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onthesamepage's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Racism, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Islamophobia, Bullying, and Gun violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Colonisation and Genocide
bethsbookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
The writing in this novel is crisp, polished, yet lyrical. Each line flows from one to the next, each idea fluid as it weaves throughout her life, her mother's life, her father's, her sister's, and the school shooters. The author fills in every gap and every question you may have while still respecting the privacy of the characters when necessary. Ending on a poignant note, I don't think I have a bad word to say about this book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Death, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Violence
discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition
- 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
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
booklore_forevemore's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- 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
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.gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
- 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
Afaf was a phenomenal character; her life story is so multi-faceted and strife with grief, but Mustafah weaves her story with grace, showing the life of a woman who's lost so much yet finds solace in community and religion. The portray of Islam and the various character's relationship with faith was a breath of fresh air, allowing nuance but ultimately showing the rewarding merits of organized religion, even amidst the aftermath of 9/11.
The only facet of this book that I wasn't the biggest fan of were the chapters from the perspective of the school shooter. It was jarring having this bigot's life story humanized, even to a small degree, in the middle of Afaf's heart-wrenching story. Otherwise, this was a fantastic story for me, and I would recommend it to others though I would HIGHLY advise checking content warnings prior to reading.
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Islamophobia, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Violence, Addiction, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Body horror, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity
Minor: Stalking
studiouspoppy's review against another edition
- 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
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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
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