Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

15 reviews

hancaavdic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, and Toxic relationship

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

nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Murder

massara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

This was an absolutely heart-wrenching read written in such a magnificent way. It is an excellent representation of generational trauma and how it can continue to affect families as they grow. I appreciate Rum's use of each of the character's different perspectives as they opened my eyes to the horrors my ancestors could have faced as well. This book is of course a novel but it might as well be non-fiction due to all the unfortunate truths within the pages of it. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Child abuse

Minor: Xenophobia

mirza's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry

erikagibson126's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Cancer, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Islamophobia, Car accident, and Confinement

Minor: Child death

saraellenme's review against another edition

emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Islamophobia, Misogyny, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Bullying, Body shaming, Confinement, Gaslighting, Infertility, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Torture

linesiunderline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

This is a difficult read - the kind of book that gives you the feeling of being there, right alongside someone going through traumatic, life altering experiences. I felt connected to all of the female protagonists and I think Rum did an outstanding job crafting women who were multifaceted and who seemed authentic.

Why not 5⭐️? For me, when reading this type of story that is often harrowing, I appreciate a style that is more poetic than I found here. This is not to say that Rum’s prose is weak. It’s more direct, and perhaps for some this might make the events / themes come across even more powerfully. Personally, I like a little more rich use of language in narratives with heavier themes and content. 

A strong reading experience that made an impact and left me eager to read more by this writer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship