Scan barcode
A review by emmaraeempowered
Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
This book consists of the interconnected stories of Palestinian American families living in Baltimore. As time progresses so do the characters as we are given a peak into their day to day lives.
We get stories from the perspectives of daughters who have so much expectations pushed up against them and what happens when in the eyes of the family they don't meat those expectations.
We get stories from the perspective of sons who feel distant from their families and are trying to have a good life in Baltimore.
We see angry fathers, tired mothers, and family secrets.
This book was beautifully written and organized. While following these characters much time passes. One of the first ones a teenage girl gets pregnant and then later on in the book we are following her little sister but we get to see how her and her son and boyfriend are doing. The son now 17 and applying to colleges.
There was a story of a teenage girl trying to confront her drama class on why they shouldn't do a production of Aladdin. She feels very uncomfortable and doesn't want stereotypes to progress and everyone quickly silences her voice. "But he's going on about being inclusive and how we have to listen to everyone's voice, except he just ignored mine." In a conversation she has with her mother she is expressing how difficult it is to try to convince everyone of her perspective. Her mother then says " "Look," she says, "sometimes people just have to take your word for it. It's like someone is stepping on your toes and not moving off. Do you really have to explain how the pressure is causing you pain?" [...] "you don't have to prove it. Or agonize over how to explain" "
This hit home for sure.
Behind You is the Sea dove into so much I cried often while reading this. Many of the characters talk about going home to Palestine, or older characters talked about being buried back home. Currently Palestine is being tortured by Isr**l. The genocide is still happening and we're all watching it happen. I keep thinking about the Palestinian American people and how they must be feeling right now, I can't even imagine. I feel horrified as I remember seeing posts about passport information being changed so that people cannot put Palestine as their place of birth. I feel angry at the governments and governments across the world who are letting this horror continue, and letting all the horrors continue around the world in the name of greed.
Free Palestine Until It's Backwards Motherfuckers.
We get stories from the perspectives of daughters who have so much expectations pushed up against them and what happens when in the eyes of the family they don't meat those expectations.
We get stories from the perspective of sons who feel distant from their families and are trying to have a good life in Baltimore.
We see angry fathers, tired mothers, and family secrets.
This book was beautifully written and organized. While following these characters much time passes. One of the first ones a teenage girl gets pregnant and then later on in the book we are following her little sister but we get to see how her and her son and boyfriend are doing. The son now 17 and applying to colleges.
There was a story of a teenage girl trying to confront her drama class on why they shouldn't do a production of Aladdin. She feels very uncomfortable and doesn't want stereotypes to progress and everyone quickly silences her voice. "But he's going on about being inclusive and how we have to listen to everyone's voice, except he just ignored mine." In a conversation she has with her mother she is expressing how difficult it is to try to convince everyone of her perspective. Her mother then says " "Look," she says, "sometimes people just have to take your word for it. It's like someone is stepping on your toes and not moving off. Do you really have to explain how the pressure is causing you pain?" [...] "you don't have to prove it. Or agonize over how to explain" "
This hit home for sure.
Behind You is the Sea dove into so much I cried often while reading this. Many of the characters talk about going home to Palestine, or older characters talked about being buried back home. Currently Palestine is being tortured by Isr**l. The genocide is still happening and we're all watching it happen. I keep thinking about the Palestinian American people and how they must be feeling right now, I can't even imagine. I feel horrified as I remember seeing posts about passport information being changed so that people cannot put Palestine as their place of birth. I feel angry at the governments and governments across the world who are letting this horror continue, and letting all the horrors continue around the world in the name of greed.
Free Palestine Until It's Backwards Motherfuckers.