THIS BOOK. I haven't been able to even write a review for a week because I wasn't sure my words would be able to even do it justice. A Woman is No Man by @etafrum follows three generations of Arab-American women as they navigate their lives in a man's world. Fareeda, Isra and Deya alternate POV's as we live their stories. Deya is teenager living in a Palestinian community in Brooklyn with her grandmother Fareeda who is insistent that she accept a marriage proposal. Her mother Isra died when she was little and her grandmother has been raising her since with a determination to instill the traditional values and customs. The timeline weaves back and forth between the three women as we learn of each of their hopes for a different life and a determination to not repeat the lives of generations past.
I felt so many things while reading I’m still not sure I can articulate them. I felt grateful for the life I was born into with the freedoms I have in America. I felt helpless and saddened that this story is so many women’s realities. I felt shocked that even in a country as free as America, so much oppression still exists. I felt heartbroken for all the dreams and desires that would never be achieved. And I felt inspired and hopeful that by continuing the conversation that future generations of women will be able live the lives they want.
I read this book as part of my #galsandbookpals buddy read group and I can not recommend it enough. If you’re a fan of audiobooks the audio is AMAZING. EVERY woman NEEDS to read this book. MEN need to read this book. Everyone needs to read this. This one gets all of the coffee cups.
