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mitskacir's review
4.0
I really enjoy Gharib's loose, expressive style of drawing and story telling. This book didn't have a lot of plot or conclusion, but I very much enjoyed the interwoven vignettes of Gharib's time in Egypt and her ruminations on her relationship with her father. I cried during their fight.
I read another review that criticized Gharib for judging the Muslim/Egyptian culture harshly and being elitist regarding American culture - I did not interpret Gharib's attitudes this way. In some ways, yes, she does have an elitist attitude regarding American culture - but it felt very much like she was trying to portray the true feelings of her teenage self, and let's be honest teenagers are often narrow minded and think their way is the best way. I felt that she portrayed Egyptian culture fairly unemotionally from an authorial viewpoint, although her character certainly has opinions.
Overall, not as moving or relatable as [b:I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir|40909448|I Was Their American Dream A Graphic Memoir|Malaka Gharib|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550606451l/40909448._SY75_.jpg|63779141][b:I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir|40909448|I Was Their American Dream A Graphic Memoir|Malaka Gharib|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550606451l/40909448._SY75_.jpg|63779141], but a strong follow up and I will read anything else Gharib creates.
I read another review that criticized Gharib for judging the Muslim/Egyptian culture harshly and being elitist regarding American culture - I did not interpret Gharib's attitudes this way. In some ways, yes, she does have an elitist attitude regarding American culture - but it felt very much like she was trying to portray the true feelings of her teenage self, and let's be honest teenagers are often narrow minded and think their way is the best way. I felt that she portrayed Egyptian culture fairly unemotionally from an authorial viewpoint, although her character certainly has opinions.
Overall, not as moving or relatable as [b:I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir|40909448|I Was Their American Dream A Graphic Memoir|Malaka Gharib|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550606451l/40909448._SY75_.jpg|63779141][b:I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir|40909448|I Was Their American Dream A Graphic Memoir|Malaka Gharib|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550606451l/40909448._SY75_.jpg|63779141], but a strong follow up and I will read anything else Gharib creates.
finny's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
Non male, lo stile di disegno non è il mio preferito, ma rimane un bel prodotto.
fbroom's review
5.0
This was charming and fun to read. I enjoyed learning more about her summers in Egypt. And Hala! What an inspiration! If you grew up in the middle east then you’ll know that what she did was impossible
leafblade's review
3.0
I recieved a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, and this does not impact my rating: the aldiko app made a mess out of the format of this book. There were several pages missing and the quality was piss poor. I don't know who to blame for this but it sure made the reading experience a pain in the ass. Into the actual review now.
This is a memoir of a filipino - egyptian - US woman with divorced parents that's told in vignettes from when she goes to Egypt every summer to stay with her dad's family. That bit was okay and interesting and etcetera. I just didn't get the message beyond that. I thought this was just putting anecdotes on paper, and there was nothing that stayed with me after finishing the book. I would've loved to hear from the author - where is she now? What has she learnt? How has being in Egypt for 1/3rd of the year every year shape the way she sees the world now? What are her step-siblings like?
It cut off at a weird point, which makes me think the author is still young and going through many of the events leading up to the end of this, which is okay, but you have to wrap it up some way and I don't think this was it. I'm left feeling as if I was just stopped on the street by a stranger who told me something wild about their life and then just stormed off. Like the drive through meme of a worker just staring at the customer who just spilled something weird onto them.
The art was truly something, though. I like that it didn't go for a traditional style at all.
First of all, and this does not impact my rating: the aldiko app made a mess out of the format of this book. There were several pages missing and the quality was piss poor. I don't know who to blame for this but it sure made the reading experience a pain in the ass. Into the actual review now.
This is a memoir of a filipino - egyptian - US woman with divorced parents that's told in vignettes from when she goes to Egypt every summer to stay with her dad's family. That bit was okay and interesting and etcetera. I just didn't get the message beyond that. I thought this was just putting anecdotes on paper, and there was nothing that stayed with me after finishing the book. I would've loved to hear from the author - where is she now? What has she learnt? How has being in Egypt for 1/3rd of the year every year shape the way she sees the world now? What are her step-siblings like?
It cut off at a weird point, which makes me think the author is still young and going through many of the events leading up to the end of this, which is okay, but you have to wrap it up some way and I don't think this was it. I'm left feeling as if I was just stopped on the street by a stranger who told me something wild about their life and then just stormed off. Like the drive through meme of a worker just staring at the customer who just spilled something weird onto them.
The art was truly something, though. I like that it didn't go for a traditional style at all.
lbarsk's review
4.0
Gosh this book made me want to give every teen girl I come across a major hug. Malaka Gharib’s brightly-colored and kinetic graphic novel gets at Teen Angst so, so well, and that’s before layering in the complex questions it asks about feelings of belonging, family, identity, feminism, and what it was like for her to be a Filipino- and Egyptian-American trying to maintain ties with her Egyptian father and his family. It ends on a bittersweet note, but the ending really felt perfect (which I feel can sometimes be tough in these kind of memoir graphic novels).
brogan7's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
A quick read, entertaining for observing the habits of a teenage girl, the culture clash of the US versus Egypt...
I was just a little disappointed that she didn't dig into the story beyond the surfaces really....what really happened in Hala's relationship with her Dad, what are the conditions like for a married Muslim woman?She didn't even tell us how Hala went about reconstructing a life for herself as a single divorced woman who had never had a job. . I just felt that layers were missing in terms of exploring the issues that were just there beneath the surface. What about the Filipino folks who work in the Middle East but aren't citizens? Are their situations similar to the undocumented people who do the same in the US?
It's like it was all there but she didn't reach just a little bit further for it.
I was just a little disappointed that she didn't dig into the story beyond the surfaces really....what really happened in Hala's relationship with her Dad, what are the conditions like for a married Muslim woman?
It's like it was all there but she didn't reach just a little bit further for it.
alisonannk's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexism, Abandonment, Misogyny, Body shaming, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
avisreadsandreads's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy