A review by kait_sixcrowsbooks
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rep:
  • full Palestinian cast
  • Muslim MCs and SCs
  • Jewish MC and SCs

...I don't even know where to start.

If you're looking for a book that may put you through a bunch of emotional turmoil as the reader, this is your book. It follows four generations of a Palestinian family, from before Al Nakba to a couple years after 9/11, as they try to make a life after Israeli occupation and war uproots them from their ancestral home. It dealt with the horrors of war and genocide, which was contrasted by the beautiful purple prose. If you connect with the writing early on, you will probably be put through the wringer repeatedly as you read.

I will say this: I do not regret reading Mornings in Jenin. It's unbelievably sad and, at times, hard to get through. But I appreciate every minute I put in to reading it, and I hope you do, too, if you decide to pick it up.

However, please pay attention to the content warnings.

A full review will be on my blog next week.

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