Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

9 reviews

macklyle's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a different read from my usual, but  I am glad I picked up. Being that it is Ramadan, I wanted to read something related. I learned a lot about not only what it means to be muslim, but to be muslim americans.
 In many ways i felt like I was reading my boyfriend’s life on paper… it was comical at times the stories Anvar shared I swear i’ve heard before! 

cons- it was a really slow story line and often felt like it wasn’t headed in any direction. i struggled to read it at my normal reading pace because I felt really sad most of the time reading Safwas POV. - my heart hurt the whole time and it made me have to take breaks. 
pros- felt like an authentic depiction of what life and religion and family often looks like for immigrants and muslim families. I was educated and informed in a way that was easy to understand and empathize with by how the author writes. 
lots of little life lessons through out that i loved 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, and Death of parent

amberinpieces's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, and Racism

Minor: War, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Sexism, Cursing, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Animal death

catsandbookspluspup's review

dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and War

whitneytrey's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Child abuse

Minor: Islamophobia

perfect_leaves's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Alcoholism, Genocide, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Hate crime, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Pregnancy

caidyn's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a difficult coming of age story. Two Muslims who grew up during the real rise of Islamophobia in America and immigrated there during that time. It's a hard read about the realities people face. I really enjoyed this book, although it was hard to stomach at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Violence

mochi21's review

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

This was a good book objectively. For me, it was just a little slow and heavy. I had the issue with it that I always have with books that have more than one perspective : one narrator was more interesting than the other. 

Safwa's life, though traumatizing, were leaps and bounds better for reading than Anvar's. This is intentional, and is explained once their stories weave together, but it doesn't make Anvar's early chapters any easier to read. 

But the characters are lovable (namely Anvar's father and Zuhra), and the dialogue is spot on. The cover is gorgeous. The writing is technically iron clad, and I feel satisfied now that I've finished it. 

And kudos to Masood for writing two dynamic, fleshed out, interesting women. Zuhra and Safwa are both firecrackers (though different) and I found them both realistic and likable. 
As a white american, I feel that this story was important for me to read and illuminated an issue I haven't given enough thought before, and taught me a lot. I think everyone should give it a go. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

sraymartin's review

funny lighthearted medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

biblio_jordyn's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

This book follows Anvar and Safwa, both separately and when their world’s collide by chance. Anvar considers and takes pride in his “bad Muslim” status, always trying to other and step away from his family’s grasp when they were in Pakistan and even more as they move to San Francisco.

Then, there’s Safwa, who we first see Baghdad, suffocating by the war torn city and by her conservative father, while trying to fill the role that has been decided for her...and then she makes the dangerous journey to the US.

This book talked about immigration (both legal and not), the complexity of one’s relationship to religion, finding yourself and your place in the world, relationships and the complexity of them when it comes to, both, familial and romantic. 

I loved this book. 

I loved the writing. 

I loved how this author captured these characters, their relationships with people and their faith or lack thereof. 

I loved how he intertwined humor and sadness and happiness and tough topics all seamlessly together. 

I loved the authenticity and how much I FELT for these characters. 

I loved learning more about another culture and peoples experiences without feeling like I was learning in the moment. 

I loved the messages interwoven in the story of empathy, and understanding, and love, and change, and so much more.

I love how the author made my heart connect to the words on the paper and made me want to both savor every sentence but also devour the book whole.

I could talk about this book all day...but, here is ONE of my favorite quotes from the zillion I wrote down that isn’t too long:

“Remember to never take more from the world than you can give back to it.” 

Thank you so much @doubledaybooks for this #gifted copy this was definitely my favorite read of January and will probably remain one of my favorites of the year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Torture, Animal death, and Rape