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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Well, that was disappointing. I went into this expecting a compelling story of a search for identity and political awakening. However, that was not the case.
What irked me most wasn’t the incredibly misleading title, or that she failed to bring to life any of the characters she wrote about, or that the writing was mediocre at best, but it was the fact that she witnessed the Lebanese Civil War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the 11th September attacks yet the extent of her political commentary is something akin to ‘there are good and bad people on both sides.’ I couldn’t help but find this laughable.
What irked me most wasn’t the incredibly misleading title, or that she failed to bring to life any of the characters she wrote about, or that the writing was mediocre at best, but it was the fact that she witnessed the Lebanese Civil War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the 11th September attacks yet the extent of her political commentary is something akin to ‘there are good and bad people on both sides.’ I couldn’t help but find this laughable.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
I am trying to say this neutrally, but…….when she said this was adapted from her one-woman show I was like “oh that makes sense”
This book was not what I expected, and I am honestly not sure how I feel about it. The writing itself leaves much to be desired, as the author does a whole lot more "telling" than "showing" and repeats herself quite a bit. It still mostly held my attention though, I think due to Najla's candid voice and my prior interest in the subject matter.
As an American who lived in the Middle East for several years, I definitely related to Najla grappling with her privilege while interacting with the region, yet I was frustrated with how long it took her to get to this point. For much of the book, I struggled to be sympathetic as she complained about not liking her fancy summer camp or being a little less wealthy than the others at her high-class prep school in New York. She did encounter aspects of the war in Lebanon during summer vacations, which I am sure was challenging, but also she was able to fairly easily escape, unlike her extended family.
I don't want to be too harsh though, as I realize everyone is on their own journey of understanding the world and their place in it (including me, of course). I do relate to some of the very real difficulties Najla faced (especially her anxiety), and I admit to not really understanding others (what it's like to live as an immigrant in America).
In the end, I think this memoir does bring up some important issues through an interesting perspective. I can see it having a powerful impact on young Arab Americans wrestling to come to terms with their personal identities, as demonstrated through the touching quote on the final page.
As an American who lived in the Middle East for several years, I definitely related to Najla grappling with her privilege while interacting with the region, yet I was frustrated with how long it took her to get to this point. For much of the book, I struggled to be sympathetic as she complained about not liking her fancy summer camp or being a little less wealthy than the others at her high-class prep school in New York. She did encounter aspects of the war in Lebanon during summer vacations, which I am sure was challenging, but also she was able to fairly easily escape, unlike her extended family.
I don't want to be too harsh though, as I realize everyone is on their own journey of understanding the world and their place in it (including me, of course). I do relate to some of the very real difficulties Najla faced (especially her anxiety), and I admit to not really understanding others (what it's like to live as an immigrant in America).
In the end, I think this memoir does bring up some important issues through an interesting perspective. I can see it having a powerful impact on young Arab Americans wrestling to come to terms with their personal identities, as demonstrated through the touching quote on the final page.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Looking for Palestine?
Girl, same. I'm looking for where the hell Palestine is supposed to be in this book??
This was not what I signed up for and I am giving this two stars despite the fact that I did not enjoy this at all simply because I will appreciate perspectives that help to paint that people of color, importantly Palestinians, are more than their resilient and traumatic histories.
However, Najla comes from a wildly privileged background but both attempts to downplay it but also spends a lot of time humble bragging.
this was just not an experience I enjoyed reading about.
Girl, same. I'm looking for where the hell Palestine is supposed to be in this book??
This was not what I signed up for and I am giving this two stars despite the fact that I did not enjoy this at all simply because I will appreciate perspectives that help to paint that people of color, importantly Palestinians, are more than their resilient and traumatic histories.
However, Najla comes from a wildly privileged background but both attempts to downplay it but also spends a lot of time humble bragging.
this was just not an experience I enjoyed reading about.