Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah

3 reviews

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.25

I really enjoyed this book and I'm disappointed that it hasn't been more circulated in social media book-centric circles! This was a story of a Palestinian-American who's life was not solely centralized around the occupation Palestine, which still took the time to take a firm stance against Israel's colonization of the West Bank. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

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