Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj

7 reviews

themoostconfused's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

i pre-ordered when i first hear about it and it took about 6 months to eventually end up in my hands. it was worth the wait in every single aspect of it.

i read the entire book within a single day and didn't want it to end. i loved the interwoven paths of the characters and how their lives are connected with each other even in ways they might not even realize themselves.

it touches on the experiences of being an immigrant/a child of immigrants and all the everyday struggles, racism and generational trauma that entails.

the fight for freedom for palestine is on-going and the colonial powers are still not being stopped on a big enough scale. from the river to the sea, palestine will be free.

after reading the lines...

"'you're our rock,' everyone told her, but that reputation did,'t feel like a compliment anymore. it felt like neglect"

...i had to take a quick break because that sums up so many experiences into one and made me feel seen in such a painful but freeing way.

this book is a work of art and i will treasure it forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Violence, Abortion, and War

Minor: Torture

kerriski's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-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? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Mental illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism

ukponge's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

bookishmillennial's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Overall, this is a short story collection (but the stories are interconnected and we do come full circle in the end) of three Palestinian American families in Baltimore, Maryland. They are navigating topics like racism, misogyny, classism, being first-and second- generation immigrants, neurodivergence, marital issues, pregnancy, and more. While some stories called to me more than others and I can't deny that I thoroughly appreciated SMD's voice and depth she provided for certain characters/POVs, I couldn't get behind the copaganda, which feels like such a mindfuck, as I know she has been vocal in #FreePalestine. So many people who want a free Palestine recognize the fact that all of our liberation is connected, and I really could have done without the unchallenged copaganda.   

I went in with an open mind, but the glorification of cops/policing in this is inexcusable. Look, I waited for SMD to provide some sort of commentary on this, but besides a separate chapter (not the cop Marcus's two chapters) mentioning a character recounting a friend not knowing how to feel about basically signing up to kill Black and brown men (in reference to him thinking about joining the army), there is no implicit or explicit commentary on Marcus' job as a cop. This really does speak to me as copaganda, and I tried so hard to believe that Marcus or someone else would call him out on his complicity in the violence enacted on specifically Black bodies in BALTIMORE (like I can't believe I have to point this out?!), but to no avail. Super disappointing and saddening. Again, I will give the author another try, like maybe her middle-grade stuff? However, this one missed the mark for me and fell into wildly problematic territory.

I also felt the chapter on the parents with a neurodivergent child were..... something. I fully recognize ableism is real, and that even if you have one marginalization, it does not mean you cannot act or think in harmful ways towards other marginalizations. However, I don't know how this is supposed to operate within a book that was billed as, "fac[ing] stereotypes about Palestinian culture head-on and, shifting perspectives to weave a complex social fabric replete with weddings, funerals, broken hearts, and devastating secrets." I don't know. I really am a bit disheartened by those three chapters.

I really encourage others to listen to ownvoices reviewers (I'm neurodivergent, but not Palestinian, so I'm not necessarily saying listen to me lol I'm nobody), both Palestinian and autistic reviewers, because their POVs matter and should be taken into context. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Dementia

Moderate: Cancer, Self harm, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

robinks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This was such a beautiful collection of interwoven, nuanced stories. I loved getting to see the characters from different perspectives. Escorting the Body was a powerful way to end the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Islamophobia, Dementia, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Dementia, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Ableism, Infertility, and Suicide attempt

sarahyjackson's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Really enjoyed the spectrum of experiences and folks — no group is a monolith!

The American police are depicted positively which I found confusing and inconsistent with what I understand to be true of the relationship between that institution and the IDF (also depicted).  

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Classism

Minor: Sexual assault