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The New York Times bestseller and Read with Jenna TODAY SHOW Book Club pick telling the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community.
A GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS FINALIST FOR BEST FICTION AND BEST DEBUT - BOOKBROWE'S BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - A MARIE CLAIRE BEST WOMEN'S FICTION OF THE YEAR - A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ALL WRITTEN BY FEMALES
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice - A Washington Post 10 Books to Read in March - A Newsweek Best Book of the Summer - A USA Today Best Book of the Week - A Washington Book Review Difficult-To-Put-Down Novel - A Refinery 29 Best Books of the Month - A Buzzfeed News 4 Books We Couldn't Put Down Last Month - A New Arab Best Books by Arab Authors - An Electric Lit 20 Best Debuts of the First Half of 2019 - A The Millions Most Anticipated Books of 2019
"Garnering justified comparisons to Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns... Etaf Rum's debut novel is a must-read about women mustering up the bravery to follow their inner voice." --Refinery 29
Where I come from, we've learned to silence ourselves. We've been taught that silence will save us. Where I come from, we keep these stories to ourselves. To tell them to the outside world is unheard of--dangerous, the ultimate shame."
Palestine, 1990. Seventeen-year-old Isra prefers reading books to entertaining the suitors her father has chosen for her. Over the course of a week, the na ve and dreamy girl finds herself quickly betrothed and married, and is soon living in Brooklyn. There Isra struggles to adapt to the expectations of her oppressive mother-in-law Fareeda and strange new husband Adam, a pressure that intensifies as she begins to have children--four daughters instead of the sons Fareeda tells Isra she must bear.
Brooklyn, 2008. Eighteen-year-old Deya, Isra's oldest daughter, must meet with potential husbands at her grandmother Fareeda's insistence, though her only desire is to go to college. Deya can't help but wonder if her options would have been different had her parents survived the car crash that killed them when Deya was only eight. But her grandmother is firm on the matter: the only way to secure a worthy future for Deya is through marriage to the right man.
But fate has a will of its own, and soon Deya will find herself on an unexpected path that leads her to shocking truths about her family--knowledge that will force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, the past, and her own future.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780062699770
- ISBN-10: 0062699776
- Publisher: Harper Perennial
- Publish Date: February 2020
- Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.65 pounds
- Page Count: 352
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Book Clubs: April 2021
Growing up is hard to do—but great fodder for book club discussions.
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Philippe Besson’s Lie With Me is an unforgettable exploration of early love and a piercing analysis of social class and self-image. With true passion, the novel’s narrator, a successful writer named Philippe, recalls an affair he had in high school with a classmate. Because he’s the school principal’s son, Philippe keeps his love for Thomas, the son of a farmer, a secret. He doesn’t talk to Thomas at school, and Thomas senses early on that their relationship is doomed. Molly Ringwald’s (yes, that Molly Ringwald) translation from the original French captures the bittersweet emotions at play during a formative time in the young men’s lives.
Etaf Rum’s tense, dramatic novel, A Woman Is No Man, follows three generations of Palestinian American women as they try to reconcile arranged marriages and motherhood with their personal desires. The story of Isra, who immigrates to America with Adam, her husband, forms the backbone of the novel. Isra and Adam settle in Brooklyn, where she struggles with an overbearing mother-in-law. Isra eventually gives birth to four daughters, including Deya, who wishes to attend college in open defiance of family expectations. Rum explores Arab American culture in a multilayered narrative that’s rife with discussion material.
Book Clubs: April 2021
Growing up is hard to do—but great fodder for book club discussions.
Swimming in the Dark, Tomasz Jedrowski’s electrifying coming-of-age novel, takes place in 1980s Poland during a time of political upheaval. After they meet at a summer camp, Ludwik and Janusz begin a secret, passionate romance, spending idyllic hours together in nature. But the two don’t see eye to eye politically, and their relationship is threatened by Janusz’s devotion to the country’s embattled Communist regime. Jedrowski portrays the intense connection between two men in a repressive culture with wistfulness and emotional authenticity. The novel’s rich exploration of themes like loyalty and identity, as well as its less commonly trod historical setting, make it an excellent reading group pick.
The Girl With the Louding Voice, Abi Daré’s accomplished debut, tells the story of Adunni, a 14-year-old Nigerian girl who harbors hopes of getting an education and leaving poverty behind. Adunni faces many challenges, including an arranged marriage, but she’s determined to live life on her own terms—and to help other women. Language plays a major role in this lively, inspiring story, and Adunni’s remarkable voice is one readers won’t forget. Potential discussion topics include gender norms, societal expectations and the importance of agency.
Philippe Besson’s Lie With Me is an unforgettable exploration of early love and a piercing analysis of social class and self-image. With true passion, the novel’s narrator, a successful writer named Philippe, recalls an affair he had in high school with a classmate. Because he’s the school principal’s son, Philippe keeps his love for Thomas, the son of a farmer, a secret. He doesn’t talk to Thomas at school, and Thomas senses early on that their relationship is doomed. Molly Ringwald’s (yes, that Molly Ringwald) translation from the original French captures the bittersweet emotions at play during a formative time in the young men’s lives.
Etaf Rum’s tense, dramatic novel, A Woman Is No Man, follows three generations of Palestinian American women as they try to reconcile arranged marriages and motherhood with their personal desires. The story of Isra, who immigrates to America with Adam, her husband, forms the backbone of the novel. Isra and Adam settle in Brooklyn, where she struggles with an overbearing mother-in-law. Isra eventually gives birth to four daughters, including Deya, who wishes to attend college in open defiance of family expectations. Rum explores Arab American culture in a multilayered narrative that’s rife with discussion material.