A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 rounded to 5.0 stars - I might never have picked this up if not for the fact that it fulfilled a challenge prompt for AtY and PopSugar. But I was immediately drawn into the stories of Isra, Deya, Sarah and others. They face so many challenges, leaving their homes and cultures, trying to make a new life while reconciling the choices that others have that don't seem to be available to them. Isra is a young Muslim girl in Palestine when she is married off to Adam, and taken the next day to New York City, where she assumes the young wife's role of serving, her husband and his family. Meanwhile, he, as the eldest son, must work long hours to support his wife, his parents, and his three siblings. There is no time for Adam and Isra to get to know each other, no space for them to create their own hopes and dreams. They are stuck, following the culture and mores that has been in place for hundreds, thousands of years. I think this quote sums it up best for me.

Fareeda knew her granddaughter could never understand how shame could grow and morph and swallow someone until she had no choice but to pass it along so that she wasn't forced to bear it alone. p. 280

Book 4 of 2020
AtY 17: A book with a Muslim character or author
Pop Sugar 24: A book by a Muslim American author


View all my reviews