Scan barcode
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2/5
I was excited for this but in the end it was just a slow read and I felt like the characters were flat
I was excited for this but in the end it was just a slow read and I felt like the characters were flat
alec_120's review against another edition
2.75
A very important subject matter about Syrian refugees, but the writing, to me, felt so stifled. I think it was because the narrator was “Destiny,” which could be a really cool concept, like with The Book Thief, except Destiny only inserted themself into the narrative like every 100 pages . Otherwise, it was just a distant third-person narration, so we get absolutely zero interiority from the characters, and the dialogue also just felt so unnatural.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
What an astounding book. Though not too violent at its core, this book certainly displays an affinity for discussing the aftereffects and reactions to the violence which humanity commits on a day to day basis--namely, in this book, terrorism caused by Daesh in Syria. As we begin to follow Tareq, we are also allowed insight not only into what used to be his everyday life, but into the horrors he now bears witness to and the fears others harbor towards him. Nuanced would be the word I'd use to describe this book.
I'll be honest. I live a pretty comfortable life. Even cases of domestic terrorism are pretty far away from me, which allows me to be unsettled but still feeling rather safe in where I am. Everything I know about refugees and fleeing one's home is theoretical, and likely through the lens of a white journalist. This is why this book felt so important to me--because it questioned what I knew, what I didn't know, and taught me more than I thought it could.
Because I don't know the author, I can't definitively say what her goal was in writing this book. But if it was to enlighten white readers about the horrors refugees must face, she succeeded. If it was to delve into a character's fears and anxieties about being forced to flee from the place he's always know, she succeeded. If it was to critique governments and charities and relief systems' reactions to terrorism, she succeeded. This book did a lot of things, and it succeeded.
Another thing I think it succeeded in was the position of the narrator, which is destiny. I think it's a wonderful call to The Book Thief, and it works so well. The narration wonderfully navigates the fine line between "you can't outrun destiny" and "nothing's set in stone."
Overall, this book is a wonderful, beautiful book that does not shy away from the violence and horrors one must endure due to terrorism. If you enjoy or are interested in learning about other cultures, human trafficking, homelessness, and hard or unpresent goodbyes, this book is definitely for you.
Review cross-listed here!
I'll be honest. I live a pretty comfortable life. Even cases of domestic terrorism are pretty far away from me, which allows me to be unsettled but still feeling rather safe in where I am. Everything I know about refugees and fleeing one's home is theoretical, and likely through the lens of a white journalist. This is why this book felt so important to me--because it questioned what I knew, what I didn't know, and taught me more than I thought it could.
Because I don't know the author, I can't definitively say what her goal was in writing this book. But if it was to enlighten white readers about the horrors refugees must face, she succeeded. If it was to delve into a character's fears and anxieties about being forced to flee from the place he's always know, she succeeded. If it was to critique governments and charities and relief systems' reactions to terrorism, she succeeded. This book did a lot of things, and it succeeded.
Another thing I think it succeeded in was the position of the narrator, which is destiny. I think it's a wonderful call to The Book Thief, and it works so well. The narration wonderfully navigates the fine line between "you can't outrun destiny" and "nothing's set in stone."
Overall, this book is a wonderful, beautiful book that does not shy away from the violence and horrors one must endure due to terrorism. If you enjoy or are interested in learning about other cultures, human trafficking, homelessness, and hard or unpresent goodbyes, this book is definitely for you.
Review cross-listed here!
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
This was an excruciating read. Written from the perspective of Destiny, it follows Tareq through all sorts of horrific trauma and loss. As Destiny writes in the end: be that helper. Refugees need our love.
thecasuallibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
I did not finish this book. It takes a lot for me to put a book down before finishing it, but I actively dreaded the thought of picking it up each time.
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes does tell an important, timely story, and to its credit, from the portion I did read, I gained a much clearer intellectual understanding of the conflict in Syria then I have ever had.
Unfortunately, that's just about the only positive thing I can say about it. The characters didn't feel real; they felt like shallow, half-formed puppets created for the sole purpose of explaining the crisis in Syria. As a result, I didn't care as much about them as I would have liked to. Every experience and internal monologue felt like merely a lens through which to view some element of the context their story was set in.
Furthermore, the author's voice was inconsistent and disruptive. She inserts herself into the story to comment on her experiences in the Middle East as a journalist, which, though sometimes informative, take away from the already flimsy story and make it feel like reading an extended news report. On occasion, she makes the even more bizarre choice to talk about humanity in the second-person, saying things like, "That is what is bemusing about humans--often times curiosity drives you to do things you know will haunt you, but you do them anyway. The worst of you take that curiosity to measures that are unfathomable to the best of you. But the Curiosity is in you all" (Abawi 63). This makes it sound as though the narrator is an alien or deity, rather than a human journalist, and it was jarring every time it occurred.
I desperately wanted to like this book. Fiction has so much potential to widen the perspectives of its readers, especially when those readers are young. I hoped this book would be a powerful, vivid story about the experience of Syrian refugees that I could recommend to my students, and I am disappointed that it fell so far short of the mark.
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes does tell an important, timely story, and to its credit, from the portion I did read, I gained a much clearer intellectual understanding of the conflict in Syria then I have ever had.
Unfortunately, that's just about the only positive thing I can say about it. The characters didn't feel real; they felt like shallow, half-formed puppets created for the sole purpose of explaining the crisis in Syria. As a result, I didn't care as much about them as I would have liked to. Every experience and internal monologue felt like merely a lens through which to view some element of the context their story was set in.
Furthermore, the author's voice was inconsistent and disruptive. She inserts herself into the story to comment on her experiences in the Middle East as a journalist, which, though sometimes informative, take away from the already flimsy story and make it feel like reading an extended news report. On occasion, she makes the even more bizarre choice to talk about humanity in the second-person, saying things like, "That is what is bemusing about humans--often times curiosity drives you to do things you know will haunt you, but you do them anyway. The worst of you take that curiosity to measures that are unfathomable to the best of you. But the Curiosity is in you all" (Abawi 63). This makes it sound as though the narrator is an alien or deity, rather than a human journalist, and it was jarring every time it occurred.
I desperately wanted to like this book. Fiction has so much potential to widen the perspectives of its readers, especially when those readers are young. I hoped this book would be a powerful, vivid story about the experience of Syrian refugees that I could recommend to my students, and I am disappointed that it fell so far short of the mark.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
5.0
I read 3/4 of this book last year and then had to stop to finish a few other books for classes I am teaching. I started from the beginning and listened to it this time. It's absolutely beautiful. This book will stick with me for a long time. My students love it, too. I will read anything by Atia Abawi.
purplejumping's review against another edition
5.0
Abawi had my heart captured within the first 30 pages. This was such an emotional read that I occasionally had to put down the book to fully process the fact that people in the world are actually going through similar difficulties right now. This is such an essential read, especially when viewed in the light of the refugee crisis/dilemma today.
bookish_scientist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
This book ticks all the boxes.
It was my slamdunk booktalk of the 2019 middle school tour.
Abawi tells the story of Tareq, a kid growing up in Syria, who is ripped out of his home. We follow Tareq from his home across several borders, including a journey across the Mediterranean Sea to the Island of Lesbos in an overcrowded boat.
There are also chapters of the story which introduce a much older relief worker, which felt a little less middle-school-friendly. Older teens and adults will definitely get a lot out of this book.
The story is told from the perspective of a personified Destiny (similar to the way Death narrates [b: The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522157426s/19063.jpg|878368]). I'm gonna include a long blockquote here, because it's too long to reasonably include in the quotes on this site, but I want to read it as often as possible:
Personally, I also love the cover - and the middle schoolers responded to it too. When I do booktalks, I invite the kids to request any of the books off of the table for me to talk about (based solely on the covers), and I'm pretty sure I did this booktalk/this book was requested for every single presentation. I visited 5 schools, and talked to up to 6 groups of kids a day for up to 5 days at each school, so... I talked about this book a lot over the first few months of 2019.
My booktalk was a slight re-working of a check-point scene (starting on page 31), and I had one kid approach me after my presentation and say he was really into that book because he liked "military books." If you haven't looked at the cover up close, those are bullet casings in the foreground.
Personally, I consider this an ownvoices book, because the author is of middle eastern (Afghan) heritage, and was born a refugee in Europe. It's not exactly Tareq's story, but it's way closer than if I'd written it. Do you agree?
Gah. Rave. Gah.
It was my slamdunk booktalk of the 2019 middle school tour.
Abawi tells the story of Tareq, a kid growing up in Syria, who is ripped out of his home. We follow Tareq from his home across several borders, including a journey across the Mediterranean Sea to the Island of Lesbos in an overcrowded boat.
There are also chapters of the story which introduce a much older relief worker, which felt a little less middle-school-friendly. Older teens and adults will definitely get a lot out of this book.
The story is told from the perspective of a personified Destiny (similar to the way Death narrates [b: The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522157426s/19063.jpg|878368]). I'm gonna include a long blockquote here, because it's too long to reasonably include in the quotes on this site, but I want to read it as often as possible:
The invisible lines in your world hold so much power.UGHHHH... So good.
Your eyes do not see them, but whether you live or die can depend on which side you stand on. The trajectory of your life is conditional.
On one side of the line, fighter jets rip through the sky, releasing cluster bombs, lighting up entire neighborhoods and painting the streets with the blood of limp corpses lying in the rubble. Hearts shudder with fear at every breath, in every minute of every day. Awake or asleep, you live with terror.
On the other side, the only danger from the sky is the storm that rolls in, shooting lightning through the clouds, or from the birds that flap their wings, dropping their lunch on an unsuspecting street merchant. Children go to school kicking rocks while filling the air with the music of their laughter. There are still problems, but your chances of survival outweigh a premature demise.
Your borders were devised by man. A rain cloud or even a bird does not recognize the barriers created by the human mind. Neither does a gazelle or an ant. The tremors on your planet didn’t cut up your land the way mankind has.
As desperate Syrians fled their homes and stepped over those artificial lines in search of light, they watched as others walked into the darkness, continuing to fuel the flames of disorder. Like in other war-torn countries, foreign elements destroyed their homes and their homeland even further.
There was initial relief when they first crossed those invisible lines. But the hardships did not end. Days turned to months, every moment a struggle filled with uncertainty. It included regret for leaving. And anguish for not departing sooner. There were days without food and months lacking proper shelter. Although it was a battle to survive in their new homes, I continued to see worse in the cities they’d left behind.
They are called the “lucky” ones. But in these situations, no one is truly lucky. Luck has abandoned them, sometimes never to return.
Personally, I also love the cover - and the middle schoolers responded to it too. When I do booktalks, I invite the kids to request any of the books off of the table for me to talk about (based solely on the covers), and I'm pretty sure I did this booktalk/this book was requested for every single presentation. I visited 5 schools, and talked to up to 6 groups of kids a day for up to 5 days at each school, so... I talked about this book a lot over the first few months of 2019.
My booktalk was a slight re-working of a check-point scene (starting on page 31), and I had one kid approach me after my presentation and say he was really into that book because he liked "military books." If you haven't looked at the cover up close, those are bullet casings in the foreground.
Personally, I consider this an ownvoices book, because the author is of middle eastern (Afghan) heritage, and was born a refugee in Europe. It's not exactly Tareq's story, but it's way closer than if I'd written it. Do you agree?
Gah. Rave. Gah.