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A review by mellon89
Mother of All Pigs by Malu Halasa
5.0
First, let me say that I loved this book. I thought it was well-done and I thoroughly enjoyed delving into the lives of this Jordanian family, seeing what each of their motivations were, and figuring out how their paths intertwined. There were a few moments in this book that seemed very "instructional" - I don't know why, it feel like a Western audience was being instructed, as though to say "This is how we really are, America!" but I guess maybe that's sort of the point: we are being shown a point of view that is often misrepresented or misunderstood. I don't necessarily think it needs more "plot" - when you're talking about the lives of women in the Middle East, realistically it doesn't involve a heck of a lot outside of the home - but I do think it could have been a little more subtle.
"Listening to Mustafa, Hussein wonders if anything has changed at all. The present conflicts - Alawi vs. Dunni; Salifi vs. the Jordanian intelligence; Saudi Arabia vs. Iran - may appear localized, but they have been shaped by Western invasion and interference. Grated it wasn't the barefaced colonialism of this his father's day. Now a slight of hand was at play, due in part to the availability of more sophisticated long-range weaponry. But whether you're murdered close up or from far away, the message for subjugated peoples is the same: toe the fucking line. all the wars that have been started and withdrawn from, or dragged out as long-simmering territorial occupations, have left a legacy of bloodshed. Every country has been affected...or, as Hussein corrects himself, infected. So many lives wasted and for nothing."
It's really easy to be overwhelmed and forget about all the different places in the world that have been rocked by violence (and still are to this day), it's easy to forget that those people are suffering, it's easy to judge, but I think this is a good reminder of their humanity.
I admittedly don't know a lot about Jordanian culture and this was a great, brief introduction into their realities. In a way, the book did what it's meant to do, I compared this culture and country to my own and walked away with a feeling that we are more similar than we let on. I loved reading about the strength of women, in other places of the world, working to free themselves from the shackles of tradition and sexism.
"'Women are a bridge to the future. Women are the donkeys of tradition. Women are caregivers and self-obsessed. they suffocate and love. They abuse and they suffer. The killer or the victim, which one are you?'"
"'Drip by drip, like water, we melt stone!'"
What I absolutely LOVED the italic interludes. I knew something was coming, as I read the first such passage, but I didn't know what it would be. I thought these were every well done, well-written, and well-integrated into the rest of the story.
All-in-all, I flew through this book. It was an easy read but it made me think about my own identity a little bit and loved it.
"'I wonder where someone like me fits in?' Muna surveys the wooden lean-to on the roof next door, which provides shelter for the empty cushions and chairs from the sun. 'For most of my life I've been too mixed for the Arabs, and before ethnic diversity became fashionable in the US, I was too odd for them, too.'
Samira can't believe that she has been talking about the incredibly desperate situation in Syria and Muna's reaction is to think about herself."
"Listening to Mustafa, Hussein wonders if anything has changed at all. The present conflicts - Alawi vs. Dunni; Salifi vs. the Jordanian intelligence; Saudi Arabia vs. Iran - may appear localized, but they have been shaped by Western invasion and interference. Grated it wasn't the barefaced colonialism of this his father's day. Now a slight of hand was at play, due in part to the availability of more sophisticated long-range weaponry. But whether you're murdered close up or from far away, the message for subjugated peoples is the same: toe the fucking line. all the wars that have been started and withdrawn from, or dragged out as long-simmering territorial occupations, have left a legacy of bloodshed. Every country has been affected...or, as Hussein corrects himself, infected. So many lives wasted and for nothing."
It's really easy to be overwhelmed and forget about all the different places in the world that have been rocked by violence (and still are to this day), it's easy to forget that those people are suffering, it's easy to judge, but I think this is a good reminder of their humanity.
I admittedly don't know a lot about Jordanian culture and this was a great, brief introduction into their realities. In a way, the book did what it's meant to do, I compared this culture and country to my own and walked away with a feeling that we are more similar than we let on. I loved reading about the strength of women, in other places of the world, working to free themselves from the shackles of tradition and sexism.
"'Women are a bridge to the future. Women are the donkeys of tradition. Women are caregivers and self-obsessed. they suffocate and love. They abuse and they suffer. The killer or the victim, which one are you?'"
"'Drip by drip, like water, we melt stone!'"
What I absolutely LOVED the italic interludes. I knew something was coming, as I read the first such passage, but I didn't know what it would be. I thought these were every well done, well-written, and well-integrated into the rest of the story.
All-in-all, I flew through this book. It was an easy read but it made me think about my own identity a little bit and loved it.
"'I wonder where someone like me fits in?' Muna surveys the wooden lean-to on the roof next door, which provides shelter for the empty cushions and chairs from the sun. 'For most of my life I've been too mixed for the Arabs, and before ethnic diversity became fashionable in the US, I was too odd for them, too.'
Samira can't believe that she has been talking about the incredibly desperate situation in Syria and Muna's reaction is to think about herself."