Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah

10 reviews

onthesamepage's review

sad tense slow-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

4.0

This story isn't really about a school shooting, even though that is kind of the plot driver. If anything, I felt that the chapters digging into the shooter's past distracted from Afaf's history, which was more compelling to me. But then I found Afaf very compelling. It's rare for me to read a book where the main character has such an intricate and complicated relationship with Islam. Afaf doesn't grow up religious, but when her father turns to God and Islam later in his life, Afaf finds herself suddenly part of a community that embraces her fully, without reservation. But it doesn't come easy to her, and she continues to struggle with trying to be a good Muslim in a way that I found very relatable. Perfect Muslims don't exist—we all make mistakes, but it's how we deal with them that speaks to strength of faith. But there's also a beauty in that journey towards God, and in the love for Islam and for the hijab.

When she was nine years old, the girls in her Brownies troop told Azmia she was lucky she didn't look Muslim. She'd come home fighting tears and begging Afaf's permission to begin wearing hijab.

While this book isn't about the occupation and colonisation of Palestine, there are references to Afaf's family being forcibly removed from their home by settlers. Ultimately I think this book is about living somewhere and not feeling like you belong, and the different paths your life can end up taking, depending on how you deal with that. Afaf's mother was longing for her homeland, to the point that she could not continue to live away from it. Afaf forged a new home, with a new family, and a new community around her, despite the othering that she faced, from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It's about the power of a hijab, which gives so much to the women wearing it, and also emboldens people with hate in their heart for a piece of cloth.

So this is what it's come down to? A piece of fabric? And yet what power it had held from the first time she'd slipped it on at Kowkab's house, a stranger in the mirror staring back at her. Her hijab had become a thing that attracted sheer hatred, fear. And yet where would she be without it?

There's a lot of commentary within the book about discrimination from outside the Muslim community, especially in the wake of 9/11, but also from within it, and how the community can sometimes hide the sins of some of its members, to the detriment of others. I really appreciated that the author decided to deal with this topic, because it's a difficult one to tackle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Islamophobia, Bullying, and Gun violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Colonisation and Genocide

marc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Bullying

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Racism, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Infidelity

Minor: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Vomit, and Pregnancy

lizreading's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-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

A wonderful book, I couldn’t put it down. Although I am white I felt that I could relate to some of the experiences of Afaf during her childhood. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Hate crime

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, Child death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Vomit

Minor: Infertility, Sexual assault, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Classism, Colonisation, Dementia, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Terminal illness, War, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Xenophobia

Sandy hook mention, lynching mention, Nazis mention, 9/11, Vietnam, Battle of Karameh, dialysis.

radfordmanor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

studiouspoppy's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

I loved the writing and the evolution of Afaf, I enjoyed her perspective on migration, obviously did not enjoy the discrimination and hate she experienced but i was so interested in how she described her life, and how she survived it all. The pov of the shooter was truly disturbing, but that’s the point. There were some parts were it got confusing, and some tiny mistakes in the shooter’s perspective (using culturally appropriate language when he’s not an appropriate or a cultured man) so his voice got a little weird at times. It was still a really good book.

I specially enjoyed the final chapter were Afaf confronts the shooter and sees he’s so much more smaller and just a white old ignorant guy, and he’s so lonely he accepted her visit when he doesn’t even respect her as a human being.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Bullying, Kidnapping, War, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Infidelity and Infertility

belle2008's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Violence

mfieldshalva's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Child abuse and Religious bigotry

hannahrhian's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit