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bookreviewswithkb's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
[ 4.5/5 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌷 ] this book should have been longer. it’s a masterpiece but i wanted more
this is a book about what happens to us when we hold in our pain, when we refuse to let out the things that have hurt us. maybe it’s in the name of protecting others or of protecting ourselves. but in the end, it creates more pain. so many of us have only been taught it’s not okay to feel emotions, it’s not okay to have struggles with mental health, that it’s not okay to talk about the things that are bothering us, but look where that’s left us. i don’t have to name the many atrocities in our society occurring every single day; how many of them stem from our inability to be honest, to see the humanity in each other, to feel our feelings and express them in healthy ways, to heal from our past?
maybe if Afaf’s mother received the care she needed for her depression, she wouldn’t have inflicted her pain onto those she loved most in the world. maybe if the shooter was able to talk about the wounds from his childhood, he wouldn’t have felt the need to unleash his anger on innocent Muslim students. maybe if Afaf could express what was happening to her at home, she wouldn’t have tried to seek comfort in white boys who saw her as a prize.
what do we have to lose by turning towards our emotions?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Child abuse
saadiasreads's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Xenophobia
Minor: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
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
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
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
mama_mastracci's review
emotional
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse
laurenedwards's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Death of parent
serendipitysbooks's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
The Beauty of Your Face opens with a shooting at an an all-girls Muslim school. However, that’s not really what the book is about. Instead I see it more as a family story. When Afaf (principal of the school) was ten her 17 year old sister disappeared and her family never recovered. Her father turned to alcohol, her mother suffered from mental health issues, while Afaf sought solace with boys. However, a car accident provides her father with a wake up call. He turns to Islam as does Afaf.
What I liked about this novel was the way it highlighted the actuality of the immigrant experience, the frictions that can develop between migrants and their children, and the realities of experiencing racial and religious discrimination on a daily basis. I also appreciated seeing how faith provided healing, strength and community for Afaf and her father, but how their belief, especially Afaf’s decision to wear the hijab, divided the family since her mother and brother were not devout and didn’t understand or approve of her choice. I appreciate the nuanced look at community, especially when Afaf reports a suspected case of family abuse despite some pressure to turn a blind eye. The book also does a nice job portraying the way one person’s struggle with mental health can impact the entire family.
Normally I’m a fan of dual timelines but it didn’t really work for me in this book. The present day timeline with the school shooter wasn’t strong, well developed or particularly well integrated. It felt like an optional add-on and I think the book would have worked just as well, if not better, had it simply focussed on the story of Afaf’s family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
ballgownsandbooks's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse
tasleemreads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The Beauty of Your Face is my favourite and the quickest book I have read this year. Sahar Mustafah is an amazing author who represented the Muslim community with authenticity, love and pride. I see myself in this book, I read of my own struggles relating to faith, identity and belonging within Mustafah's words. It is truly a fantastic body of work that represents faith as it really is; a journey with many ups and downs and not a stationary destination.
Afaf, the protagonist, struggles with her faith, her identity and the clash of her two cultures; the Palestinian culture she is raised with and the American cultures she lives in. Afaf and her family each have their own struggles to find their identity in America. Her mother, Muntaha, longing to return to her homeland, her father, Mahmood, struggling to accept this and losing his dream/sense of self, the children; Nada, Afaf and Majeed, struggling to find love and acceptance.
Although Afaf's was the main storyline, each character had a purpose, depth and growth throughout the novel that was independent of the protagonist.
I LOVED the inclusion of Arabic, with no translation, within the novel. It was an amazing addition and naturally belonged within the book. Readers who didn't understand Arabic could research this and perhaps come across information to develop their understanding of Islam. Not sure if Sahar Mustafah did this as a form of Sadaqah Jariyah, but may it be accepted as such and may Allah bless her for doing so and for this great book.
I recommend this book to everyone! Especially my fellow Muslims as this book represents journey within faith in its truest form.
Afaf, the protagonist, struggles with her faith, her identity and the clash of her two cultures; the Palestinian culture she is raised with and the American cultures she lives in. Afaf and her family each have their own struggles to find their identity in America. Her mother, Muntaha, longing to return to her homeland, her father, Mahmood, struggling to accept this and losing his dream/sense of self, the children; Nada, Afaf and Majeed, struggling to find love and acceptance.
Although Afaf's was the main storyline, each character had a purpose, depth and growth throughout the novel that was independent of the protagonist.
I LOVED the inclusion of Arabic, with no translation, within the novel. It was an amazing addition and naturally belonged within the book. Readers who didn't understand Arabic could research this and perhaps come across information to develop their understanding of Islam. Not sure if Sahar Mustafah did this as a form of Sadaqah Jariyah, but may it be accepted as such and may Allah bless her for doing so and for this great book.
I recommend this book to everyone! Especially my fellow Muslims as this book represents journey within faith in its truest form.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Racism, and Islamophobia
beckyreadsitall's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was quiet and lovely and not at all what I expected (in the best way!)
I first heard about it on the Feminist Book Club podcast, bought it a few months later, and picked it off my bookshelf late in 2020 - I’m so glad I did.
The story is about Afaf, a principal at an all-girls Muslim school outside Chicago, and goes from current day (roughly 2012-ish), when a school shooter comes into the school, and then jumps back to Afaf growing up - starting in 1976 and working its way forward.
The writing was so engaging - I was hooked from the start, even though I was nervous about the school shooter storyline. But Sahar Mustafah handled it so well, and created Afaf’s story so beautifully, I was more interested in getting back to the parts about her growing up than I was the high pressure/high stakes school shooter situation.
There were so many quiet moments of realization in this story - by Afaf, her family or friends, even the guy who was the school shooter - I don’t know that I can quite describe it, but this is a story that will stick with me. I would highly recommend it.
I first heard about it on the Feminist Book Club podcast, bought it a few months later, and picked it off my bookshelf late in 2020 - I’m so glad I did.
The story is about Afaf, a principal at an all-girls Muslim school outside Chicago, and goes from current day (roughly 2012-ish), when a school shooter comes into the school, and then jumps back to Afaf growing up - starting in 1976 and working its way forward.
The writing was so engaging - I was hooked from the start, even though I was nervous about the school shooter storyline. But Sahar Mustafah handled it so well, and created Afaf’s story so beautifully, I was more interested in getting back to the parts about her growing up than I was the high pressure/high stakes school shooter situation.
There were so many quiet moments of realization in this story - by Afaf, her family or friends, even the guy who was the school shooter - I don’t know that I can quite describe it, but this is a story that will stick with me. I would highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Abandonment