A Woman Is No Man: A Novel

A Woman Is No Man: A Novel by Etaf Rum                  Audiobook: 10 hrs. 15 min      Hardback Book 352 pages               

Excellent book.   The reader will be introduced to life in Palestinian households, Muslim customs,  the roles of women in the homes and the culture clashes of Palestinian women who grow up in homes in Palestine and those who are of Palestinian lineage but who grow up in America with influcences of both cultures.    The story is especially well told from many perspectives and while much of what is told is hard, harsh, often cruel but for the most part accepted at least by the older family membrs and community to be the way of things.    The balk comes with the younger generation especially those who grow up in America and go to public schools.    The culture and religion tend to be patriarchal and certainly the births of male children are favored over that of women.   It is explained how the birth of females brings shame, contempt and judgement from the family and the Muslim in this case Palestinian Muslim community at large.    No one intervenes if a man chastises his wife regardless of the severity and infractions by wives can be anything the husband deems worthy of a beating and often bad moods can trigger severe punishments.   Often sad for what the main character goes through this story is a peek behind the closed curtain that is Islam.    Standing ovation Etaf Rum.     Readers, this book will often make you angry but stay with it to learn all it has to share even if you are mulling your own empathetic reaction to sharia law.   I would highly recommend this book as required reading to middle schoolers on up.    This would make an excellent book club selection for adult groups.   It will give you a deeper understanding of why Muslims do what they do and how what they base their opinions on.   Excellent book.

 - Shirley J