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maketeaa's reviews
251 reviews
60 Great Women Enshrined in Islamic History by Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Tareq Al-Suwaidan
3.5
the sheer amount of historical recount was impressive. impressive in terms of the fact most of this info, from what ive seen, isnt easily accessible, and it was organised in a very readable and interesting way
i enjoyed the emphasis on the specific islamic importance the women played, e.g. recognising khadijah (ra) as the first person to pray with muhammad (sas), recognising aisha (ra)'s status as having narrated the fifth most hadiths of all the narrators. along with so many other figures not commonly spoken about in islamic mainstream!
writing style could've been better -- the introduction in particular had some flaws in the way reasoning was lain out, but i also think i was looking at it from the lens of wanting to recommend this book to my non muslim friends. i feel that this book couldve been very useful in showcasing the importance of muslim women in islamic canon and history, especially in the current global political climate, if there was less comparison between 'liberated' women and muslim women. i think the argument would still stand strong that women of islam have freedom, independence, and status within their piety without needing to draw comparisons with non muslim women in the manner it did, by which i mean through plain assertions without much reasoning behind why one was better than the other (if that was an argument that HAD to be made anyway).
BUT, i recognise that maybe im coming into this book criticising an apple tree for not producing oranges. i think at the end of the day this is a book that's probably served as a guide for muslimah. it's just a bit of a shame since it had a lot of potential to challenge ideas of misogyny within the muslim community in a way that non muslims could access and resonate with.
i enjoyed the emphasis on the specific islamic importance the women played, e.g. recognising khadijah (ra) as the first person to pray with muhammad (sas), recognising aisha (ra)'s status as having narrated the fifth most hadiths of all the narrators. along with so many other figures not commonly spoken about in islamic mainstream!
writing style could've been better -- the introduction in particular had some flaws in the way reasoning was lain out, but i also think i was looking at it from the lens of wanting to recommend this book to my non muslim friends. i feel that this book couldve been very useful in showcasing the importance of muslim women in islamic canon and history, especially in the current global political climate, if there was less comparison between 'liberated' women and muslim women. i think the argument would still stand strong that women of islam have freedom, independence, and status within their piety without needing to draw comparisons with non muslim women in the manner it did, by which i mean through plain assertions without much reasoning behind why one was better than the other (if that was an argument that HAD to be made anyway).
BUT, i recognise that maybe im coming into this book criticising an apple tree for not producing oranges. i think at the end of the day this is a book that's probably served as a guide for muslimah. it's just a bit of a shame since it had a lot of potential to challenge ideas of misogyny within the muslim community in a way that non muslims could access and resonate with.
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
5.0
i am BEFUDDLED at how this didn't make the short list! what a uniquely comedic but also tragic exploration of disability, from sex to education to body image to all the intricate jagged edges of existence that society doesnt think to accommodate to.
shaka is the kind of character that you just want to hearing her internal monologue. she is so honest and raw, and makes such sharp observations about her existence as a disabled woman. her twitter account, for example, is the perfect example, musings of things she would do in another life if she were not disabled, and, as she latches onto, the idea of becoming pregnant and aborting a baby. she describes her frustration over able-bodied ignorance -- what stuck to me most was the way paperback supremacy/people who look down on ebooks are completely ignoring the accessibility ebooks provide for disabilities, and how 'maintaining tradition' is just reducing that accessibility in a very disruptive way!!! this book, honestly, made me think about my own privilege and the things i have taken for granted as an able-bodied person, and made me wonder what other ways can we be checking the language we use, the statements we make, and the causes we support to be as inclusive for everyone as possible.
i think what gripped me the most is the way ichikawa goes into the complex relationship with one's own disabled body. shaka is wealthy, she, as she muses, could be living a very different life, if the world was accessible to her in the way that she needs. and her desire to become pregnant and to be able to terminate it highlights the grasp for bodily autonomy, of agency, of being able to be in charge of something in her own body being destroyed as she chooses rather than being destroyed by it.
packs a real punch for only 100ish pages! opinion seems to be divided on the ending but i really liked it, in the way that it made me very sad but it wrapped up the story in a much more emphatic way. really wonderful and i cant believe this didnt make the shortlist x2
shaka is the kind of character that you just want to hearing her internal monologue. she is so honest and raw, and makes such sharp observations about her existence as a disabled woman. her twitter account, for example, is the perfect example, musings of things she would do in another life if she were not disabled, and, as she latches onto, the idea of becoming pregnant and aborting a baby. she describes her frustration over able-bodied ignorance -- what stuck to me most was the way paperback supremacy/people who look down on ebooks are completely ignoring the accessibility ebooks provide for disabilities, and how 'maintaining tradition' is just reducing that accessibility in a very disruptive way!!! this book, honestly, made me think about my own privilege and the things i have taken for granted as an able-bodied person, and made me wonder what other ways can we be checking the language we use, the statements we make, and the causes we support to be as inclusive for everyone as possible.
i think what gripped me the most is the way ichikawa goes into the complex relationship with one's own disabled body. shaka is wealthy, she, as she muses, could be living a very different life, if the world was accessible to her in the way that she needs. and her desire to become pregnant and to be able to terminate it highlights the grasp for bodily autonomy, of agency, of being able to be in charge of something in her own body being destroyed as she chooses rather than being destroyed by it.
packs a real punch for only 100ish pages! opinion seems to be divided on the ending but i really liked it, in the way that it made me very sad but it wrapped up the story in a much more emphatic way. really wonderful and i cant believe this didnt make the shortlist x2