Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

13 reviews

emkschneider's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

pipettesandpages's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this as apart of the Asian Readathon and this book was beautiful and raw. I felt the pain as our main ladies, Deya and Isra, tell their stories. One that has grown up in America and one who left Palestine to move to America after marriage.

I am not even sure how to put my thoughts into words. I’ve been spending the last couple of days trying to share my thoughts. The only thing I can express is that I think everyone should read this. While I know this book does not represent every Palestinian, based on other reviews, I have also seen that it also resonates with so many others who come from more conservative families. Now more than ever, we need to raise the voice of the Palestinian people as what is happening is not a new occurrence. But one of many many years.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Blood, and Grief

sabinedion's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Car accident, and Gaslighting

bookrecsondeck's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Body shaming and Child death

arszania's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.75

This was a rough one, and I was surprised that it was on Jenna Bush Hager's reading list, but I'm probably judging her unfairly based on her father. I thought the book unfolded very well, and I will definitely read this author again. Lots of digging fingernails into legs, though. Maybe that was on purpose to connect the generations of women?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Murder

meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I think it was really good but I also maybe wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because of the strong themes. I do wonder how much is based off of the author’s life because it was interesting reading her end thoughts about the book and it seems like it is really semi autobiographical. I think more of it is about her life then I initially thought. It was interesting to hear how she wrote this as a story fiction because she was afraid of what her family might think but yet she was also trying to break the silence and balance that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, War, and Classism

njokitiagha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Abortion

mejisilliterate's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Easily one of the best books i’ve ever read. 
The type of story to make you think. heavily. you’re transported into these women’s suffocating worlds, and the desperate uphill fight to break free of the generational oppression that traps them. 

and damn, that ending had me in tears. a perfect way to finish the book. 

using Rum’s powerful, yet simple and poignant voice, the book conveys the complexities of tradition vs. new, and finding the courage to control one’s own destiny. It’s a pertinent message that everyone needs to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Abortion

greyemk's review

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

2.0

Didn’t care for this. Gratuitous violence throughout the whole book and the themes were heavy-handed. Characters felt flat, like people I had seen before, with the exception of Isra who was really the heart of the novel. That said I did breeze through it as the core mystery is quite engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Colonisation