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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This really hit me hard.
I found the first half hard to get through but we hit a point in the plot halfway through where I became much more invested in the story.
This is definitely a character-driven book and the author actually completed this book as part of his PhD. You can see more information about his process of writing this book and more about what this book is about and the themes and ideas it challenges: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/the_lebs_challenging_literary_traditions_and_perceptions_of_australianess
The reason why I appreciate this book is because of its authentic voice. It reflects the complexity of identity and really touches on how it can feel to never fit in just one place or one community. In this novel, our main character Bani never feels like he fully belongs in his high school - Punchbowl Boys High - but as we follow his story, Bani realises that he does not belong in the Australian 'white' community either. He is stuck between two, vastly different worlds that seem to oppose each other at times. This struggle was shown really well and my heart was racing at a particular scene near the end of the book, where Bani comes to terms with how he is viewed by others outside the Lebanese Muslim community. The ending brought some tears to my eyes.
The author writes well. Several, vivid scenes come to mind.
This book shows that great novels can come from many different voices from many different communities, and that great literature is literature that reflects its time and reveals different human truths.
I found the first half hard to get through but we hit a point in the plot halfway through where I became much more invested in the story.
This is definitely a character-driven book and the author actually completed this book as part of his PhD. You can see more information about his process of writing this book and more about what this book is about and the themes and ideas it challenges: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/the_lebs_challenging_literary_traditions_and_perceptions_of_australianess
The reason why I appreciate this book is because of its authentic voice. It reflects the complexity of identity and really touches on how it can feel to never fit in just one place or one community. In this novel, our main character Bani never feels like he fully belongs in his high school - Punchbowl Boys High - but as we follow his story, Bani realises that he does not belong in the Australian 'white' community either. He is stuck between two, vastly different worlds that seem to oppose each other at times. This struggle was shown really well and my heart was racing at a particular scene near the end of the book, where Bani comes to terms with how he is viewed by others outside the Lebanese Muslim community. The ending brought some tears to my eyes.
The author writes well. Several, vivid scenes come to mind.
This book shows that great novels can come from many different voices from many different communities, and that great literature is literature that reflects its time and reveals different human truths.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Lebs are on the loose, loping around Punchbowl high in some black comedic moments and our narrator is doing his best to navigate it all. Delivering a powerful punch to the guts at the end.
Unputdownable!
Urban Australia can be pretty animalistic, especially if your a Muslim boy in Bankstown around 9/11.
This is the sort of book that should be read in Australian highschools instead of Catcher-in-the-Rye.
Bloody fantastic work.
A great addition to the Miles Franklin Long-list. So raw! Loved it!
Read it in one sitting.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Australian book review: The Lebs written by Michael Mohammed Ahmad (founding director of the @sweatshop.movement - Western Sydney Literacy Movement) by @hachetteaus
Bani Adam, the Lebanese male protagonist in this novel, is a student at Punchbowl Boys, which according to him, is the arse end of the earth.
The Lebs rule the school but book-smart and sensitive Bani doesn’t fit in. This is a coming of age story set in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Immediately we step into Punchbowl Boys and are met with the violence, obscene language and racial tensions amongst its high school students.
The Lebs reads like an autobiography and although Bani may be based on the author, Ahmad, it is a work of fiction with references to real-life events including September 11.
I loved the clever use of language…
Bani Adam, the Lebanese male protagonist in this novel, is a student at Punchbowl Boys, which according to him, is the arse end of the earth.
The Lebs rule the school but book-smart and sensitive Bani doesn’t fit in. This is a coming of age story set in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Immediately we step into Punchbowl Boys and are met with the violence, obscene language and racial tensions amongst its high school students.
The Lebs reads like an autobiography and although Bani may be based on the author, Ahmad, it is a work of fiction with references to real-life events including September 11.
I loved the clever use of language…
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
This really hit me hard.
I found the first half hard to get through but we hit a point in the plot halfway through where I became much more invested in the story.
This is definitely a character-driven book and the author actually completed this book as part of his PhD. You can see more information about his process of writing this book and more about what this book is about and the themes and ideas it challenges: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/the_lebs_challenging_literary_traditions_and_perceptions_of_australianess
The reason why I appreciate this book is because of its authentic voice. It reflects the complexity of identity and really touches on how it can feel to never fit in just one place or one community. In this novel, our main character Bani never feels like he fully belongs in his high school - Punchbowl Boys High - but as we follow his story, Bani realises that he does not belong in the Australian 'white' community either. He is stuck between two, vastly different worlds that seem to oppose each other at times. This struggle was shown really well and my heart was racing at a particular scene near the end of the book, where Bani comes to terms with how he is viewed by others outside the Lebanese Muslim community. The ending brought some tears to my eyes.
The author writes well. Several, vivid scenes come to mind.
This book shows that great novels can come from many different voices from many different communities, and that great literature is literature that reflects its time and reveals different human truths.
I found the first half hard to get through but we hit a point in the plot halfway through where I became much more invested in the story.
This is definitely a character-driven book and the author actually completed this book as part of his PhD. You can see more information about his process of writing this book and more about what this book is about and the themes and ideas it challenges: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/the_lebs_challenging_literary_traditions_and_perceptions_of_australianess
The reason why I appreciate this book is because of its authentic voice. It reflects the complexity of identity and really touches on how it can feel to never fit in just one place or one community. In this novel, our main character Bani never feels like he fully belongs in his high school - Punchbowl Boys High - but as we follow his story, Bani realises that he does not belong in the Australian 'white' community either. He is stuck between two, vastly different worlds that seem to oppose each other at times. This struggle was shown really well and my heart was racing at a particular scene near the end of the book, where Bani comes to terms with how he is viewed by others outside the Lebanese Muslim community. The ending brought some tears to my eyes.
The author writes well. Several, vivid scenes come to mind.
This book shows that great novels can come from many different voices from many different communities, and that great literature is literature that reflects its time and reveals different human truths.