stars
Unheld Conversations: 5 Stars
Trophy Hunters, White Saviours and Grindr: 4.5 Stars
Dancing Like Sherihan: 5 Stars
Then Came Hope: 5 Stars
Wow, wow. This is a fantastic collection and every essay was very entertaining and fascinating to read. It was very bold and authentic as well as authentic. All the essays connected together to tell a perfect story of intersectionality and how two worlds shouldn't be forced apart. I also loved how diverse each essay was and that whilst all being intersectional they also had their own stories to tell.
It's a wonderful collection and I'm so glad that I read. I cannot recommend checking it out for yourself. Some of my favourite essays were Catching The Light: Reclaiming Opera As A Trans Arab, The Bad Son, My Intersectionality Was My Biggest Bully and Dancing Like Sherihan. I loved all the essays but those stuck out to me in particular for how bold and powerful they were. These essays are worth picking up the collection alone.
The collection is rounded to 5 stars because generally I didn't find anything wrong with the collection, it was well edited, a good length and paced very well. Some essays were a bit too spicy for me but that's just my preferences as an aro-ace reader.
There's so much I could praise but I'm gonna break down what I like about the collection. First I love how diverse it is, as normally with this sorts of collections you'll only get one type of person and all the contributors will be really similar but This Arab Is Queer makes sure to include a diverse range of queer arab experiences, from trans folk, to gay folk to even Non-Binary folk a wide range of experiences are shared which reflects how diverse the queer community is and how sanitised by whiteness it has been. I also think the diversity allows you to get something different out of each essay which is also important. It's not just the voices that are diverse the writing is as well, each essay has it's own distinct writing style that makes it enjoyable to read.
Secondly I have to praise the language used. When I say the writing it top tier, I mean it. The language is very bold with lots of clever similes, metaphors to let the sentences stick with the reader. Each contributor makes sure to include powerful language so that every essay sticks with you and leaves you reflecting and contemplating about what you just read. Language is powerful and unique and This Arab Is Queer utilises it perfectly to get its overall message across especially to non arab reader. It's brilliant to read essays that leave you reflective and contemplating oneself. All the contributors are a hundred percent pouring their best into this essays and it definitely payed off.
Finally the honesty and personality in the writing. My criteria for a good nonfiction Memoir or essay is that it perfectly captures the personality of the writer and that it's honest and authentic. This collection is really raw and honest and you can instantly feel the writers emotion as you read the piece, it's absolutely incredible. Nothing is sanitised and every essay feels raw and real which isn't an easy thing to do. The biggest challenge in writing is sharing your own experience in a bold and unique way. Every essay is full of personality, boldness and pride. It enraptures how proud each reader is to indeed be Arab and Queer.
Overall its an amazing collection full of fabulous, educational, informative and intersectional pride. It's a collection wether your Arab or Non Arab a like, I cannot recommend enough. Definitely check this out and give it some love.
My overall rating for the collection is five stars but here are my individual ratings for each essay in the collection.
Introduction: 4.5 Stars
The Decade of Saying All That I Could Not Say: 5 Stars
Return To Beirut: 4.5 Stars
This Text Is A Very Lonely Document: 5 Stars
Catching The Light: Reclaiming Opera as a Trans Arab: 5 Stars
You Made Me Your Monster: 5 Stars
My Kali- Digitising A Queer Arab Future: 5 Stars
The Artists Portrait Of A Marginalised Man: 4.5 Stars
Pilgrimage To Love: 4.5 Stars
An August, a September and My Mother 4.5 Stars
The Bad Son: 4.5 Stars
Dating White People: 5 Stars
My Intersectionality Was My Biggest Bully: 5 Stars
Trio: 4 Stars
Unheld Conversations: 5 Stars
Trophy Hunters, White Saviours and Grindr: 4.5 Stars
Dancing Like Sherihan: 5 Stars
Then Came Hope: 5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Bullying, Transphobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and War
julian7's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
As a gay, trans, Lebanese man, I’ve been needing a book like this for a long time. Not all of the essays in this anthology resonated with me, but the ones that did were often a little too relatable. Reading these essays sometimes felt like having my heart torn out and then shown to me-painful, but cathartic and healing. The fact that I didn’t connect to or feel like I “got” every essay just speaks to the diversity of the collection and the fact that not all queer Arabs have the same experiences. Also, I wasn’t expecting for there to be some “theory,” and not just memoir, but that’s not a bad thing.
Overall, the book can be triggering for queer Arabs who have faced abuse, homophobia, transphobia, etc, so I would recommend only reading when you feel like you are in a safe space, both in and outside of your body. I would definitely look at the trigger warnings beforehand!
Will probably add a list of my favorite essays from the collection after I mull over it a bit more. :)
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇱🇧❤️🌍🌈🌟💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Colonisation, Genocide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Outing, and Transphobia
Minor: Body shaming and Panic attacks/disorders
emmadobson_2812's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
tigger89's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This collection of eighteen short essays by queer people with roots in the Arab world covers a wide variety of experiences, from gay and lesbian to trans and nonbinary, in many permutations. The content of the essays themselves are as varied as the authors, featuring everything from informative expository pieces(The Artist's Portrait of a Marginalized Man, by Danny Ramadan) to incredibly personal narratives(Return to Beirut, by Saleem Haddad). There's even something that appears to be short fiction(The Bad Son, by Raja Farah) as well as a piece that reads closer to poetry than anything else(Tweets to a Queer Arab Poet, by Omar Sakr). The contributors are Lebanese, Syrian, Sudanese, Iraqi, Egyptian and more, raised in both the Arab world and in the diaspora. The variety of voices featured, and the differing ways they choose to express their queerness, is this book's greatest strength.
There was little that really bothered me. Some essays were better than others. As mentioned in the introduction, there is some sexual content, both discussed and depicted in narrative form. I wasn't so much a fan of the latter(sex scenes in nonfiction always get me like that, it's too personal), but I understand why it was included from an artistic standpoint. My biggest complaint is that the included glossary was largely useless. Most of the terms in it were explained or translated in the works themselves, and every time I was unsure what a thing or phrase was, it was never in the glossary!
I recommend this book to anyone — LGBTQ or otherwise — who has an interest in exploring intersectional queer identities.
There was little that really bothered me. Some essays were better than others. As mentioned in the introduction, there is some sexual content, both discussed and depicted in narrative form. I wasn't so much a fan of the latter(sex scenes in nonfiction always get me like that, it's too personal), but I understand why it was included from an artistic standpoint. My biggest complaint is that the included glossary was largely useless. Most of the terms in it were explained or translated in the works themselves, and every time I was unsure what a thing or phrase was, it was never in the glossary!
I recommend this book to anyone — LGBTQ or otherwise — who has an interest in exploring intersectional queer identities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Islamophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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