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A review by taylor29harty
Habibi by Craig Thompson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Whew! While I do not agree with banning books and censorship, I can UNDERSTAND why this book was challenged / banned in schools. I, as an adult, was not prepared for the graphic images of (TW) rape, castration, child neglect, and more. I also didn't totally "get it". Was it just about sexual awakening and exploration? Is anyone else grossed out that Dodola was Zam's mother, then sister, then...lover? The ambiguous timeline really threw me off. While I can see that it was purposefully done in this way I do wish that it had been a little more clear WHY it was done this way. Is it a critique on industrialization and technological advancement? Like I said, I just don't get it. I need to do a little bit more research on the meanings I may have missed and why the author (from small town Wisconsin) chose to tell a story of two young former slaves in this Arabic society.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit