silenttardis's review
5.0
I start writing this with tears in my eyes… this was such a hard book to read to imagine that there are girls that live this way today… yes I know the events in the book toke place between, 1985 to 2007 and somewhat to the present day… but this sort of things is still happening, and most girls afflicted by this don’t reach out, don’t run away, like baby sister Banaz they only search for help when they are at their end of the road, or simply disappear, because no one really cares for them… and if the authorities are afraid to help because they are in risk of sounding islamofobics, we need new laws that put honour killings and honour punishing aside in modern countries (ideally in the world but one can always dream) and really permit the authorities to dig in, in the private lives of these close communities and protect these women and sometimes man as well…
You hear how things happened to Bakha and you think, how could this possibly be real, how could a family tread like this a daughter, such hard core beatings, calling a child a whore, the FGM was completely horrifying… yes, when you start reading this book grab a box of tissues, you will need it…
I highly recommend this book for the fans of true stories, true crime and of human rights, its very hard to read but we cant let this kind of stories die, or let them be silent, because knowing this can help the next victim.
Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
You hear how things happened to Bakha and you think, how could this possibly be real, how could a family tread like this a daughter, such hard core beatings, calling a child a whore, the FGM was completely horrifying… yes, when you start reading this book grab a box of tissues, you will need it…
I highly recommend this book for the fans of true stories, true crime and of human rights, its very hard to read but we cant let this kind of stories die, or let them be silent, because knowing this can help the next victim.
Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
abigailwantstoread_01's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review.
This is an absolutely heartbreaking read and one that I think that more people need to read (although please look up trigger warning first). It depicts the horrifying abuse that Bekhal faced at the hands of her own father and the murder of her sister in 2006 who was killed simply for loving a man that her family didn't approve of. It was not an easy read but it's not a book that should be an easy read as what Bekhal and Banza went through wasn't easy.
This is an absolutely heartbreaking read and one that I think that more people need to read (although please look up trigger warning first). It depicts the horrifying abuse that Bekhal faced at the hands of her own father and the murder of her sister in 2006 who was killed simply for loving a man that her family didn't approve of. It was not an easy read but it's not a book that should be an easy read as what Bekhal and Banza went through wasn't easy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Sexism
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for a copy of this book to review.
Bekhal Mahmod, originally from Iraqi Kurdistan. Due to her family and culture, she and her sisters had a horrifically abusive childhood. She ran away at 15 instead of facing an arranged marriage to her cousin. This act of defiance caused to father to 'lose respect' within the Kurdish community, she became a target of an 'honour killing' and her younger sisters Banaz and Payzee were quickly married off. Banaz later left her abusive husband so her father and uncle arranged her murder. Bekhal became the first woman in British legal history to testify against her family in an honour killing trial. She now lives in the witness protection program and is always looking over her shoulder.
This was not an easy read Bekhal and her sisters' childhood was brutal and oppressive. Her anger at many of her family members and of her misogynistic culture seeps off the page. This made me so anger for Mekhal, for Banaz, for all the women in the world who've gone through this bullshit, and still do.
This is a very important story to get out there. The world needs to hear the true horrors of what life is like for some women in cultures like this.
Bekhal Mahmod, originally from Iraqi Kurdistan. Due to her family and culture, she and her sisters had a horrifically abusive childhood. She ran away at 15 instead of facing an arranged marriage to her cousin. This act of defiance caused to father to 'lose respect' within the Kurdish community, she became a target of an 'honour killing' and her younger sisters Banaz and Payzee were quickly married off. Banaz later left her abusive husband so her father and uncle arranged her murder. Bekhal became the first woman in British legal history to testify against her family in an honour killing trial. She now lives in the witness protection program and is always looking over her shoulder.
This was not an easy read Bekhal and her sisters' childhood was brutal and oppressive. Her anger at many of her family members and of her misogynistic culture seeps off the page. This made me so anger for Mekhal, for Banaz, for all the women in the world who've gone through this bullshit, and still do.
This is a very important story to get out there. The world needs to hear the true horrors of what life is like for some women in cultures like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Child abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, and Sexism
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Suicide
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