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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This is a really poignant book and I really think it's important to read for EVERYONE, especially post 2016 election. I gave it three stars simply because I think it sometimes sacrifices story telling for social justice concepts. It sometimes toes the line between telling and showing. There were parts that really deserved five stars and others that didn't. I still think it was very readable, if perhaps wandering onto the dense side. Well worth it and an overall good read.
I am really enjoying this book. It is on the syllabus for my women and religion class, and
I just can't put it down. I really enjoy the look at what it feels like to be a Muslim woman, what Islam means to one (admittedly fictitious) woman. I feel like I know a bit about factoid type info and history of Islam, but very little about the practice of it, the reality of it. I really enjoy ready about the beauty and the struggle. It's what I love about my own religion, the beauty and the struggle, and so I appreciate seeing how other women adore and struggle with their religions.
Update: having finished the book, I have to say I really liked it a lot. It's a 4.5 for sure. It was fascinating to me what I learned about my own religion reading this book (note, I'm not Muslim but found many things in common) and i adored reading about Khadra's struggles with her religion and her self.
I just can't put it down. I really enjoy the look at what it feels like to be a Muslim woman, what Islam means to one (admittedly fictitious) woman. I feel like I know a bit about factoid type info and history of Islam, but very little about the practice of it, the reality of it. I really enjoy ready about the beauty and the struggle. It's what I love about my own religion, the beauty and the struggle, and so I appreciate seeing how other women adore and struggle with their religions.
Update: having finished the book, I have to say I really liked it a lot. It's a 4.5 for sure. It was fascinating to me what I learned about my own religion reading this book (note, I'm not Muslim but found many things in common) and i adored reading about Khadra's struggles with her religion and her self.
Earlier this year I decided I want to read more books by diverse authors. I especially want to read more from the perspective of the Islamic community, both here and abroad. One of the reasons I enjoy reading is because it opens me to perspectives and experiences that I may not ever have otherwise. I've read multiple books by Middle Eastern authors this year, but The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf is the first I have read from the perspective of a Muslim woman living in America.
Set in Indiana in the 1970's, this story explores what it is like to come of age in a place where you are consistently "the other" and often "the enemy." Khadra lives with her father, mother and two brothers in a small Muslim community in Indiana. Her father is one of the coordinators for an Islamic community center. While Khadra and her family live in America, eventually even becoming citizens after the Iranian revolution, they do not wish to become part of American culture. In fact, as Khadra grows up, it becomes harder and harder for her to hold to the rigid tenets of a culture she loves deeply, but which she also feels keeps her from becoming fully herself.
Told as a retrospective from an adult Khadra who has broken away from her community and lives independently as a photo-journalist, this is a coming of age story unlike any I have read before. Khadra is brave, beautiful and complicated in ways which make her more alike than unlike any of us who struggle to find our voice and our way. Her spiritual struggles resonated deeply with questions I have asked of my own theology and faith community.
I loved this story deeply. While in part I think it may be a case of the perfect book at the perfect time, I also know it's a beautiful and important story for any person at any time. This is one of my favorites of the year so far. I can't wait to read more by this author and about Islamic culture.
Set in Indiana in the 1970's, this story explores what it is like to come of age in a place where you are consistently "the other" and often "the enemy." Khadra lives with her father, mother and two brothers in a small Muslim community in Indiana. Her father is one of the coordinators for an Islamic community center. While Khadra and her family live in America, eventually even becoming citizens after the Iranian revolution, they do not wish to become part of American culture. In fact, as Khadra grows up, it becomes harder and harder for her to hold to the rigid tenets of a culture she loves deeply, but which she also feels keeps her from becoming fully herself.
Told as a retrospective from an adult Khadra who has broken away from her community and lives independently as a photo-journalist, this is a coming of age story unlike any I have read before. Khadra is brave, beautiful and complicated in ways which make her more alike than unlike any of us who struggle to find our voice and our way. Her spiritual struggles resonated deeply with questions I have asked of my own theology and faith community.
I loved this story deeply. While in part I think it may be a case of the perfect book at the perfect time, I also know it's a beautiful and important story for any person at any time. This is one of my favorites of the year so far. I can't wait to read more by this author and about Islamic culture.
This book tells the story of a young Muslim girl in middle America dealing with being both an American (albeit grudgingly) and staying true to her faith. In the end, she realizes that she can have it both ways and feels a sense of freedom. It was interesting to see this sort of fish out of water story but it just wasn't my favorite. It sort of meandered a little without much of a goal or a conclusion.
The premise was good but it seemed like the author could have tried to make it a little more interesting with some sort of actual conflict (maybe more about the main character's friend's sister being murdered).
The premise was good but it seemed like the author could have tried to make it a little more interesting with some sort of actual conflict (maybe more about the main character's friend's sister being murdered).
This is my favorite of over 100 books I read in 2017. This isn't just the story of a Syrian-American woman or an immigrant or a Muslim--this story is America. Seriously, call this the Great American Novel and you wouldn't be wrong.