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The Beauty of Your Face

Sahar Mustafah (Goodreads Author)

4.20 · Rating details · 1,931 ratings · 396 reviews

A Palestinian American woman wrestles with faith, loss, and identity before coming face-to-face with a school shooter in this searing debut.

A uniquely American story told in powerful, evocative prose, The Beauty of Your Face navigates a country growing ever more divided. Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the principal of Nurrideen School for Girls, a ...more

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Hardcover, 312 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by W. W. Norton Company

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Jan 27, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it liked it

Another book created complex, controversial feelings in my heart and my mind at the same time.As soos as I read blurb about Palestinian girls school shooting, it really got my attention but this book is not what I expected!

I think I feel like I read two different books trapped in one book’s pages: One of them is taking a place at Nurrideen School for Girl’s brutal shooting and the other one is about a Palestinian American woman, Afaf’s life story from the beginning of her child, the struggles h ...more

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Aug 29, 2020 ↠Ameerah↞ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, all-the-stars, muzlamic-authors, contemporary, palestinan-lit

The Beauty of Your Face is quite easily my favourite read of the year. Undoubtedly one of the best debuts I have read. Sahar is a magnificent storyteller, and one of the very few authors that has succeeded in doing Islam/Muslim rep justice. She has managed to capture the true essence of what it means to find Islam and be unapologetically Muslim. She beautifully portrays how the path leading to faith is non-linear — no two journeys are the same, but all are very valid. ⠀
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The range of topics cover The Beauty of Your Face is quite easily my favourite read of the year. Undoubtedly one of the best debuts I have read. Sahar is a magnificent storyteller, and one of the very few authors that has succeeded in doing Islam/Muslim rep justice. She has managed to capture the true essence of what it means to find Islam and be unapologetically Muslim. She beautifully portrays how the path leading to faith is non-linear — no two journeys are the same, but all are very valid. ⠀
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The range of topics covered are extensive, pertinent, and important — with the complexities of familial relationships, xenophobia, and the immigrant experience at the forefront. We follow Afaf, a Palestinian American woman as she navigates her way through life, trying to find her place not only in a world that singles her out because of her 'otherness,' but also in her family crumbling under the weight of loss, addiction, mental-health struggles, and the pain of longing for the homeland. ⠀
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Every line conveys a deep sense of awareness and nuanced understanding. I often re-read passages, usually Afaf's inner thoughts and feelings which were reminiscent of my own at various points in my life. I saw myself in Afaf being welcomed into sisterhood and also in Kowkab doing the welcoming. Within all the familiarity there is a great sense of comfort. ⠀
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The unitalicised transliterated Arabic beautifully interwoven throughout the book was a highlight for me. Powerfully fused with English as an integral component in telling the story in its entirety. It added to the aspect of relatability on a personal level. ⠀
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Sahar has succeeded where many others have failed in that she has written about the Muslim identity in its simplistic and truest form. There is no sensationalist rhetoric, no pandering that furthers the ethnocentrism narrative, and no stereotypical tropes. I felt seen, heard and validated in a way that made the reading experience valuable and meaningful. ⠀
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I highly recommend everyone to read this gem, regardless if you're Muslim or not because it is important and noteworthy; however, I especially recommend it to my fellow Muslim women who have been waiting to see themselves accurately and positively represented for far too long. ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorites, netgalley-approved, april-2020-reads

4.5 stars rounded up

This was almost a 5 star book, but there are a few, very small things that held it back. *Very, very small.* I can't quite put my finger on all of them, but I find I'm unsatisfied with this review as a whole because I'm still ruminating. It's been a couple days and I still don't seem to have my thoughts together on it. What follows is not my best review, but the best I could come up with for now...

I'm trying to separate this book and discuss it on its own merits and not const 4.5 stars rounded up

This was almost a 5 star book, but there are a few, very small things that held it back. *Very, very small.* I can't quite put my finger on all of them, but I find I'm unsatisfied with this review as a whole because I'm still ruminating. It's been a couple days and I still don't seem to have my thoughts together on it. What follows is not my best review, but the best I could come up with for now...

I'm trying to separate this book and discuss it on its own merits and not constantly compare it to the other, (and much celebrated) Palestinian American book that I have read (No Woman Is No Man). My review of that can be found here. However, I do want to share my comparison first, and then discuss the merits of this book after.

For good and bad, I couldn't help comparing the two as I read. Although both were snapshots into the lives of Palestinian American immigrants, the experiences of both families are quite different. In, AWINM, a young Palestinian girl is married to an older, Palestinian boy who is currently living in America with his parents. Her vision of what it would be like to be married and in America drastically differs from what her life turns out to be. My extreme reluctance to give high praise with that book (which is obviously a minority opinion), is that it really only showed one perspective in a plethora of different experiences for Palestinians in this country. I felt ABOYF had many more shades of gray represented and was much more balanced in terms of how the Palestinian American immigrant experience was depicted. (This coming from the white girl - don't worry, I rolled my eyes for you.)

I could have read about Afaf's life from beginning to end. Ms. Mustafah's writing is superb. From her childhood of living in her older sister's shadow, which only got worse when she disappeared. Afaf was a truly lost soul until she found religion. While I think "finding religion" could have been eye roll worthy (especially as feeding into a certain stereotype), the way it was written was 100% credible in my eyes. It didn't come from a place of being brainwashed or radicalized. The life cycle from beginning to end came so gradually that I could easily see why religion was the security blanket Afaf needed to turn her life around.

I wish I would have had the intelligence to highlight it when I came across it, but there were some lines in the book to the effect that women are given more hardships in life because they have the strength to get through them. (Men don't.) I loved how the story was not only educational for me (I love learning about other cultures), but also a coming of age story in a sense as well. I loved witnessing everything through Afaf's eyes and was glad it was told from her perspective alone.

The two *slight* criticisms I have are: 1) Nada's storyline (that's all I'm going to say) and 2) the scenes in present day that deal with the school shooting. With the school shooting, I didn't feel as 'in the moment' as I would have liked. I think some of that is because the present day scene was broken up in several pieces. This caused me to lose a lot of intensity that normally would transpire when reading a scene like that. I don't disagree with how it was done though necessarily, I think it could be said that Afaf had her life flash before her eyes during this experience and we were witnessing her reliving everything. Despite my slight criticism, it was still very well done. It's awful to say, but you can't even point to type casting with having the role of the shooter be a radicalized white male because those are the statistics. This is the world we live in. That and how horrible some people are to those that choose to where a hijab, or worship differently than we do.

Thank you for sticking around this long if you did and I hope this very long review encourages you to read the book. I can't wait to discuss it and I look forward to the author's next work.

Thank you to Netgally, W.W. Norton & Company and Sahar Mustafah for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 04/14/2020
Publication Date: 04/07/2020 ...more

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May 26, 2020 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewcopy, read2020, ebooks, middle-east-2020, location-palestine

In my year of focus on books from and about the Middle East, I'm sure this won't be the last novel featuring Palestinian immigrants (it's number 2 or 3 just this year.) Afaf's parents raised her in the states and she becomes a principle at a Muslim girls school in the Midwest. The storyline moves between her childhood (which includes her sister's disappearance) and various points in her adult life, including an increase in devotion to her faith and going on a hajj with some of her family. A scho ...more

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Jul 07, 2020 Saajid Hosein rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars. This was an excellent read. I haven't been this emotionally invested in a story for a while. ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Cassie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, fiction, ownvoices, read-in-2020, favorites

Beautifully written! So haunting and desolate, but tinged with hope and resilience. This #ownvoices book tackles some emotionally-heavy and vastly important topics - so relevant in our world today. Religion, family, prejudice, community, racism, loyalty, forgiveness, identity. They're all woven together so beautifully!

The flashbacks to Afaf's complex past carry the majority of the story, and build the basis for how Afaf reacts to coming face to face with a shooter at the school where she works. ...more

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Mar 26, 2020 Reading Robyn rated it it was amazing

Wow. I’m so glad I read this. As an Iraqi war veteran this was something that I needed to read. I’ve never had any hatred for Muslims but there was a time that I was apprehensive. I remember sitting in the library in middle school watching the Twin Towers fall. I was in the 8th grade. I had no idea how the world would change. As a young adult I joined the Army. I’ve been to Iraq. I was on a base that got hit by mortar rounds. I’ve been on my knees in prayer that I would make it home to my son. I ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 Calzean rated it liked it

Shelves: culture-palestine, woman-author, culture-usa, author-usa

This is a book of two stories.
The first is of Afaf, the middle child of a Palestinian refugee family living in suburban Chicago. Her parents are struggling, especially after the elder daughter disappears. As the years pass Afaf becomes more rebellious but takes a new path when she and her father reconnect with Islam. In these sections the author's love and respect for Islam shines as does Afaf's determination to live wearing a hijab. The bigotry she mets is quite threatening.
Interweaved with Afa ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Inquisitive Bookworm rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases

Complex and gorgeously written, THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE by Sahar Mustafah follows Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and principal of a Muslim school for girls in the suburbs of Chicago, as she grapples with the terrifying reality of a radicalized school shooter. The novel switches between Afaf’s present and past, facing prejudice, racism, and xenophobia as a child amidst her sister’s devastating disappearance.

I think it’s pretty clear from the synopsis that there’s a lot going ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Kim Lockhart rated it it was amazing

If you've ever felt like an outcast, this book is for you. It's a celebration of the powerful beautiful tenacity that it takes to overcome the attempts at "othering" which are too often thrust upon the most vulnerable among us. We all seek to belong: family, friendships, romantic relationships. We all want to be loved. There are more differences within a group than there are between groups. We seek to be validated for our individual selves and not dismissed with crude labels. The strength of sel ...more

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May 18, 2020 Shagufta rated it it was amazing

This gem of a novel knocked me off my feet with its complex Muslim characters and insight and heartbreak and light. I basically read it in one sitting. Every so often I come across a book that is not just a good book, it’s an incredible accomplishment and changes the way I see books, and this is one of those reads. I highly highly recommend. All the stars. This was a library book but I am so ordering a copy now! Booktube video coming soon.

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Nov 14, 2020 Katie.dorny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020

How..was this..a debut???

Intertwining the past and the present, we take a look into the life of Afaf whose family escape Palestine and to which she holds no memories being born in the United States. The delve into the cultures, history and communities that Afaf navigates into adulthood is explored exquisitely; whilst we also learn the motives behind the school shooter that corners her.

The writing was sublime. For such a complex and dark plot this was handled to perfection.

The characters were co ...more

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Feb 12, 2021 anud-be rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, literary-fiction, contemporary, historical

Never have I ever read a fiction book and felt like I was reading someone real's memoir, till now.
This book was pitched to me as a story about a school shooting, but it was way more than that.
I usually think books are doors and mirrors. Doors to the stories I can't relate to, but want to understand more about and learn how it is to be in someone else's shoes, and mirrors to the stories I seek intentionally to relate to someone or learn more about myself and either understand more or feel unders ...more

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May 14, 2020 Sahar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: muslim-lit, mena-lit, palestine

A profound debut into the significance of the Arab-Muslim identity in America, The Beauty of Your Face fleshes out a veritably raw narrative detailing the struggles of a culturally conflicted Palestinian woman. One can discuss the meaning of the Arab/Muslim-Western identity till the cows come home, but frankly, it's tiresome reading book after book on the implications of being ‘other’ in the West. Instead, one yearns for a novel that indeed centres around identity, but does not revolve around th A profound debut into the significance of the Arab-Muslim identity in America, The Beauty of Your Face fleshes out a veritably raw narrative detailing the struggles of a culturally conflicted Palestinian woman. One can discuss the meaning of the Arab/Muslim-Western identity till the cows come home, but frankly, it's tiresome reading book after book on the implications of being ‘other’ in the West. Instead, one yearns for a novel that indeed centres around identity, but does not revolve around the renunciation of faith and/or culture. Refreshingly, this book succeeded where most others have failed; that is, in carving a storyline that does not revolve around a compromised Muslim identity. There are certainly elements of the story that fed into this cliché, but the life of the protagonist (Afaf) mainly focuses on her religious growth in light of difficulties she’s faced in both childhood and adulthood.

The novel alternates chapters, reflecting the past and present, both of which are set in pre and post-9/11 America. The protagonist had a grueling childhood. Fleeting moments of happiness were overshadowed by problematic family dynamics that were psychologically damaging to young Afaf. Pairing parental negligence with rejection from her peers both Arab and non-Arab, Afaf is stuck between a rock and a hard place. After a life-changing event, she fails to connect with her deeply discontent mother whose only desire is to move back to Palestine, and is impassive towards her neglectful father who often finds himself in less than ideal situations. Growing up, neither parents cared for religion, living secular lives, yet clinging to their Palestinian heritage and customs. Interestingly, the story didn’t focus a lot on the Palestinian struggle. Of course, there were references, but that wasn’t the primary theme of the story; the protagonist’s journey to Islam and navigation of her faith took centre stage. In the present, we focus in on Afaf who is now the headmistress of a Muslim girl’s school in Chicago – a school that is unexpectedly infiltrated by an Islamophobic, radicalized right-wing white shooter (read: terrorist). Although hard to stomach, the story really highlighted the ruthlessness and cruelty harbored in the hearts of bigoted individuals.

Somewhat familiar with Levantine vernacular, it was nice to understand bits and pieces of phrases (namely food) in Arabic – though I do wish the author had written the English alongside the Arabic, as often whole phrases were written without translation. Aside from this, I find very little to criticise - although I would have wanted a bit more written about the fate of Afaf’s mother and more of a focus on the school shooting.

In all, the novel was deeply moving and insightful, tackling loss, neglect, acceptance, mental illness, and most notably, the impact of religion on one’s life. ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 Joseph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, us-fiction

The Beauty of Your Face is the debut novel of prize-winning short-story writer Sahar Mustafah. It describes a brutal shooting at a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs – the Nurrideen School for Girls – a tragic event which climaxes with a tense confrontation between the alt-right shooter and the school’s principal Afaf Rahman.

The story of the shooting, presented over a series of short chapters spread throughout the novel, provides a frame for a much more interesting narrative – an account of A The Beauty of Your Face is the debut novel of prize-winning short-story writer Sahar Mustafah. It describes a brutal shooting at a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs – the Nurrideen School for Girls – a tragic event which climaxes with a tense confrontation between the alt-right shooter and the school’s principal Afaf Rahman.

The story of the shooting, presented over a series of short chapters spread throughout the novel, provides a frame for a much more interesting narrative – an account of Afaf’s life and what led her to her current place in life. We learn of her upbringing in the 1970s as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, we witness the casual racism she has to face on a daily basis when growing up, the loss of her bearings during her adolescence and youth, and her eventual return to Islam (including her decision to start wearing a hijab) in the footsteps of her father, a “born-again” Muslim. Some of the more poignant chapters describe the widespread mistrust and harassment which the protagonists face in the aftermath of 9/11, and their pain at being branded not only as “different” but as “terrorists” simply because of their religious practices and the colour of their skin.

From a purely literary perspective, the novel is hardly groundbreaking. There are no technical shenanigans and no formal experiments. However, it is still a significant book because it presents us with a perspective with which many readers might be unfamiliar – that of an intelligent, contemporary Palestinian-American woman, who is also a devout, committed Muslim. Afaf’s story is told in flowing, limpid, unfussy prose but there is much attention to detail which helps to convey a vibrant picture of Arab culture.

Although hardly a “theological” book (there is little talk of God or of religious dogma), issues of faith and belief loom large in The Beauty of Your Face. As a Catholic who sometimes reads novels with religious themes, I feel that many contemporary Christian novels – especially when meant for “mainstream” readership – tend to deal mainly with doubt, loss of faith or the darker aspects of religion. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, as these are part of the spiritual experience. Yet, I found it refreshing to read a novel which, overall, projects a much more positive view of religious practice. Although in our secular times “organised religion” is often a term of suspicion (even amongst a wide cross-section of believers), this novel shows how “organised religion” can act as a force for good, if anything by providing the support of community, nurturing identity and belonging, and giving certain individuals (as in the case of Afaf and her father) a sense of direction in life. I found this a very uplifting theme, and one which I could connect with even if I do not share the protagonists’ beliefs and life-choices.

The Beauty of Your Face tackles big ideas, but ultimately, what is most engaging about it is the fact that it is also a very intimate family drama, about characters who try to find love and meaning even in distressing circumstances. Sahar Mustafah is herself the daughter of Palestinian immigrants to the US, and the story she tells brims with authenticity.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20... ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 The Book Club rated it it was amazing

Sahar Mustafah is an amazing story teller, and her debut novel is the perfect reflection of her talent. The story’ structure hovered between the past and present and it was touching to see how Afaf matures from a young lost girl to a loving married woman.

The Beauty of your face has become quite easily my favourite read, the topics covered are pertinent, extensive and important - with xenophobia, complexity of familiar relationships and immigrant experience at the forefront.
We read about Afaf Ra ...more

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May 30, 2020 Jan rated it really liked it

3.5 stars rounding up for this readable (or listenable, in this case) story of a Palestinian-American woman’s journey of faith and overcoming obstacles. The present-day plot line felt grafted on and some aspects were implausible, but I enjoyed the time I spent with Afaf and appreciated the role Islam played in her life.

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Aug 20, 2020 Neelam rated it it was amazing

Thank you to Legend Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredible and so poignant and just made me feel all the emotions. Highly recommend this book!

This is such a profound book, a book where I felt so seen on so many levels. What it means to be a child of immigrants. Of parents who left everything and everyone behind to try to start a new life where their children will be safe but how they have to still battle, it’s just a different type of battle. One of having t Thank you to Legend Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredible and so poignant and just made me feel all the emotions. Highly recommend this book!

This is such a profound book, a book where I felt so seen on so many levels. What it means to be a child of immigrants. Of parents who left everything and everyone behind to try to start a new life where their children will be safe but how they have to still battle, it’s just a different type of battle. One of having to prove you are not stupid, one where you have to watch people sexualise you based on the colour of your skin, where you are treated less because of it.

It was a book I could relate to being a child of parents and grandparents who moved from their home countries to the west to try and build a better life for their kids. The conflicting feelings of a child from two worlds not knowing where they fit in, not enough for either their family culture or of living in the west spoke to me deep in my soul. This whole book was something I felt deep in my soul, how Afaf is lost as a teen and then slowly finds her path and her faith and how it anchors her and gives meaning to her life was so beautiful to read.

Most of the story is exploring Afaf’s life growing up and her finding her faith until we meet the adult Afaf that is headteacher of an Islamic Girls School. We see what she feels and thinks as there is a shooter terrorising the school and she is stuck in the prayer room. We also see a little from the shooters point of view and how his blind hatred lead him to murdering innocent teenage girls. He didn’t even once try to understand who they were, he found it unacceptable that they were “different” because of their religion so therefore a threat. It’s something we still see today, something that I have experienced, something I see happen to those around the world.

I think it’s such an important book for people to read, it shows how complicated it is being an immigrant, trying to fit into a place that doesn’t really want you there, that thinks you are less because of the colour of your skin. To see how blind hatred can cause so much death and destruction. This book is such an important and relevant book and I really need you all to read it. ...more

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Oct 06, 2020 Umama A. Talha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: everyone-fiction-islam-muslim-st, everyone, muslim-story, fiction, american-muslim, immigrants, west-and-islam, grab-a-book

"Nothing can stand in our path towards God. We cannot give in to fear habibti. Muslimeen have endured worse in the history of man. We cannot lose faith."

The story centres around the life of a Palestinian-American Muslim woman Afaf Rahman who's a daughter to Palestinian immigrant family and the principal at Nuruddin Girls' School in Chicago suburbs. She has a complex childhood with a mother longing to go back to her homeland and a father who starts drinking after the devastated disappearance of h ...more

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Feb 15, 2020 Kimba Tichenor rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Beautifully written, this book seamlessly moves backward and forward in time to tell the complex story of one Palestinian-American woman's efforts to create a life for herself and her family in a country whose ideal of equality and freedom of worship do not always match its reality. The opening scene of this novel is a school shooting at all-girl Muslim high school outside of Chicago. As Afaf hears the shooter progress through the school at which she is the principal, she remembers her painful c Beautifully written, this book seamlessly moves backward and forward in time to tell the complex story of one Palestinian-American woman's efforts to create a life for herself and her family in a country whose ideal of equality and freedom of worship do not always match its reality. The opening scene of this novel is a school shooting at all-girl Muslim high school outside of Chicago. As Afaf hears the shooter progress through the school at which she is the principal, she remembers her painful childhood and her path to her faith. Through these recollections, the reader learns of her mother's mental illness, her father's retreat into alcoholism, her sister's disappearance, the bullying and bigotry she confronts on a daily basis at her high school and beyond, and her promiscuity in response to this painful childhood. These challenges she overcomes by finding her place within the Islamic community to which her father turned after a car accident that nearly took his life. Her embrace of Islam is a gradual process, and the author paints a complex picture of this process that defies the stereotypes so often embraced in this country about Islam and muslim women. It is her decision to wear the hijab, a sign of her commitment to the faith that she has chosen (a faith that her father also comes to embrace, but not her mother, brother, or sister). It is through her faith that she finds the strength to forgive her mother whose love she never felt as a child, and it is through her faith that she find the courage to confront the shooter.

A poignant indictment of the ongoing demonization of Muslims in this country and a powerful call to recognize our common humanity before it is too late -- this book should be a must-read for every American, as it is a much-needed reminder of the cruelties we perpetrate when we deny our common humanity by building walls between us according to religion, ethnicity, class, and race.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more

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Sep 05, 2020 Vicki Antipodean Bookclub rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“This circle of women and their daughters propel her to do good, to love Allah, and learn that His Love reflects back once you open your heart. Before she could fathom His great bounty, she had loved these women first, could touch and gather their kindness in her hands, could wrap herself in their grace until she could start to love herself again.”
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As someone who doesn’t always read the synopsis and likes to open a book without any preconceived ideas, the opening of The Beauty of Your Face cau “This circle of women and their daughters propel her to do good, to love Allah, and learn that His Love reflects back once you open your heart. Before she could fathom His great bounty, she had loved these women first, could touch and gather their kindness in her hands, could wrap herself in their grace until she could start to love herself again.”
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As someone who doesn’t always read the synopsis and likes to open a book without any preconceived ideas, the opening of The Beauty of Your Face caught me unawares. It starts with a school shooting at the Nurrideen school, a Muslim school for girls in Tempest, Illinois. School principle Afaf Rahman is in the basement when the first shots are fired and she hears the tragedy unfolding overhead in real time just as we do. It’s hard to read, particularly in the context of the Christchurch mosque shootings here in New Zealand. Just as it was becoming overwhelming, the novel takes us back to 1976 and Afaf’s childhood in Chicago growing up as the middle daughter of Palestinian immigrants

On the day that we meet Afaf’s family, her elder sister Nada does not come home. A police investigation follows. Afaf’s mother becomes increasingly withdrawn and her Baba starts to drink until an accident forces him to stop. The depiction of his gradual reconnection with Islam, and that of Afaf, was beautifully written. I was profoundly moved by the sense of community and peace that Afaf felt the first time that she went to the Islamic Centre

There are so many reasons that I loved this debut novel by Sahar Mustafah
~ The interwoven use of Arabic in the text
~ The enveloping warmth of Afaf’s Islamic community and the depiction of her deepening faith
~ The opportunity to develop my understanding of the prejudice and racism faced by American-Muslims, particularly after 9/11
~ The insights into Afaf’s decision to wear the Hijab
~ The portrayal of Hajj
~ The importance of female friendship

2020 seems to be the year of fantastic debuts and this one particularly taught me so much, thank you Sahar Mustafah for The Beauty of Your Face and to NetGalley and Lucy at Legend Press for my copy ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Aamna Mishra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

”𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵. 𝘕𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦, 𝘈𝘧𝘢𝘧.”

Afaf Rahman, principal of an all-girls Muslim school and daughter of Palestinian immigrants, wakes up one morning, goes about her daily schedule and suddenly left shaken to the core as a shooter attacks the school.

This is just the beginning and from here onwards we follow her childhood journey to the present shooting day.

Young Afaf was lost in an empty world. A child yearning for acceptanc ...more

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Apr 29, 2020 Tzipora rated it really liked it

Shelves: palestinian, fiction, ebooks, library-books, read-in-2020, chicago, immigrant-experience, islam

I’m not sure this is the book I expected it to be. I did read a professional review and interview with the author so I knew going in that it shifts from the shooting to Afaf’s, the main character and principal of the Nurrideen School for Girls, childhood and early life. I didn’t hate that structure necessarily but I think something was missing here or off balance. There are difficult and perhaps controversial (though personally while other reviewers on this site choose to use that word, uh, I’m I’m not sure this is the book I expected it to be. I did read a professional review and interview with the author so I knew going in that it shifts from the shooting to Afaf’s, the main character and principal of the Nurrideen School for Girls, childhood and early life. I didn’t hate that structure necessarily but I think something was missing here or off balance. There are difficult and perhaps controversial (though personally while other reviewers on this site choose to use that word, uh, I’m sorry but what’s controversial about realistic depictions of Islamaphobia and hate crimes?) subjects dealt with in this book and I think that blurs things even more. And it feels a bit odd to say this but I think there needed to be a bit more attention to the actual school shooting part of this book. It seems more like a footnote to Afaf’s rather complex and painful life story.

Let me backtrack a moment and explain the book if you’re unaware. The book opens on an adult Afaf going about her day as principal at an Islamic girls school in a suburb south of Chicago. We get some beautiful thoughts about how deeply she cares for the students in her charge and taste of the battles she sometimes faces trying to give them a high quality and modern education- there’s a phone call from a parent worried about her daughter reading The Great Gatsby. We like Afaf right away but I found myself full of tension because from the get go we are aware a far right racist shooter will enter at some point. When we finally get to this though, suddenly we go back in time to Afaf’s childhood, specifically to the point when her sister disappears. Nada is 17, born in Ramallah before the family immigrated to Chicago where Afaf and her younger brother were born years later. The disappearance is a hugely transformative event for the family, and leaves each of them broken in their own ways.

We get to see Afaf grow up, see the many struggles of her family, and now and again we jump back to the school and the shooting that’s happening. But of the just over 300 pages of this book, maybe 10 or 15 (hard to say, I read an ebook copy) are about the shooting. Really, this is a story about Afaf. And I kind of wonder if it would’ve been just as powerful on its own? Because there is plenty of struggle and heartbreak and tragedy and Islamaphobia in Afaf’s own story. Perhaps I’m not the best person to judge. I am maybe more sympathetic to Muslim Americans than many. I majored in Middle East Studies. Know a lot more about Islam than most Americans. So maybe I’m not the target audience of this book? But then... who exactly is? I think Afaf’s story without the shooting and the all too real trauma there would be more palatable to Muslim readers (as a Jew, I’d rather not read holocaust stories, don’t need news making acts of hate to know what it’s like to live in the reality of antisemiticism. Similarly as a lesbian.) I assume the people most likely to pick up this book are liberal, educated white folks like myself and perhaps not the people who most need to read this. I’m not sure. I would be curious who the author thinks her audience is here. Especially with how the shooting is dealt with.

There’s an attempt, I think to understand why it occurs and we get a meager look at the shooters life but... it was very unsatisfying. And on one hand I think all hate and violence is at its root senseless. But we either get too much or not enough of the shooters back story. Too much for the details offered to be satisfying and to bring home that point of it all being senseless. And not enough for us to understand a reason.

Frankly speaking, the most interesting thing I got out of this book by far was a chapter where Afaf, her husband, and her father go on Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the five pillars of Islam, a requirement of the faithful. As much as I’ve learned about Islam and Mecca, the Kaaba, Hajj, etc in books I’ve never seen the details depicted in full as this book does and it was quite beautiful and interesting. Definitely not what I expected to gain from this one but I appreciate it.

So there’s a worthwhile story here. But it’s maybe not the story you’re expecting. I read to experience other lives and this book gave me that. I am curious if some of the language and Islamic details may go a bit over the heads of a reader who is unfamiliar with Islam which again brings to mind my question of exactly who this books target audience is. I think this is fascinating depiction of how a Muslim finds faith and having quite recently read Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS which also described a number of women’s development and growth in a twisted sort of faith, it was great to read a depiction like this one, one that certainly is much more common. And in that story as well, I think the book has broader appeal than maybe even the author realized. I think many of us, regardless of our background, come to religious faith of some sort in our teens or young adult years and there are many similarities there. Maybe especially if you’re a member of a Non-Christian religion. But all of this seems beyond the point from the blurb and the whole school shooting thing.

I’m almost unsure how to rate this but for the Hajj seen, the development of Afaf and her father’s religious faith (and the realistic way this dealt not only with islamophobia but issues within Afaf’s own family as her mother and brother had no desire to become observant Muslims and were rather judgmental), and the Chicago details I enjoyed as a Chicagoan, I think I appreciated the story and liked it. I just got a very different story than the one I expected.

Worth saying as well, as much as attention is drawn to the specific fact the family is Palestinian, they could’ve been from anywhere. There’s very little mention of Palestine. Afaf thinks of it merely as a place she’s never seen except on tv. So uh... is Palestinian lit trending? It already vaguely feels like the school shooting was tacked on to get this book noticed so what with the Palestinian detail playing a bigger role in the blurb than the actual book as well, just something I wondered. And I have no idea how difficult it must be to publish a book like this with a mainstream publisher. But it’s almost a shame the shooting ever had to be tacked on what feels very much like a different book entirely. It’s what the blurb doesn’t say that I think is the most valuable parts of this book. ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Heather Fineisen rated it really liked it

Authentic depiction of a Muslim woman in America. A principle at a private school for Muslim girls, a gunman enters the school. The parts that follow alternate between her life story and her current situation. Detailed and well written.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

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Dec 01, 2020 Elisabeth Manley rated it really liked it

Our first 7C Book Club success with a great discussion last night!

This book was not what I was originally expecting, with it’s main focus being on Afaf’s coming of age story as opposed to the present day school shooting. It briefly bounces back to present day at times from the shooter’s perspective but this could have been more fleshed out - I read that the author wanted to give him a bit of a backstory but without giving him too much attention so it makes sense it was brief but I did just want ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Abbie | ab_reads added it · review of another edition

I bought a copy of The Beauty of Your Face after watching @sofia_reading host an extremely interesting interview with the author, Sahar Mustafah, on her IG page! The interview is still up on Sofia's IGTV, and I highly recommend you go watch it, and you'll probably end up buying yourself a copy too!
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Mustafah takes on a lot with this book, but she handles it all with a deftness that's impressive. The book opens up with a devastating scene in an all-girls Muslim school in Chicago, when an alt-right ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Anna Curran rated it really liked it

This is probably a 4.5 star review, as I felt there were some parts that maybe could've been better developed. This was a beautifully written book about a Palestinian American woman and her life growing up with various family troubles, as well as having to face racism etc. Honestly I feel like the second timeline that is about the shooting in the Muslim school she teaches at wasn't really necessary, as the other timeline felt like the most important and well written. I really connected with the ...more

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Jan 03, 2021 Sam rated it it was amazing

An absolutely incredible book. One of my favourites of all time for sure, and I will spend forever encouraging others to read this powerful book.

Not only does it depict the experience of being a child of Arab, Muslim immigrants in North America, it also talks about loss, and finding purpose without being preachy regarding God or religion.

I will always hold this book so close to my heart. ❤️

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Jul 22, 2020 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-anticipated-releases

It's always so much more difficult to summarise your thoughts on a book that you loved, in particular when it was so harrowing that 'love' or 'enjoy' are not words you can use lightly. But, since I have to do it, I'll say that The Beauty of Your Face was a beautiful, heart-wrenching masterpiece. Sahar Mustafah writes soulfully through to the bittersweet end.

As a Muslim woman myself, I felt Afaf's plight. I felt her pain in every racial slur. I felt her grief in every loss. I felt seen, I felt h ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Biblio Bushra rated it it was amazing

Link to review: https://bibliobushra.com/the-beauty-o...

As someone who is Muslim and wears hijab, it’s relatively unsurprising that the front cover of The Beauty Of Your Face caught my eye. In some ways, I feel a little cheated, although I completely understand the choice of book cover. The novel is predominantly not a Muslim story, but about the American-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants who struggles to find the very best version of herself between the Palestinian culture of her parents ...more

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About Sahar Mustafah

Sahar Mustafah

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Sahar Mustafah is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Her short stories have been awarded the Guild Literary Complex Prize for fiction, a Distinguished Story honor from Best American Short Stories, and three Pushcart Prize nominations, among other honors. She writes and teaches outside of Chicago.