Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

38 reviews

01ivia's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Cancer

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

brynalexa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

A powerful journey. Perfectly paced and gripping. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, and Dementia

merc22's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

will wait to post after book club but moral of the story…a must read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Colonisation, and War

chi__'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

_minucelli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Islamophobia, and War

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Torture, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

cosycorvid's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

carmentxx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-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

5.0

i am speechless. this book is incredible. i have not read such a beautiful story, so heart wrenching, so heart aching, in such a long time. reading this story has broken my heart and has given me the hope to try and heal it again. free palestine. from the river to the sea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Colonisation

anna_wa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Homophobia, Excrement, Vomit, and Antisemitism

samdalefox's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was on my to-read list for a while, and now felt the right time to read it (October-November 2023) as the genocide is underway. It feels like one more small (indirect) action of solidarity I can do, to understand the personal lives of Palestinians. The story follows protagonist, young Palestinian woman Nahr, and how her life unfolds being displaced, discriminated againist, exploited, and punished for pursuing resistance against Israel. It is a finctional story made up of various peoples' real-life experiences. As such, the story feels very realistic, which makes the violence even more horrible. 

This was a glorious and heart wrenching scream of Palestinian identity. Nahr is a woman of many names and many countries.  The narrative showcases the challenges faced by the Palestinian people while emphasizing their remarkable resilience, demonstrating their capacity to find hope and joy amidst heartbreak and injustice. It is an ordinary tale that showcases the extraordinary spirit of Palestinian people. Tough to get through (see content warnings), but a great way to get people to recognise Palestinians as wonderful, complex, oppressed people who need our solidarity and support.


Favourite quotes

"I find that reporters and writers that come here don't actually want to listen to me or hear my thoughts, except where I might validate what they already believe" .

"I had not known the extent of our subordination until I knew what it meant to be respected."

"When powerless, following world events only highlights your impotence"

 "I should have said it again, that her embroidery was more special than any desk job could be, that she was an artist, that western images of professional women don't have to apply to us, that concepts of respectability and modernity or manufactured".

"The ceaseless accumulation of injustice made me want to fight the world" 

"Can something expected still be surprising?" 

 "The belonging and acceptance I had found was an illusion." 

 "I colonised the colonisers' space of authority. I made myself free in chains and held that courtroom captive to my freedom." 

 "The state will always find a way to imprison those who are truly free. Who do not accept social, economic, or political chains." 

"You must accept them and accept them with love, for these innocent people have no other hope. They are in effect still trapped in a history which they do not understand and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it." - James Baldwin

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, and Murder

The protagonist does sex work for a while, which carries the usual increased risk of harms listed above.