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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
A Land with a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism
Sarah Sills, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Esther Farmer
What I liked
- diverse accounts from Palestinians, Jewish Americans, and Israelis about their family history and their journeys to joining the Palestinian cause
- I love the mixture of essays, poetry, and the pictures (I wish the pictures weren’t black and white)
What didn’t quite work for me
- each author only has 1-2 pages and some essays end quite abruptly. I wish to spend more time reading each author’s thoughts
- it can read a bit repetitive because the essays try to cover very similar events (nakba, settler violence etc). I think this book will work very well as an introductory read for those curious about Israel/palestine conflicts
- diverse accounts from Palestinians, Jewish Americans, and Israelis about their family history and their journeys to joining the Palestinian cause
- I love the mixture of essays, poetry, and the pictures (I wish the pictures weren’t black and white)
What didn’t quite work for me
- each author only has 1-2 pages and some essays end quite abruptly. I wish to spend more time reading each author’s thoughts
- it can read a bit repetitive because the essays try to cover very similar events (nakba, settler violence etc). I think this book will work very well as an introductory read for those curious about Israel/palestine conflicts
3.5/5
I love how accessible and compelling Rum’s writing and storytelling are. Having read her other two novels, this one feels like a watered down version. I think it’s a good place to start for readers curious about her work or for those who want an introductory read on Palestinian diaspora
I really love the idea of connecting the loss of one’s mother land to the complex mother-daughter dynamics. This is explored quite well through the novella and also in Rum’s novels
I do always feel like her books are written for celebrity book club. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I wish there is more gray area explored and not just the cookie cutter “Arabs are oppressive to women”
I love how accessible and compelling Rum’s writing and storytelling are. Having read her other two novels, this one feels like a watered down version. I think it’s a good place to start for readers curious about her work or for those who want an introductory read on Palestinian diaspora
I really love the idea of connecting the loss of one’s mother land to the complex mother-daughter dynamics. This is explored quite well through the novella and also in Rum’s novels
I do always feel like her books are written for celebrity book club. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I wish there is more gray area explored and not just the cookie cutter “Arabs are oppressive to women”
3.5/5 ARC gifted by the publisher and ALC from librofm
What I liked
- inspired by Chinese mythology Legend of the White Snake
- messy sisterhood
- the writing is very immersive and the food description is top notch
- the setting in Singapore, where things seem clean and ordered juxtaposed with a culture that expects everyone to fall in line
- raises some interesting questions about control in the name of love that’s explored via different relationships — country & people, husband & wife, sisters
What didn’t work for me
- the narrator’s mandarin pronunciation needs work
- can someone explain the biology to me??? how does a reptile develop placenta for another reptile
What I liked
- inspired by Chinese mythology Legend of the White Snake
- messy sisterhood
- the writing is very immersive and the food description is top notch
- the setting in Singapore, where things seem clean and ordered juxtaposed with a culture that expects everyone to fall in line
- raises some interesting questions about control in the name of love that’s explored via different relationships — country & people, husband & wife, sisters
What didn’t work for me
- the narrator’s mandarin pronunciation needs work
- can someone explain the biology to me??? how does a reptile develop placenta for another reptile
4.25/5
Shibli excels at infusing the “mundane”, told through an innocent young girl’s perspective, with themes of love, squabbles, and violence. The prose has a hypnotic characteristic that captures the innocence nature of a young girl, yet the horrific nature of massacre and the endless well of grief shines through Shibli’s writing
While slim with sparse prose, TOUCH is a book worth reading slowly, marinating, and rereading
Shibli excels at infusing the “mundane”, told through an innocent young girl’s perspective, with themes of love, squabbles, and violence. The prose has a hypnotic characteristic that captures the innocence nature of a young girl, yet the horrific nature of massacre and the endless well of grief shines through Shibli’s writing
While slim with sparse prose, TOUCH is a book worth reading slowly, marinating, and rereading
What I liked
- the setting about Black Panthers and their social programs
- women’s roles in the black panther party (I wish there were more focus on this)
- exploration of sexism within a movement aiming to “liberate”
What didn’t work for me
- a bit too book clubby for my personal taste. I wish there’s more nuance in the characters instead of clear black vs white
- the “romance” arc dragged on too much that made it too soap operay
- the setting about Black Panthers and their social programs
- women’s roles in the black panther party (I wish there were more focus on this)
- exploration of sexism within a movement aiming to “liberate”
What didn’t work for me
- a bit too book clubby for my personal taste. I wish there’s more nuance in the characters instead of clear black vs white
- the “romance” arc dragged on too much that made it too soap operay
Finished copy gifted by the publisher
What I liked
- complex sibling dynamics
- compelling writing that kept me wanting to read more (I finished this in a day!)
- morally gray characters. I appreciate that the characters feel realistic with their own struggles
What didn’t work for me
- the story is narrated from the rule-following hard-working younger sister’s perspective. And honestly her life just feels kind of boring
What I liked
- complex sibling dynamics
- compelling writing that kept me wanting to read more (I finished this in a day!)
- morally gray characters. I appreciate that the characters feel realistic with their own struggles
What didn’t work for me
- the story is narrated from the rule-following hard-working younger sister’s perspective. And honestly her life just feels kind of boring
4.25/5 finished copy gifted by the publisher
I had a lot of fun with this romantasy that focuses on the man’s perspective. I appreciate that the author flips the script of gender dynamics from traditional romantasy. A little bit predictable in plot but great characters!
I had a lot of fun with this romantasy that focuses on the man’s perspective. I appreciate that the author flips the script of gender dynamics from traditional romantasy. A little bit predictable in plot but great characters!
2.5/5 ALC gifted by prhaudio
This book is best described as contradictory, which also sums up my conflicting feelings about it. On the one hand, the writing is aesthetically pleasing. While I appreciate the writing style, the overwritten sentences overshadows the message, making the book read like an MFA project at times
The heavy use of stereotypes, especially describing Muslim culture, and one’s self-hatred of their heritage is another reason I have complex feelings for this book. I can see this coming of age story making younger readers feel less alone about their identity when they’re trying to fit into whiteness. However, the heavy emphasis of drug and sex makes this a book that isn’t fit for younger audiences. So I just have a hard time imagining a readership that will benefit from reading this book. Like one is either old enough that hopefully they’ve overcome these identity crises, or not old enough to read about doing drugs and skipping school
This book is best described as contradictory, which also sums up my conflicting feelings about it. On the one hand, the writing is aesthetically pleasing. While I appreciate the writing style, the overwritten sentences overshadows the message, making the book read like an MFA project at times
The heavy use of stereotypes, especially describing Muslim culture, and one’s self-hatred of their heritage is another reason I have complex feelings for this book. I can see this coming of age story making younger readers feel less alone about their identity when they’re trying to fit into whiteness. However, the heavy emphasis of drug and sex makes this a book that isn’t fit for younger audiences. So I just have a hard time imagining a readership that will benefit from reading this book. Like one is either old enough that hopefully they’ve overcome these identity crises, or not old enough to read about doing drugs and skipping school