Scan barcode
deereadstoo's reviews
150 reviews
The Drone Eats with Me: A Gaza Diary by Atef Abu Saif
What would you do if war was a part of your everyday life? What it just made itself comfortable in your daily routine? First, you wake up and make yourself a cup of coffee. The aroma of freshly roasted beans surely does awaken your senses, doesn't it? Next, you sit and listen for any drone strikes. You can kind of get an idea of where it's going to hit based on the way the drone is facing so you're hoping it doesn't hit near you. You wake your family and try to establish some normalcy--mundane routine--to dull the ache and uncertainty of war. As you all sit with each other in harrowing silence while eating what constitutes a breakfast, you listen to the news radio as it tallies up the death toll from yesterday. It's going to be an interesting day.
You finally take a step outside and suck in a deep breath. It smells like bodies decaying and burning buildings. Lots of ash and soot. You shouldn't be breathing this in but that isn't your fault. You go around and inspect the damage while keeping an eye out. You always have to keep an eye out. It's second nature. All five of your senses have made room for war. For years, you've become accustomed to what it tastes and smells like. You've certainly seen it and heard it. You'll always feel it. It has seeped into your skin and drilled its way into your bones--right down to the marrow. Obviously, this is all hypothetical. You haven't witnessed any of this. Your senses haven't acquired this specific taste, smell, and feel. You've never heard a drone strike your home, your business, your livelihood. You've never seen the bodies of babies, elderly, men, and women trapped under tons of rubble waiting hours, even days, to be saved...hopefully. I'm only trying to paint a picture for you. However, the picture I paint will always be incomplete. I, too, have never experienced war. I have no idea what war looks or feels like. I've never tasted the stale air of rubble, ash, and dead bodies. I've never heard a building collapse to the ground in one second or the cries of a person whose entire family was wiped from existence so easily. I wake up in the morning and I'm greeted with silence. What a privilege that is. I wish Palestinians had that privilege. I'm sure as Atef was writing his diary, he wished that too.
The Drone Eats with Me by Atef Abu Saif is a diary. Atef ended his days writing in his journal in 2014 while Israel was bombarding Gaza. His diary paints the picture completely. His diary pushes us to think, "What if this was us?" Every entry held pain, despair, hope, joy, death, fear, and love. Atef crafted this work so beautifully and poetically that you kind of forget it's real. You forget that this is a diary. His diary. Every entry brought us into Gaza. They brought us into his routine. What does Atef do to feel safe? Normal? There are so many moments in this diary that will be stamped on my heart forever and every page turn I held out hope that Atef and his family would survive another day. I'm sure as he was walking the streets of Gaza, he was hoping the same.
The least I can do now is carry your story through this life if you can't. Amplify your voice when others try to silence it. Be your anger when you feel you have none left. Be your hope in a world that feels like nothing but despair.
dark
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Disclaimer: In this review, I'm using the word "war" very loosely as we all know what is occurring in Gaza--a genocide. Thank you.
"Such words and protest don't help much, but they do give you a sense that someone out there is thinking of you, that someone, though helpless, cares about the killing and believes you have a right to live in peace."
What would you do if war was a part of your everyday life? What it just made itself comfortable in your daily routine? First, you wake up and make yourself a cup of coffee. The aroma of freshly roasted beans surely does awaken your senses, doesn't it? Next, you sit and listen for any drone strikes. You can kind of get an idea of where it's going to hit based on the way the drone is facing so you're hoping it doesn't hit near you. You wake your family and try to establish some normalcy--mundane routine--to dull the ache and uncertainty of war. As you all sit with each other in harrowing silence while eating what constitutes a breakfast, you listen to the news radio as it tallies up the death toll from yesterday. It's going to be an interesting day.
You finally take a step outside and suck in a deep breath. It smells like bodies decaying and burning buildings. Lots of ash and soot. You shouldn't be breathing this in but that isn't your fault. You go around and inspect the damage while keeping an eye out. You always have to keep an eye out. It's second nature. All five of your senses have made room for war. For years, you've become accustomed to what it tastes and smells like. You've certainly seen it and heard it. You'll always feel it. It has seeped into your skin and drilled its way into your bones--right down to the marrow. Obviously, this is all hypothetical. You haven't witnessed any of this. Your senses haven't acquired this specific taste, smell, and feel. You've never heard a drone strike your home, your business, your livelihood. You've never seen the bodies of babies, elderly, men, and women trapped under tons of rubble waiting hours, even days, to be saved...hopefully. I'm only trying to paint a picture for you. However, the picture I paint will always be incomplete. I, too, have never experienced war. I have no idea what war looks or feels like. I've never tasted the stale air of rubble, ash, and dead bodies. I've never heard a building collapse to the ground in one second or the cries of a person whose entire family was wiped from existence so easily. I wake up in the morning and I'm greeted with silence. What a privilege that is. I wish Palestinians had that privilege. I'm sure as Atef was writing his diary, he wished that too.
The Drone Eats with Me by Atef Abu Saif is a diary. Atef ended his days writing in his journal in 2014 while Israel was bombarding Gaza. His diary paints the picture completely. His diary pushes us to think, "What if this was us?" Every entry held pain, despair, hope, joy, death, fear, and love. Atef crafted this work so beautifully and poetically that you kind of forget it's real. You forget that this is a diary. His diary. Every entry brought us into Gaza. They brought us into his routine. What does Atef do to feel safe? Normal? There are so many moments in this diary that will be stamped on my heart forever and every page turn I held out hope that Atef and his family would survive another day. I'm sure as he was walking the streets of Gaza, he was hoping the same.
The least I can do now is carry your story through this life if you can't. Amplify your voice when others try to silence it. Be your anger when you feel you have none left. Be your hope in a world that feels like nothing but despair.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill, Mitchell Plitnick
informative
medium-paced
This book is beginner-friendly for those of us beginning our journey into the Israeli, Palestinian, US political landscape. Lamont and Plitnick in Except for Palestine: The Limit of Progressive Politics effectively lays out how the US plays a large role in Israeli politics (and crimes) as well as the considerable demise of Palestine. This book was published in 2021 and yet many of the actions and policies outlined within this book are being repeated by the same powers in 2023 as Israel commits a genocide against Palestine. Lamont and Plitnick brought to light, for me, situations and issues I had never known about as well as those that are happening right in front of my eyes again. I highly recommend this book for people who might not know where to start. I'd also highly encourage you all to pay close attention to Chapter 3 as that one was very eye-opening for me as it discusses how Trump turned the tides of US-Israeli policies in some interesting ways (I mean this in a derogatory manner by the way.)
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
I always think about the friends that I made in my adult life when I think about found family. Surprisingly enough, I don't read about found family often but it will always have a special place in my heart because it's truly a gift to be able to grow a family outside of the one that courses through your veins. I believe that's why The Vanished Birds by Simon Jiminez struck a chord with me like no other.
I was going into this story thinking it was going to be your normal science fiction read. There would be some action, some strife, some evil, and some triumphs. However, that seems rudimentary compared to what I read in this book.
This story follows Nia Imani, a captain in Allied Space, who is just going through the motions of life. Until she meets a young boy with a broken past. Unbeknownst to her, this boy will be the start of her life. A life that would be filled with loss, pain, love, and hope. However, this story doesn't start with her nor does it just focus on her. There are so many characters sewn into her and the boy's story that they all become somewhat of an amalgamation of each other. You even get to know these characters on an individual level that packs such a potent punch, that you start to feel as though you're in the story with them. You begin to feel their every emotion as though it's your own. Jimenez unfolded such a powerful story about family and loss within these characters that I'd be doing this book a disservice if I rated it anything other than 5 stars. He put purpose behind every word in this book.
I was going into this story thinking it was going to be your normal science fiction read. There would be some action, some strife, some evil, and some triumphs. However, that seems rudimentary compared to what I read in this book.
This story follows Nia Imani, a captain in Allied Space, who is just going through the motions of life. Until she meets a young boy with a broken past. Unbeknownst to her, this boy will be the start of her life. A life that would be filled with loss, pain, love, and hope. However, this story doesn't start with her nor does it just focus on her. There are so many characters sewn into her and the boy's story that they all become somewhat of an amalgamation of each other. You even get to know these characters on an individual level that packs such a potent punch, that you start to feel as though you're in the story with them. You begin to feel their every emotion as though it's your own. Jimenez unfolded such a powerful story about family and loss within these characters that I'd be doing this book a disservice if I rated it anything other than 5 stars. He put purpose behind every word in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Nobody to Love You Better by ML Bash
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
The writing is giving me 9th grade year creative writing class slightly
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
literally timing. I’ve checked this book out 4 times and haven’t finished any of the times. I’ll possibly revisit later.
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I often think about what I would do for love. What lengths I would go to keep someone I love near? Would it be considered obsessive? Abusive? Lonely? Beautiful? These are the questions I asked when I was trying to understand the mind of David. That is until he created such a shitty situation for everyone involved.
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due follows Jessica and David and what seems to be their happy life. David is everything you'd want in a man--brilliant, attentive, kind, and youthful. However, Jessica has always felt that there was something about David that was just out of reach. As people close to Jessica meet violent ends, she is met with an unimaginable truth: more than 400 years ago, David traded his humanity for immortality. This is a secret that he has had to protect at all costs. However, his brethren have decided that David needs to return to his coven, but he is unwilling to leave his family behind. David decides that the only way to keep them together could be the very thing that tears them apart.
Jessica and David's marriage was always rather obsessive. It often felt like David loved too hard and Jessica felt like her only option was him even when things felt dicey and unsure. This dynamic shouldn't come as a shock to you when you've been made aware thatDavid was Jessica's professor. This power dynamic only worsened as David began to feel as though the people in Jessica's life were closing in on their "happy" bubble. His distress made him messy and willing to do the unthinkable to save his family.
Tananarive has a unique skill when it comes to writing horror. She does it in a way that feels mundane while expertly weaving in parts of Black culture. The reader has a chance to connect with the characters and watch as they unfold in front of you. They aren't perfect but they are beautifully flawed. I think that's part of what makes her storytelling so compelling. I highly recommend this book if you want to delve more into Black horror and thriller. This one has a different taste to it that I love!
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due follows Jessica and David and what seems to be their happy life. David is everything you'd want in a man--brilliant, attentive, kind, and youthful. However, Jessica has always felt that there was something about David that was just out of reach. As people close to Jessica meet violent ends, she is met with an unimaginable truth: more than 400 years ago, David traded his humanity for immortality. This is a secret that he has had to protect at all costs. However, his brethren have decided that David needs to return to his coven, but he is unwilling to leave his family behind. David decides that the only way to keep them together could be the very thing that tears them apart.
Jessica and David's marriage was always rather obsessive. It often felt like David loved too hard and Jessica felt like her only option was him even when things felt dicey and unsure. This dynamic shouldn't come as a shock to you when you've been made aware that
Tananarive has a unique skill when it comes to writing horror. She does it in a way that feels mundane while expertly weaving in parts of Black culture. The reader has a chance to connect with the characters and watch as they unfold in front of you. They aren't perfect but they are beautifully flawed. I think that's part of what makes her storytelling so compelling. I highly recommend this book if you want to delve more into Black horror and thriller. This one has a different taste to it that I love!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Murder
Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse