Reviews with content warning for Islamophobia - Home Is Not a Country

Since this is a novel in verse, I highly recommend the audiobook, which is narrated by the author.

I don't think this story is very plot-heavy, but it does tackle some difficult issues like racism and Islamophobia. The prose is beautiful; I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I'd read this physically, though, since I'm not a huge poetry reader in general. If you enjoy Elizabeth Acevedo's books, you might enjoy this one as well.

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sabrinalefebvre's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This felt like reading a beautiful warm love letter to all mothers who’ve sacrificed so much for their children

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nonbinarylibrarianwitch's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. It’s moments like these where I don’t know if what I will write will be enough to convince people that this a book worth reading. For those us who are fans of Elizabeth Acevedo’s work, @safiamafia writing is similar but holds her own as we get to know Nima & her family. Roughly 211 pages of emotion, what if’s and a mere inkling about what happens when a teenager wants to know so much but is unable to seek out answers in a way others easily can. Nima is the child of Aisha, a single mom who is not ashamed of where she comes from nor the Arabic language in which she speaks. I saw a lot of Nima in myself - despite the fact that she’s fourteen - we both struggled in speaking the language our mothers want us to be fluent in and the accompanying jeers / racial tension from the American born kids. There’s a little bit of a supernatural spin to this story that I don’t want to give away but I highly recommend picking this up the next time you are at the library or at your local bookstore.

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sun_hearth's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can’t see myself rating this book anything less than 5 stars since I heavily relate to a lot of things talked about this book, especially when it comes to living in the US as the child of immigrant parents and having to deal with the racism and other things that comes with being POC, I can’t say much on the topic is Islamophobia since my family isn’t Muslim but mainly on the experiences of being an immigrant child in the US and trying your best to not disappoint your family and wanting to be better

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reviewsandreadathons's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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courtneyfalling's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wasn't sure how the highly introspective novel-in-verse form was going to work for me at first, especially since Nima starts as such a passive character. But I quickly became engrossed in how she understands the larger world around her and her loved ones, and the second half of the novel really picks up in how it uses this "alternate self" character and Nima's nostalgia for her parents' country. Lots of moments where I teared up.

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elwirax's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*4.5/5

Giving "Home Is Not a Country" a proper review is difficult, all I can say is that it was beautifully written yet heartbreaking as it dealt with some heavy topics such as grief and racism. I wasn't expecting the magical realism half way through but it gave the story a whole different meaning. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy books in verse.

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