Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

13 reviews

skye_era_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I don’t know that I have ever read a book more heart wrenching than this. My heart broke and put itself together again many times throughout this story. And the fact that this is the reality of many Syrians absolutely kills me. I beg that we someday see a Free Syria, Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, and all those who are fighting for freedom. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Murder, Genocide, Child death, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Torture, Islamophobia, Mental illness, and Misogyny

lesmotsdelivrants's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Ce livre m'a détruit.e et reconstruite en même temps. Je n'avais jamais lu de livre de ce type, qui raconte l'histoire de la Syrie et de la révolution, ce que les Syrien.ne.s vivent. Ça m'a bouleversé.e, c'est un livre à mettre entre toutes les mains parce qu'il fait prendre cknscience de ce qu'il se passe dans d'autres parties du monde et de ce que d'autres peuples endurent. 
La plume de Zoulfa Katouh est d'une douceur et d'une justesse parfaites, elle est touchante et marquante. 
L'histoire entre Kenan et Salama se tisse lentement mais sûrement, c'est la premiere romance halal que je lis et je l'ai trouvée tres émouvante. 
Tous les événements font l'effet d'un choc, le livre est empreint d'une tension qui ne noud lâche jamais vraiment et qui nous tient plongés dans l'histoire. 
J'ai adoré re-découvrir les couleurs avec Salama et Layla, pleurer et rire avec elles et m'imprégner de leur histoire <3
La personnification de l'esprit et de la peur de Salama donnait aussi une dimension supplémentaire à l'histoire, olus de relief, plus de teintes, plus d'émotions, plus de tout. 
Le focus particulier sur la dimension humaine du conflit, sur les familles, les martyrs, les blessures, la peur, tout ça projetait aussi l'histoire dans une autre dimension

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gun violence, Grief, War, and Hate crime

Moderate: Vomit and Sexual assault

serena_andherstories's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

Gosh, this was such a beautiful and heartbreaking story 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Child death, and Genocide

isadowski's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring 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

4.5

Dit boek heeft me laten huilen, geïnspireerd en zo veel geleerd over iets waar ik zo weinig van wist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Torture, Misogyny, Gun violence, Genocide, and Murder

Moderate: Rape

bagel_z's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Medical content, Physical abuse, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Child death, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

this book was beautifully written; i highlighted so many passages. the story was beautiful as well, it told the reality for so many, and is a really important piece of modern literature as to the syrian war and the struggles of those who leave their homelands, everything they know, after countless unimaginable loss, living in inhumane conditions, seeing monstrous acts, living under the constant threat of death and worse, and then risking their lives and spending all they have, being taken advantage of for the chance of a safer life, only to often arrive in countries where they are seen as a nuisance.
this book is so important and everyone should read it!
aside from the real-world connotations, the fictional story was beautiful

i fell in love with salama and kenan and their loved ones. when we found out that layla wasn’t real: i have not been that shocked by a twist in i don’t know how long, i had not seen it coming at all and it was genuinely heart-wrenching. i appreciated that the ending was “happy” but it didn’t shy away from the long lasting effects of the everything they had been through

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Mental illness, Genocide, Child death, War, Islamophobia, Blood, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Torture

theoceanrose's review

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Genocide, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Genocide, War, Child death, Torture, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Confinement

czoltak's review

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

“No matter what happens, you remember that this world is more than the agony it contains.”

🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙🍋💙

I am honestly speechless after this book. I am in shock over how many intense emotions I just experienced over the course of 400 pages. I want to start by saying first and foremost that this should absolutely be required reading in schools. People need to read this and understand a larger scope of the world. This book is so important for spreading the importance of how deeply a war destroys regardless of who’s shores it’s on. The messages and themes of survival, PTSD, and the loss of innocence were heartbreaking and yet so necessary especially in today’s world. For fans of ‘The Book Thief’ and ‘The Hunger Games’, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is an incredibly moving story about one girl’s journey to survive war torn Syria. Salama must find a way to save herself and her sanity while the world around her is torn apart and the life she has always known is completely obliterated. With a hallucinatory form of fear as one of her only constant companions, Salama struggles with the need to stay alive but also to stay true to her roots and her home country. Her strength and bravery is so deeply infectious, you’ll be unable to do anything other than root and hope for her over the course of the story. Much like ‘The Book Thief’, the personification of darker themes (death/fear) and the blunt descriptions of the destruction will draw you in and won’t let go even after you turn that final page. This book needs to be picked up and read by so many more. Please pick this up and spread its influence if you’re able. In today’s world this is the kind of literature we need and should be promoting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia

celery09's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It was heartbreaking and real. The writing was very well done and it allowed for emotion, love, hope to mix in with the terror and trauma that Salama experiences. There are only a few things I would change, but it was a very good read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Torture