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660 reviews

4.0

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky and Other Stories by Sheikha Helawy

4.0

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Palestinian writer Sheikha Helawy, translated by Nancy Roberts. These 18 stories explore the lives of Bedouin women and girls from the village of Dhail El E’rj, the author’s homeland from which she and all the other residents were forcibly displaced by the Israeli occupation in the 1990s. The occupation is present in these stories, but it’s not the focus; rather these stories focus on daily experiences related to womanhood, puberty, love, and grief. The book explores themes of family, freedom and identity as the characters navigate societal expectations.

Almost every story confronts patriarchy in some way and feels like a tiny rebellion. Most of these characters are determined and stubborn, and this feels like a form of rebellion, too. I loved witnessing these characters act out of spite, call out double standards, and stand up for themselves as they dealt with unwanted attention from men or clashed with family members. Desire is also a common theme—some characters long for home while others long for love, and they all long for the freedom to be themselves.

This feminist collection is bold and provides readers with a lively glimpse into Palestinian Bedouin life. As Nancy Roberts notes in her preface, the experiences of Bedouin women and girls are rarely written about, and with this book, Sheikha Helawy has created space for their stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for providing me with an e-ARC to review.

Streams that Lead Somewhere by Fareh Malik

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emotional hopeful inspiring

5.0

Fareh Malik’s debut poetry collection Streams that Lead Somewhere explores depression, racism, grief and love with a tenderheartedness that captivated me. These poems, tied together by Malik’s earnestness and hope, normalize depression, celebrate love, and search for a sense of belonging.

Many poems are about being a child of diaspora and it was interesting to read a different perspective on many things I’m familiar with, like microagressions and being othered for having brown skin. Malik reflects on how his experiences have impacted him and provides sharp commentary on bigotry, racism and Islamophobia. Something that stood out to me is the way he writes about brownness with honesty and softness, showing readers the beauty of brown skin.

These poems also explore mental illness without sensationalizing it. Malik describes depression with sincerity and his poems contemplate many questions, such as how do you move forward while experiencing mental illness? How do you carry on when confronted by bigotry? What is worth holding on to? We find the answers in Malik’s poems about love and family. These poems are hopeful and are a bright juxtaposition to the rest of the book.

By laying bare his struggles, Fareh Malik makes the reader feel less alone. This book is an invitation to be vulnerable; to lay your worries down and accept the parts of yourself that you might not like. It’s also an invitation to stay, to take a chance, and to hold on to and follow your dreams. This book is a balm for the weary, a beacon of hope, and an ode to being alive.

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

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4.5

This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed

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3.5

This Book Won't Burn is out today! Samira Ahmed’s latest YA novel tackles censorship, fascism and racism through the eyes of 18 year-old Noor Khan as she moves to a small town in Illinois with her mom and sister after her dad walks out on them.

Noor is grief-stricken from being abandoned by her dad. Her family moves while Noor is in her last semester of high school, and she’s hoping to keep her head down at her new school until she graduates. That is, until Noor finds out that the school board had hundreds of books, all written by queer and/or BIPOC authors, pulled from the school’s library because of “obscene” content. Enraged, Noor speaks out against these book bans but faces many challenges, including bullying, racism and violent threats.

I appreciate the way this book addresses important topics. Noor’s experiences are all too real and will have you seething with anger. Samira Ahmed does a great job of getting to the root of the matter and calls out fascism and bigotry through Noor as she encounters it. Noor and her friends are smart and they fight against the school board by starting a book club for students to read banned books. They want to make a positive change in their community, and they advocate for the freedom to read what they want.

Noor is brave and full of fury, but she’s also allowed to be scared. It was wonderful to see Noor be supported by so many friends, including her sister, Amal. Amal is a great contrast to Noor and I love their relationship.

However, as much as this book is about book bans, it’s equally about a love triangle and I found this distracting. Not to say that it’s unnecessary—I think connecting with a love interest offers Noor a chance to grow and soothe her grief. But Noor doesn’t grow all that much until the very end of the book. One of the love interests is a white “ally” and there’s too much focus on him which was grating for me to read. I wish there was less focus on him but it’s through this character that the author makes points about white privilege and allyship, which are also important topics to discuss.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if there had been less focus on the love triangle and more focus on the family. Noor’s relationship with her mom is strained, and I think the book would have been stronger if this relationship had been explored further, especially since Noor mentions several times that she is who she is because of her parents’ activism.

That said, I’m not the target audience for this book and actual teenagers will probably enjoy it more. I think this book includes important and powerful messages that will resonate with teens who have been through similar situations. It may even help students feel less alone as they experience this bigotry firsthand.

Ultimately, this book is about standing up for what you believe in, which is more important now than ever as we witness the rise of fascism and experience the consequences of it in our daily lives, not to mention the multiple genocides occurring around the world.

I’ll leave you with two quotes that are especially relevant to today:

“Reading is dangerous because it shows us the truth. Words give us power; that’s why some adults want to silence us.”

“Fascism wins when we let others manipulate the truth. When we accommodate their lies. When we are silent.”

Thank you Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC to review.

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