Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

12 reviews

aschultzyyy's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual content

julialeigh's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

Minor: War

moonadjacent's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

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

3.5

There aren't that many events that actually go into the plot and the mystery is not much of a focal point so mystery-lovers would probably be disappointed with the 'reveal'. This book is much more about the characters, their relationships with each other, intergenerational trauma, and the cycle of abuse/violence from colonialism to sexism to family violence. 

Two excerpts that showcase these themes: 

"...had taught her that the traumas of the world were inseparably connected. She was not surprised when her father came home and beat them mercilessly, the tragedy of the Nakba bulging in his veins... She knew that the suffering of women started in the suffering of men, that the bondages of one became the bondages of the other."

"...how shame could grow and morph and swallow someone until she had no choice but to pass it along so that she wasn't forced to bear it alone... She saw the chain of shame passed from one woman to the next so clearly now, saw her place in the cycle so vividly." 

With the bleakness of the violence described, it would be easy to feel hopeless and unable to see a pathway for Deya (central character) to ever become a well-adjusted young woman free to make her own choices. However, while the author does not shy away from some quite graphic descriptions they also manage to maintain some sense of hope throughout the book. I believe the sense of wonder and escapism that books and storytelling bring to the characters is what helps keep this seemingly unwarranted hope stay alive.

Although the novel is somewhat repetitive in its recounting back and forth between set events and timeframes, I stayed hooked and eager to read til the end. I think Etaf Rum has done well to portray and give voice to a story that is true representation for a number of some. Even in the book, there is evidence that religion is not the basis for all culture, and culture cannot be taken as the sole basis for every action taken by a specific family or individual. How these influences manifest will be different for all and unfortunately terrible for some. Hopefully anyone with critical thinking skills can discern this difference and more of these stories can be shared without fearing potential backlash such as increasing prejudice towards Islam or Palestine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Genocide, Rape, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Child death, Suicide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Murder

ratnix's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, and Alcohol

elizabethww's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

This book was so emotional, so hard to read, and so real. The ending left me in awe with a feeling of confusion, until I began to put together some pieces of the story that I had found confusing when they happened. It all fell into place. In the end, I was flabbergasted – an amazing read. I highly recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

dehahs's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Weeks later, and I’m still thinking about this book. I loved it — well paced, beautifully written, and compelling characters, even though they’re not all likeable. M only fear is the stereotypes it perpetuates, especially if read by someone who isn’t Arab or Muslim.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism

thatsssorachael's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Abortion

Minor: Car accident

my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Abortion, and Death of parent

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

foreverinastory's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

Wow. I am just speechless at this book. I need to process some more before I say anything. This was not an easy book to read, but wow it was incredible.

Rep: Two Palestinian women MC, one Palestinian-American girl MC, cast is made up of mainly Palestinian and Palestinian-American characters, most if not all are Muslim. One of the MCs suffers from depression.

CWs: Alcohol consumption, alcoholism, abandonment, abortion, blood, car accident, death, death of parent, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, genocide (mentions of Nakbah), grief, islamophobia (girls are told not to wear the hijab outside of the house/school), mental illness (depression), misogyny, murder, miscarriage (character forces herself to miscarry through physical violence to her stomach), physical abuse, pregnancy (several times), rape (marital rape), sexism, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, violence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Genocide, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Car accident