In the past year, I’ve really loved learning about other cultures through stories. Before I began reading so much, every book I read was set in the U.S. and contained 100% American characters. It has been such a journey, branching out and reading about other cultures and getting to know characters of other ethnicities. My February Book of the Month choice was another excellent example of that.
Book 10:
A Woman is No Man
by Etaf Rum
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Published:
March 2019
Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, A Woman is No Man is comprised of the stories of three generations of Palestinian women and their roles in their families. Spanning the 1970s to the early 2000s, ocean crossings from the Middle East to the U.S., and cultural shifts that come with time, with each new generation, each woman faces new challenges, but each is also still a woman in Palestinian culture.
Favorite Quote(s):
“Isra resented her books in these moments when she thought about the limits of her life and how easy courage seemed when you boiled it down to a few words on paper.”
– Etaf Rum, A Woman is No Man
Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.
Pages:
336
My Overall Rating:
4 – There was so much more to this book than I anticipated. While I loved learning about Palestinian culture (and let me tell you, I want to eat their food and drink their drinks, because even just the descriptions of their meals alone was exciting enough to me), I also loved this story. My heart broke for the three main women. When they wanted change, I wanted change. When they wanted answers, I wanted answers. When they wanted freedom, I wanted freedom for them. This was such a solid and beautiful read.
