Brutal, incisive, a battering ram of a book calling for clarity on the Middle East situation which was tough to read, but essential to hear.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Akkad Omar El, (List Price: $28, Knopf, 9780593804148, February 2025)
Reviewed by Doron Klemer, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana
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Etaf Rum’s Evil Eye is a powerful look at identity, generational trauma, and the challenging expectations placed on Palestinian-American women. Trapped in a marriage that leaves her feeling unfulfilled and stifled, Yara begins to question the roles she’s been taught to accept. As her carefully built facade begins to crumble, Yara starts taking steps to find out who she really is and wants to be by starting therapy and forging new friendships. Yara’s journey is raw and real, and a must read for anyone interested in the connections between culture, identity, and womanhood.
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum, (List Price: $18.99, Harper Perennial, 9780062987914, September 2024)
Reviewed by Bianca Eckhoff, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Full of longing and regret, Bride of the Sea tells the story of Muneer and Saeedah, a newly married couple from Saudi Arabia living in Ohio. As the arrival of their first child draws near, their marriage is falling apart. Muneer returns to his homeland, and Saeedah flees with their daughter, Hanadi. What follows are decades of a father desperately searching for his child and a mother on the run. Hanadi comes of age and is caught in the middle between conflicting cultures and religions. This mesmerizing debut will be a hit for fans of A Place For Us, A Woman Is No Man, and Everything I Never Told You. Highly recommend.
Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah, (List Price: $16.95, Tin House Books, 9781951142452, January 2021)
Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
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Simultaneously experimental and universal, these poems focus on heritage, fertility, displacement, and so much more. At turns fierce, at others tender, this collection is one I’ll want to devour again and again.
The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan, (List Price: $17.99, Ecco, 9780063317475, March 2024)
Reviewed by Nath Mayes, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky
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Behind You Is the Seais a powerful debut that tells the stories of three Palestinian American families living in Baltimore. Reading like intertwined short stories, each chapter is told from a different family member’s point of view–taking readers through the highs and lows of relationships both within and outside the family. Perfect for book clubs and readers who enjoyed A Woman Is No Man and Against the Loveless World.
Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj, (List Price: $16.99, HarperVia, 9780063324244, January 2025)
Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Supreme and magnificent world building. Tahereh Mafi has created a book to lose yourself in. This Woven Kingdom has it all. Amazing world building, forbidden love, suspense, and unexpected twists and turns. Be prepared for anything! I did have a little problem with the first quarter of the book just because of the extensive world building but after that the story pulled me in as if a string was attached on one end to my heart and the other to the story of Alizeh.
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, (List Price: $15.99, Storytide, 9780062972453, December 2022)
Reviewed by Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore & Bistro in Oxford, North Carolina
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Too Soon by Betty Shamieh is a fantastic, delightfully funny, and meaningful read. Spanning over fifty years, you’ll meet three generations of Palestinian American women who are tough as nails and want more choices and something better for each generation, even as the pull of tradition informs their values. Zoya, Naya, and Arabella all have to negotiate for the chance to voice their true selves despite societal constraints. This would be a great book club choice for discussion.
Too Soon by Betty Shamieh, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 9781668046548, March 2025)
Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
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Beautifully written and gripping story that explores many themes including immigrant stories, art, gentrification and trans-identity. The narrative fluctuates between a present day look into a life of an artist and first generation Syrian American with a supernatural glimpse into the past.
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar, (List Price: $18.99, Washington Square Press, 9781982121525, July 2021)
Reviewed by Melissa Summers, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
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