Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

58 reviews

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.25

This book follows three generations of Palestinian women now living in Brooklyn, and the interconnectedness of their shared struggles within a patriarchal society. 

It’s a story about a teenager chasing after the hazy and confusing memories of her deceased parents, about her mother’s loneliness after following the stranger she married across the world, and about her grandmother’s role in perpetuating the abuse that was done to her. 

It’s a tough read, and my heart went out to these characters. The book does a good job of highlighting the struggles of refugee families living in the US, and of the dynamics of immigrant communities struggling with wanting to both succeed in a new country, and not lose their cultural identities. It also paints a really vivid picture of generational trauma and its far-reaching impact.

I listened to this in audiobook format, and I have to say the narrators did a really good job. The character voices, the use of multiple narrators, it all worked really well to make the story come to life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Child abuse, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Blood and Islamophobia

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Car accident and Death

shelvesofivy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: War, Grief, Child death, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Blood

beewangu's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

sydapel's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? No

4.5

I had little to no idea what to expect going into this (it was on my every growing list of recs from TikTok and I picked it up purely on a whim), and boy oh boy did  it make me confront my privilege in a few big way. The recent craze of the Barbie movie has centered a lot of white feminist thinking in my brain (it's still an excellent movie that makes a lot of good points), and I'm very glad I read this book soon after to remind myself that domestic violence and limitation of girls' education are still real issues that cultures are permeated with. The characters in this book feel both rich and raw with emotion, and the fierce hope they manage to hold onto in unimaginable circumstances is incredible. Additionally, the author manages to capture the real feelings of hesitation of guilt they feel at acting outside their roles as obedient wives and mothers with such empathy, and you get this complete picture of women at odds with themselves, trapped in a culture that actively harms them, still seeking love and care in whatever ways they can find it.  It's beautifully done, and I'm so glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, Murder, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Abortion, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Minor: Islamophobia, Colonisation, and War

arszania's review against another edition

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

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

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

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

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Self harm, Addiction, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Pregnancy, War, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

machenn's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

nishath's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Murder, Abortion, War, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts