Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

9 reviews

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

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

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

Minor: Body shaming, Classism, War, and Confinement

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

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, Pregnancy, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, and Body shaming

greyemk's review against another edition

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

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

powellki's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

kylieqrada's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Don't mind me, just sitting in my car on my lunch break feeling ALL THE FEELS. This was such a timely read, given what's going on in Palestine atm. Israeli oppression of Palestinians is portrayed in heart-breaking clarity as a backdrop to the story. It is also a very intense read, so check CWs before jumping in. Etaf Rum's prose is lovely, and the voices of Deya, Isra, and Fareeda are so clear and uniquely their own in a way that I haven't experienced in a multiple POV story in a while. The treatment of women in traditional Arabic culture is portrayed so poignantly, and I really liked how the author made it clear that the Islamic faith does not condone that treatment. The different ways we cope with trauma and the effects of intergenerational trauma are also explored. Highly, highly recommend this one. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Islamophobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Child death, Car accident, Bullying, and Body shaming