A review by clairebartholomew549
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

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? Yes

5.0

This book really blew me away. I've waited a bit to write this review since I was trying to get my thoughts straight, and now of course I don't remember a lot of salient details, but the themes are incredibly powerful and poignant, and I was so attached to all three generations of women. Rum does an amazing job of showing how even though conditions may improve for women as the years go by, the trappings of patriarchy remain in many subtle and overt ways. She also provides a window into how women perpetuate sexism and misogyny, and how oppressive patriarchal cultures harm men as well. This was a difficult read at times, but it was very moving and left me thinking.