Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

5 reviews

chi__'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Deportation, Death, Trafficking, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Murder, Genocide, Child death, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, and Hate crime

Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcoholism

careinthelibrary's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The network of pain throughout this family, each responding in a different way to dispossession (of land, of culture, of family) and death. Mornings in Jenin is a gruelling read that made my heart ache and never let up, even to the last page. But it's also full of tender moments between these loving and hopeful characters and beautiful writing that gives a sweet reprieve from the dark. Careful, considered language that makes the ache of losses deeper and more impactful.
A truly outstanding debut, I will continue my journey through Susan Abulhawa's writing knowing I'm in the hands of a talented author. I'm struck by the years of apartheid covered in this novel and its echoes in the present day genocide of Gazans and continued oppression of Palestinians in their homelands and beyond. Free Palestine.

"Love, David
... Love, Ismael"💔🇵🇸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and War

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual assault

nineinchnails's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

 this book broke me. this was definitely hard to get through at some parts, knowing it was first published in 2006, because despite it being 2023 almost nothing has changed. this is technically historical fiction but so much of this has been written around real life events in palestine and even if the characters are fictional their trauma isn't. the story is beautifully written (albeit slightly confusing with the switching of narrator) and gut-wrenchingly painful. it follows the lives of 4 generations within a single family against the backdrop of 1948-2002 palestine.

it feels weird to rate this book like i would other fiction novels, since many of these fictional events are recurring as we speak. what i will say is that anyone even slightly interested in learning about palestine stands to gain a lot from reading this book. while it is definitely heavy and dark, it shows so much beauty in the land and culture too. the story switches hands between characters a fair amount here but i think it works in its favour and is necessary to tell this particular story. i don't think anything i write here could do this book justice but i loved this book from front to cover and i don't think the contents will ever leave my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Grief, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Gore, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Hate crime, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, Dementia, Blood, Confinement, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Torture

Minor: Incest, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Rape

mariekeroos's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Racism, Gore, Colonisation, Violence, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, and Child death

theroyaltyreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i cried a lot because of beautiful hurtful and sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, and War