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A review by bookishmillennial
Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an Arab-American Family by Najla Said
reflective
fast-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC of this book! The author did a great job narrating the book, and I felt compelled to continue reading, which is why I finished this so quickly.
I will say there’s quite a bit of internalized ableism, racism, and classism, especially in the beginning of this book as NS reflects on her childhood. She discusses growing up on the Upper East Side and not even really recognizing that she was Palestinian-Lebanese or “different” until she was a teenager. I totally recognize the authenticity and vulnerability in sharing this naivety and sheltered perspective, but I almost wish she spent less time focusing on that, and more time reflecting on and investigating her adulthood as she came into her own and began to really connect to her cultural background.
Suffice to say, my favorite parts of the book were the last 20% of it because that’s where she finally shares more on her own experiences with learning about Gaza and the West Bank, Zionism, and apartheid. NS’s father was a prominent advocate for a free Palestine, which is why I find it so wild that NS really didn’t understand nor take interest in learning about this until she was a new adult. However, I of course give her grace, as we all have our own journeys. It’s just fascinating to me.
Anyway, it was an easy-to-listen-to audiobook, and I’m glad NS is using her privilege and position of influence to talk about Palestine.
Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC of this book! The author did a great job narrating the book, and I felt compelled to continue reading, which is why I finished this so quickly.
I will say there’s quite a bit of internalized ableism, racism, and classism, especially in the beginning of this book as NS reflects on her childhood. She discusses growing up on the Upper East Side and not even really recognizing that she was Palestinian-Lebanese or “different” until she was a teenager. I totally recognize the authenticity and vulnerability in sharing this naivety and sheltered perspective, but I almost wish she spent less time focusing on that, and more time reflecting on and investigating her adulthood as she came into her own and began to really connect to her cultural background.
Suffice to say, my favorite parts of the book were the last 20% of it because that’s where she finally shares more on her own experiences with learning about Gaza and the West Bank, Zionism, and apartheid. NS’s father was a prominent advocate for a free Palestine, which is why I find it so wild that NS really didn’t understand nor take interest in learning about this until she was a new adult. However, I of course give her grace, as we all have our own journeys. It’s just fascinating to me.
Anyway, it was an easy-to-listen-to audiobook, and I’m glad NS is using her privilege and position of influence to talk about Palestine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Xenophobia, Eating disorder, Islamophobia, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Genocide, Ableism, Body shaming, and Death of parent