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A review by rachhenderson
The Lebs by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
3.0
I didn't have a problem turning the pages of this book but I don't think I really got it.
Bani Adam is in his last few years of high school at the boys-only Punchbowl High in Sydney. Like Bani, the majority of the students are Lebanese Muslims. There's also some Lebanese Christians, Indonesian Muslims and Pacific Islanders for diversity. To say it's rough is an understatement. Bani is the only student who seems to care about getting an education. Everyone else is more interested in watching porn, beating up anyone who insults Islam and finding someone to give them a head job (because sex before marriage is a no-no but head jobs are okay!).
The book is broken up into three sections. The first two are primarily set in the school or with Bani's "friends" outside of school. The second is titled "Gang Rape" so I was worried the violence was going to head in a direction I wouldn't be able to cope with. Thankfully, one character says she'd been raped but there are zero details. The last section is largely away from the school community. Bani takes up boxing and also dabbles in performance art with a group of artists who only involve them so they can have a "dirty Leb" in their performance. This section left me scratching my head.
The book is set before the Cronulla race riots. (In fact, we see the reaction of Bani's class mates to the events of September 11th). Maybe a statement on the simmering racism and misogyny that led to 2005...?
An interesting look at a section of our community that I know very little about, though I imagine the Lebanese community wouldn't be overly happy with their representation as a largely a bunch of violent no-hopers...? I'm not sure what I was supposed to take from it.
Bani Adam is in his last few years of high school at the boys-only Punchbowl High in Sydney. Like Bani, the majority of the students are Lebanese Muslims. There's also some Lebanese Christians, Indonesian Muslims and Pacific Islanders for diversity. To say it's rough is an understatement. Bani is the only student who seems to care about getting an education. Everyone else is more interested in watching porn, beating up anyone who insults Islam and finding someone to give them a head job (because sex before marriage is a no-no but head jobs are okay!).
The book is broken up into three sections. The first two are primarily set in the school or with Bani's "friends" outside of school. The second is titled "Gang Rape" so I was worried the violence was going to head in a direction I wouldn't be able to cope with. Thankfully, one character says she'd been raped but there are zero details. The last section is largely away from the school community. Bani takes up boxing and also dabbles in performance art with a group of artists who only involve them so they can have a "dirty Leb" in their performance. This section left me scratching my head.
The book is set before the Cronulla race riots. (In fact, we see the reaction of Bani's class mates to the events of September 11th). Maybe a statement on the simmering racism and misogyny that led to 2005...?
An interesting look at a section of our community that I know very little about, though I imagine the Lebanese community wouldn't be overly happy with their representation as a largely a bunch of violent no-hopers...? I'm not sure what I was supposed to take from it.