Spoiler Alert****
Disturbing book about arranged marriages in the Palestinian culture.Even when a family emigrates to America, the horrible treatment of women continues, eventually resulting in deaths. Love is nowhere to be found in the marital relationships.
Set mostly in Brooklyn in modern times (2008), it alternates back to the 90's to explain the story of Isra's arranged marriage to Adam whose family moved to America to escape the poverty of the camps in Palestine after being ripped from their home by Israeli soldiers.
But the dreams of freedom and a better life in America fail to emerge as the isolated ethnic communities in Brooklyn fail to take advantage of much of what America has to offer them. By not assimilating, they have simply moved their backwards culture to a new location.....the only clear change is that many have stopped practicing their Muslim faith.
This was a bookclub read and generated some very emotional discussion.
Possible Triggers: Abuse of women and girls, marital rape, self-inflicted abortion, minimalization of girls, denial of women's rights.
Disturbing book about arranged marriages in the Palestinian culture.Even when a family emigrates to America, the horrible treatment of women continues, eventually resulting in deaths. Love is nowhere to be found in the marital relationships.
Set mostly in Brooklyn in modern times (2008), it alternates back to the 90's to explain the story of Isra's arranged marriage to Adam whose family moved to America to escape the poverty of the camps in Palestine after being ripped from their home by Israeli soldiers.
But the dreams of freedom and a better life in America fail to emerge as the isolated ethnic communities in Brooklyn fail to take advantage of much of what America has to offer them. By not assimilating, they have simply moved their backwards culture to a new location.....the only clear change is that many have stopped practicing their Muslim faith.
This was a bookclub read and generated some very emotional discussion.
Possible Triggers: Abuse of women and girls, marital rape, self-inflicted abortion, minimalization of girls, denial of women's rights.
This was a good book. I didn't love it only because it was very hard reading. Hard to read how the life of Arab women, especially those with old ways, is so restrictive. The physical abuse, the customs and traditions that keep them bound to home, the inability to have any freedom even to walk down the street. All of it was heartbreaking. And to see that it extends to the young women even in the US. It was fiction but I'm sure such shocking conditions do exist in many households. Even though the youngest character was trying to break free from that mold, and did a little bit at the very end, it was still difficult reading. I read it in two days because I wanted to find out what happened to Isra and also to see how if her daughter Deya would have the courage to rebel from the forced structure and arranged marriage.
What an eye-opening book for me! This is the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women who have immigrated to Brooklyn. It is the story of women who have been raised in a very conservative culture trying to navigate present-day multicultural New York and find their own voices. Their Arab culture values the reputation of the family above all else, even when lies have to be told to keep the family's honor.
This book gave me some insight into the Arab culture. Great characters in the book!
This book gave me some insight into the Arab culture. Great characters in the book!
