kind0fdarkness's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Islamophobia, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Genocide, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, and War
Moderate: Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Dementia, Violence, Rape, and Police brutality
rina_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When reading the blurb of the book, I assumed the book would be a dual story line of the Palestinian family and the Israeli family but instead we are following Amal and her connection to everything - her heritage, her womanhood, her relationships, her hopes/dreams - are all shaped by ever-changing landscape of Palestine. I admired the descriptive language in this book when it came to describing the inherent love between the Palestinians and their land. There's a strong sense of history, heritage and ownership that is just torn apart but it's still home to Amal when she returns.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, and Genocide
There are some graphic parts of the book that will be hard to digest and will make you uncomfortable but it's the reality and it hurts.mksmgts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Genocide, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Murder, Racism, and War
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Death of parent, Child death, Animal death, Colonisation, Blood, War, Violence, Racism, Medical content, Hate crime, Grief, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Death, Antisemitism, and Alcoholism
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
It’s hard to transmit all I’ve felt during it, even now after a few hours.
This book is not only informative and deeply meshed into the history of Palestine, the culture, the family ties, the smell and love of that country, it is also a very open window into the invasion/occupation and conflict with Israel, the camps, the ethnic cleansing, and all the atrocities of the apartheid since.
Although this is the fictional story of a Palestinian family going back three generations when they’re first taken from their ancestral home in 1967 and forced into the Jenin refugee camp travelling time and countries to end in 2003, this is still based on hundreds of real stories that happened during those 40 years.
A book that I now consider a must read to all that want to understand humanity at its most intense level of experience, from love to hatred, loss and despair to hope, from war to art.
The writing is poetic and deeply resonating, and the way it tells of the love of country and people even through such severe loss is humbling and takes you on a journey inside your own feelings as you follow those in this tale.
I cried, despaired, and raged, and still feel the aftershock of all the information, all this history, all these feelings, this is definitely not a book for the faint hearted still I cannot recommend it enough, and will be doing so forever more.
Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, Genocide, Hate crime, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child death, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage
busyblackbookworm's review against another edition
- 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
While the novel primarily focuses on the life and lived experiences of Amal Abulheja, a girl born to Palestinian refugees who were ousted from their ancestral home during the Nakba, it also follows her entire family's trajectory, contemplating the ramifications of displacement and dispossession for her friends and loved ones.
I honestly am not sure that I have anything meaningful to add here because this book conveys everything so powerfully. However, I was particularly struck by Abulhawa's ability to convey the unending trauma experienced by Palestinian adults and children alike amidst the more universally relatable experiences such as childhood crushes and lasting friendships; the isolating sense of not only being an immigrant, but living abroad while one's family is suffering and struggling back home; and being brown in the United States (particularly, Philadelphia, where life is often viewed as being bifurcated between Black and white experiences). Finally, I found myself thinking about the immense privilege I and other people have of being able to wait until we are in a good headspace to delve into this book, while those living through such traumatic, heartbreaking circumstances don't have the ability to easily distance themselves from such pain and turmoil.
Anyway, all of this is to say that Mornings in Jenin is an absolutely stunning, but challenging, novel, and I think that everyone should place it on their reading lists if they haven't done so already.
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, War, Genocide, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Child abuse
samiaba15's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence