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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did. It definitely explored some interesting and important ideas, and I definitely gained a deeper understanding of certain issues, however, I just didn't find myself reaching for this book, especially throughout the middle section. My main problem was with the pacing. I went into this book thinking I would be reading about a teen slowly and subtly being groomed into a terrorist group, that by the end of the book I would fully understand and almost empathise with the characters decisions. Instead, it felt like Rez went from hating Islam to being a fanatic within a couple of pages, and I didn't really understand his sudden switch at all. I understand that it was probably meant to have resulted from a build-up of small events throughout the book, however, this really didn't come through in the writing. (in a way I was weirdly reminded of reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes). This definitely wasn't a bad book by any means, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
I feel very mixed about this book because although I enjoyed the storyline, I found the book to be mainly driven by drugs and sex - two things the author emphasised as being key parts of teenage life which I definitely can't relate to!
Wow - I finally finished it! I'm usually a fast reader but for some reason, this book took me so long to read and I actually had to force myself to pick it up. It was for school English so I knew I had to plough through, but it was not an enjoyable ride!
I wish I could give it more stars because there were many pressing and important messages and issues in it, and some people will probably love it. I felt angered and shocked at the horrific racism and treatment characters received, and the book has many important themes in it, but I feel like there was a definite lack of impact and power in it.
I felt very sad for the protagonist at times, but I found the writing style weird and hard to connect to, as I felt like the characters lacked depth and a sense of reality. It took ages to get to the crux of it, and even then it felt very rushed towards the end.
Also, there are no quotation marks which I found really irritating, and again, it led to a lack of characterisation. The excessive and constant presence of drugs, alcohol and sex was also quite jarring and it got very tedious to read about for 250 pages.
**SPOILERS***
The first 4/5 of the novel was slow and small changes developed, and then suddenly everything changed so quickly. It felt quite unrealistic and sudden, and I did not find the motivation/reasoning behind Rez joining ISIS very believable at all? It seemed to come out of the blue, he was opposed to Islam one second and the next he was on a plane to Syria? I found it a bit odd.
I wish I could give it more stars because there were many pressing and important messages and issues in it, and some people will probably love it. I felt angered and shocked at the horrific racism and treatment characters received, and the book has many important themes in it, but I feel like there was a definite lack of impact and power in it.
I felt very sad for the protagonist at times, but I found the writing style weird and hard to connect to, as I felt like the characters lacked depth and a sense of reality. It took ages to get to the crux of it, and even then it felt very rushed towards the end.
Also, there are no quotation marks which I found really irritating, and again, it led to a lack of characterisation. The excessive and constant presence of drugs, alcohol and sex was also quite jarring and it got very tedious to read about for 250 pages.
**SPOILERS***
The first 4/5 of the novel was slow and small changes developed, and then suddenly everything changed so quickly. It felt quite unrealistic and sudden, and I did not find the motivation/reasoning behind Rez joining ISIS very believable at all? It seemed to come out of the blue, he was opposed to Islam one second and the next he was on a plane to Syria? I found it a bit odd.
this is one of the WEIRDEST presents from grandpa jones & the stevens that i've ever recieved. it went from the book about seeds to a book about a climate apocalypse to ... this? occasionally, i wonder if they're just sending me random books from their home library. (i did read it, though)
I want to give this book a higher rating because the author can definitely write well, but the mistakes about immigration (kind of a big deal in a story about the immigrant and child-of-immigrants experience) are basic and inexcusable. There is no way this character and his first-generation friends think about INS, which hasn't existed since they were 7. There's no way he becomes alienated by Islamaphobia in the US and NSEERS is no part of his internal monologue. The mistakes are equivalent to a novel about the coming of age of the son of a famous football player who talks about how many home runs his dad hit in the NFL. It makes me wonder what else she is getting wrong that I just don't know enough to catch.
I need to think about this. Curious politics/message . Engaging characters. The jury is out
Wait, what? That was an abrupt ending. Its your normal, coming of age story, a Californian teenager trying to find his place in this world, how to be a man. Throw in a very real, very relevant religious struggle, and you've got an modern crisis. One can sympathize with Rez, deciding to pursue the American path, or look for more in life, in the religion his family gave up. Sure, it looks like there is more calm, more peace, more love with Islam. Americans are so shallow. And, if all muslims are being persecuted in America, why stick around?
It's a good premise. I hated the ending. Honestly, that's the story and how his decisions played out. It's not the story, not the writing. I just felt bad that that's how things ended.
It's a good premise. I hated the ending. Honestly, that's the story and how his decisions played out. It's not the story, not the writing. I just felt bad that that's how things ended.
Rez is a young teenager in California consumed with drugs and the throws of adolescence. His friends Aresh and Fatima introduce him to alternative way of living, one characterized by dignity and respect. Soon, he begins attending daily prayers with them at their local mosque. The rhythm and serenity of the Muslim faith become a lifeline against the hectic backdrop of his family and school life, increasingly marked by anti-Muslim violence. Through a series of chance encounters, he learns about a town in Syria, Raqqah, purported to be a haven for Muslims seeking peace and respect. Rez becomes enthralled by the idea of escape, and soon begins plotting his escape to Syria with Fatima. Little does he know that he is about to hand his life over to a radicalized group of terrorists.
A Good Country is a magnetic novel about a young man in search of meaning. The narrative spans the course of several years, allowing the reader to witness Rez's evolution from an out of control boy, to a man consumed by his faith. The last 30 pages are gripping, as all begins to unravel and Rez finally commits to escaping. My only qualm with this book are the multiple significant typos and grammatical errors, which harm an otherwise excellent book.
A Good Country is a magnetic novel about a young man in search of meaning. The narrative spans the course of several years, allowing the reader to witness Rez's evolution from an out of control boy, to a man consumed by his faith. The last 30 pages are gripping, as all begins to unravel and Rez finally commits to escaping. My only qualm with this book are the multiple significant typos and grammatical errors, which harm an otherwise excellent book.
Thank you to Trident Media for the free finished copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Rez is a young teenager who has it all. He was born in America to Iranian immigrants but has identified with the American culture from the very beginning. He attends a prep school in Laguna Beach and enjoys surfing with his friends. After a surfing trip to Mexico doesn't end so well, Rez finds himself ostracized from his regular group of friends, but he eventually finds solace with other Muslims students. As terrorist attacks occur throughout American (post-9/11), Rez and his Muslim friends find themselves increasingly discriminated against and targeted. What unravels throughout the novel is Rez's slow radicalization from a normal, American teenager into a soldier for an extremist terror network in Syria.
Assuming that this is a realistic interpretation of how these terrorist networks recruit new people, this book gives the reader information that is timely, informative, and scary. While the author's writing style took a little while to get used to, once the rhythm is found it becomes very descriptive, lyrical, and at times, poetic. I came to really enjoy Khadivi's writing style (I just wish her dialogue was written in a more traditional way so it would be easier to follow).
My biggest dislike of the book is the way it wrapped up. The epilogue jumps the timespan forward by five years and the reader never really knows what happens to one of the characters. By this point, I was very much invested in the story and its characters so to be left hanging at the end left me incredibly frustrated.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It was published in May, but I never really saw much about it. Sadly, I think this one flew under the radar and deserves more attention than it has gotten. The topic furthers many of the conversations happening throughout the world right now, and I believe it to be an informative account for many Muslim Americans.
Rez is a young teenager who has it all. He was born in America to Iranian immigrants but has identified with the American culture from the very beginning. He attends a prep school in Laguna Beach and enjoys surfing with his friends. After a surfing trip to Mexico doesn't end so well, Rez finds himself ostracized from his regular group of friends, but he eventually finds solace with other Muslims students. As terrorist attacks occur throughout American (post-9/11), Rez and his Muslim friends find themselves increasingly discriminated against and targeted. What unravels throughout the novel is Rez's slow radicalization from a normal, American teenager into a soldier for an extremist terror network in Syria.
Assuming that this is a realistic interpretation of how these terrorist networks recruit new people, this book gives the reader information that is timely, informative, and scary. While the author's writing style took a little while to get used to, once the rhythm is found it becomes very descriptive, lyrical, and at times, poetic. I came to really enjoy Khadivi's writing style (I just wish her dialogue was written in a more traditional way so it would be easier to follow).
My biggest dislike of the book is the way it wrapped up. The epilogue jumps the timespan forward by five years and the reader never really knows what happens to one of the characters. By this point, I was very much invested in the story and its characters so to be left hanging at the end left me incredibly frustrated.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It was published in May, but I never really saw much about it. Sadly, I think this one flew under the radar and deserves more attention than it has gotten. The topic furthers many of the conversations happening throughout the world right now, and I believe it to be an informative account for many Muslim Americans.