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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
The title is misleading as it is not about Palestine but rather about a WASP girl who doesn’t want to be Arab but ends up admitting that is at least American-Lebanese.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
reflective
slow-paced
This was fully a story about a little girl (turned woman) trying to figure out her identity. Not a huge fan of the book, a lot of it felt unrelatable because of the sheer privilege of the author which (imo) should have been discussed more since it played such a massive role in the authors life.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
arab-american takes all shapes and sizes and I felt validated by her experience!
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I couldn't put this memoir down. It's such a beautiful, heartfelt coming of age story. I love how Said doesn't shy away from any of the complexities of life, of identity. I also appreciate how she illustrates how difficult it can be to grow up in the US given the typical representation of Arabs in the media. It's a powerful book for people to gain some insight into the burden of growing up as Palestinian-Lebanese in a context in which Jewish is the prevailing norm.
informative
sad
fast-paced
I have a lot of respect for Najla Said and for the contributions of her family, particularly her late, great father Edward Said. This memoir gives a very honest and vulnerable perspective of being a second generation Arab American and conflicted daughter of such an important Palestinian figure. Though I hoped to learn more about Palestine activism, it was interesting to learn about the identity struggles and reckoning with social and political dynamics that necessarily precede it.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced