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behsu's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rissaleighs's review
4.0
Dawn is a collection of short stories written from prison by a Turkish human rights lawyer turned politician.
I often don't enjoy short story collections as much as I wish I would, but this one completely blew me away. Especially for a work in translation. You can tell the author has a massive intellect and a playful way with words. The stories vacillate between laugh-out-loud irony and gut-punching pathos. For style and tone, I was reminded a little of the greats of Russian literature, but the subject-matter is all his own.
Don't skip the preface. --which all by itself, is literature of the caliber to be added to university curriculums.
Thanks to Penguin First Reads for the free ARC!
I often don't enjoy short story collections as much as I wish I would, but this one completely blew me away. Especially for a work in translation. You can tell the author has a massive intellect and a playful way with words. The stories vacillate between laugh-out-loud irony and gut-punching pathos. For style and tone, I was reminded a little of the greats of Russian literature, but the subject-matter is all his own.
Don't skip the preface. --which all by itself, is literature of the caliber to be added to university curriculums.
Thanks to Penguin First Reads for the free ARC!
sammyantha's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
This book was amazing! I didn’t know anything about Selahattin Demirtaş prior and now I’m very intrigued. I have been in a reading slump and have gone through 5 books and nothing suck but this has pulled me out. So good
jouljet's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
helloitskel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
cameron_butterfly's review
4.0
These short stories were not only well written but thought provoking, and emotional. The second story I could not hold back the tears by the end. I recommend this book to anyone that will listen. Knowing it was written in letters from prison makes it even better based of the quality, the author truly knows how to use words to get a point across.
worldlibraries's review
3.0
There's a joke in Türkiye: a prisoner comes up to the prison librarian and asks, 'do you have such-and-such book?' 'No,' says the librarian, '...but we have the author!'
It is the lot of the truth teller in the nation of Türkiye to always be shut up in prison. Selahattin Demirtaş, a charismatic politician who would bring wide acclaim to the nation of Türkiye were he allowed out of prison (therefore they will probably keep him locked up for life), soberly takes on the interpersonal violence that constitutes the white noise of life in Anatolia in these short stories.
I don't know why I was expecting something more personal. I suppose, because if you or I were locked up since 2016, wouldn't you want to use your own book to rail against the system? That is not how Demirtaş used this space. He shone a flashlight at gender-based violence, family neglect, and what I would call incel delusion. A flashlight beam coming from someone as distinguished as Demirtaş, makes me hope he can get citizens in Turkey to pause and do something about the epidemic levels of gender-based violence that is ongoing there.
A disclaimer, having lived in Istanbul for 12 years, I felt completely safe there. That's because the citizens of Türkiye treat foreigners better than they treat each other. It's each other they have to fear! I think Anatolians are listening to Demirtaş too, as I read that 200,000 copies of this book were sold in Türkiye. Arkadaşlar, iyi okuyorunuz!
The book isn't without humor though. Demirtaş was not going to let a yabangee (foreigner) read this book without coming away with an appreciation of world-class 'Anatolian kitchen.' I think this will create a desire in foreigners to come experience it for themselves. It made me smile that even prison can't kill the economic developer in the politician, building his nation's tourist business as he writes. Let's hope he someday gets to see his family, his children, and his nation again, so that a prison librarian in Türkiye can go to the library shelf, rather than a cell, to show a reader the author.
Serious props to Sarah Jessica Parker for her role in publishing the book! Also, kudos to translators Amy Spangler and Kate Ferguson. Their translation work required courage in addition to literary translation skills.
It is the lot of the truth teller in the nation of Türkiye to always be shut up in prison. Selahattin Demirtaş, a charismatic politician who would bring wide acclaim to the nation of Türkiye were he allowed out of prison (therefore they will probably keep him locked up for life), soberly takes on the interpersonal violence that constitutes the white noise of life in Anatolia in these short stories.
I don't know why I was expecting something more personal. I suppose, because if you or I were locked up since 2016, wouldn't you want to use your own book to rail against the system? That is not how Demirtaş used this space. He shone a flashlight at gender-based violence, family neglect, and what I would call incel delusion. A flashlight beam coming from someone as distinguished as Demirtaş, makes me hope he can get citizens in Turkey to pause and do something about the epidemic levels of gender-based violence that is ongoing there.
A disclaimer, having lived in Istanbul for 12 years, I felt completely safe there. That's because the citizens of Türkiye treat foreigners better than they treat each other. It's each other they have to fear! I think Anatolians are listening to Demirtaş too, as I read that 200,000 copies of this book were sold in Türkiye. Arkadaşlar, iyi okuyorunuz!
The book isn't without humor though. Demirtaş was not going to let a yabangee (foreigner) read this book without coming away with an appreciation of world-class 'Anatolian kitchen.' I think this will create a desire in foreigners to come experience it for themselves. It made me smile that even prison can't kill the economic developer in the politician, building his nation's tourist business as he writes. Let's hope he someday gets to see his family, his children, and his nation again, so that a prison librarian in Türkiye can go to the library shelf, rather than a cell, to show a reader the author.
Serious props to Sarah Jessica Parker for her role in publishing the book! Also, kudos to translators Amy Spangler and Kate Ferguson. Their translation work required courage in addition to literary translation skills.
bookswithlee's review
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and War
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, and Violence