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The Beauty of Your Face
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 Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter—radicalized by the online alt-right—attacks the school.
As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.
The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals.
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 Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter—radicalized by the online alt-right—attacks the school.
As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.
The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2020
351 people are currently reading
23550 people want to read
About the author
Sahar Mustafah
6 books254 followersSahar 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,021 reviews
September 22, 2020
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 her family endured after her sister Nada’s disappearance which drifts family apart, turns the mother into a depressed woman suffering from real psychological problems and father becomes an alcoholic as Afaf and her brother lose themselves and learn to become adults without proper guidance of their parents.
I loved Afaf’s moving, powerful, poignant story. Her estrangement with her mother even though they live in the same house, her vulnerability to be heard, seen, listened, to feel something however it means to make out with white boys and use her body as her weapon to gain power over them.
She slowly loses her family, her identity, her connection with her native culture.
She is outcast of her school, without any friends, any aim of life, turns into a ghost walking down the school corridors, listening to her friends’ verbal abuses. Then her father survives from a fatal car accident and he devotes himself to Islam and wants his daughter follow his footsteps. Afaf reluctantly attends the religious meetings with her father and she finally finds a community accepts who she is without prejudgment and humiliation. She makes friends and slowly discovers who she is and what she wants in her life.
I think I have to stop here and add my concern that in my opinion a Middle Eastern American girl’s only way to find her identity shouldn’t be only religion because identity shouldn’t be restricted by nationality, culture, race, gender or religion. I know we should find a community to express our strengths and we need real friends to walk with us at our life journey but I think Afaf’ s passion about books made me excited and I thought she would have chosen another way or found her own path differently instead of following her father’s sudden awakening after his deadly accident.
But family’s dramatic, poignant, riveting story and Afaf’s misery after losing her sister, her mother’s big loss of her favorite child and adaptation problems to live in a foreign land and her marital problems, betrayal, anxiety attacks she suffers from are the most interesting parts of the book. I wish we learn more about Nada’s disappearance story because the revelation part was a little haphazard and meaningless. I wanted to see more tears, more drama, more family secrets. I wanted to see something soul crushing, heart ripping, mind blowing. But the fatalism of the book and the way how affects the people’s lives frustrated me.
And I also found the school shooting parts and a shooter’s reasoning to become Islamophobic was not credible enough for me. We learned his pieces of past story by going and back and forth between Afaf’s chronological life story and present shooting day. But Afaf’s meeting with the shooter and their dialogues are not powerful, educative, heart throbbing. They keep repeating itself and at the peak point you lose your interest and ask yourself: “What? This is it! Really?” and you get disappointed because you wait for something big, heart felting, life changing message, a real edgy and twisty conclusion that makes you question everything in your life!
You want to read a powerful message about learning to adapt and respect our differences peacefully. School shootings and growing effects of Islamophobia after 9/11 terrorist attacks are two argumentative, controversial and crucial subjects which deserves an entire book to be to be told properly. So I wish I could only read Afaf’s self-discovery story because when you put such a big, social, political, criminal elements, the entire book’s balance collapses and the story goes to the different directions and finishes with not so satisfying, sudden ending.
I give four stars to Afaf and her family’s story parts: four star
And I give the story-telling of school shooting parts: two stars
On average I’m giving three solid stars. It was mostly riveting, questioning, unconventional story with so much great potential and I know we have a brilliant author who may create heart wrenching, beautiful stories but I wish she didn’t try to tell too many things in a story. Sometimes simplicity, pureness and genuineness work better to create a better, remarkable novel that captivates our hearts and minds at the same time from the beginning to the end.
Special thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton Company for sharing this unique novel’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.
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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 her family endured after her sister Nada’s disappearance which drifts family apart, turns the mother into a depressed woman suffering from real psychological problems and father becomes an alcoholic as Afaf and her brother lose themselves and learn to become adults without proper guidance of their parents.
I loved Afaf’s moving, powerful, poignant story. Her estrangement with her mother even though they live in the same house, her vulnerability to be heard, seen, listened, to feel something however it means to make out with white boys and use her body as her weapon to gain power over them.
She slowly loses her family, her identity, her connection with her native culture.
She is outcast of her school, without any friends, any aim of life, turns into a ghost walking down the school corridors, listening to her friends’ verbal abuses. Then her father survives from a fatal car accident and he devotes himself to Islam and wants his daughter follow his footsteps. Afaf reluctantly attends the religious meetings with her father and she finally finds a community accepts who she is without prejudgment and humiliation. She makes friends and slowly discovers who she is and what she wants in her life.
I think I have to stop here and add my concern that in my opinion a Middle Eastern American girl’s only way to find her identity shouldn’t be only religion because identity shouldn’t be restricted by nationality, culture, race, gender or religion. I know we should find a community to express our strengths and we need real friends to walk with us at our life journey but I think Afaf’ s passion about books made me excited and I thought she would have chosen another way or found her own path differently instead of following her father’s sudden awakening after his deadly accident.
But family’s dramatic, poignant, riveting story and Afaf’s misery after losing her sister, her mother’s big loss of her favorite child and adaptation problems to live in a foreign land and her marital problems, betrayal, anxiety attacks she suffers from are the most interesting parts of the book. I wish we learn more about Nada’s disappearance story because the revelation part was a little haphazard and meaningless. I wanted to see more tears, more drama, more family secrets. I wanted to see something soul crushing, heart ripping, mind blowing. But the fatalism of the book and the way how affects the people’s lives frustrated me.
And I also found the school shooting parts and a shooter’s reasoning to become Islamophobic was not credible enough for me. We learned his pieces of past story by going and back and forth between Afaf’s chronological life story and present shooting day. But Afaf’s meeting with the shooter and their dialogues are not powerful, educative, heart throbbing. They keep repeating itself and at the peak point you lose your interest and ask yourself: “What? This is it! Really?” and you get disappointed because you wait for something big, heart felting, life changing message, a real edgy and twisty conclusion that makes you question everything in your life!
You want to read a powerful message about learning to adapt and respect our differences peacefully. School shootings and growing effects of Islamophobia after 9/11 terrorist attacks are two argumentative, controversial and crucial subjects which deserves an entire book to be to be told properly. So I wish I could only read Afaf’s self-discovery story because when you put such a big, social, political, criminal elements, the entire book’s balance collapses and the story goes to the different directions and finishes with not so satisfying, sudden ending.
I give four stars to Afaf and her family’s story parts: four star
And I give the story-telling of school shooting parts: two stars
On average I’m giving three solid stars. It was mostly riveting, questioning, unconventional story with so much great potential and I know we have a brilliant author who may create heart wrenching, beautiful stories but I wish she didn’t try to tell too many things in a story. Sometimes simplicity, pureness and genuineness work better to create a better, remarkable novel that captivates our hearts and minds at the same time from the beginning to the end.
Special thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton Company for sharing this unique novel’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.
blog
August 29, 2020
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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.
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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. ⠀
⠀
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.
November 16, 2023
As an atheist, I don't believe religion is the answer, but I've seen how it can lend a helping hand. Without the older sister, this novel would have been nearly perfect. With the older sister character, it is perfect.
April 15, 2020
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
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
May 12, 2022
THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE is really two books in one. In the present day, it shows the events where an adult Asaf is a principal of a Muslim school the day a school shooter enters her building. This portion of the narrative takes up approximately 5% of the book. In flashbacks, we see Asaf’s life as a child and teen, growing up as the child of Palestinian immigrants in Chicago, her struggles when her sister runs away from home, the fraught relationship she has with both her parents, who are very distant from her, and her struggles to establish her own identity. This portion of the narrative, which takes up 95% of the book, and takes place 20 years before the school shooting, I found extremely well written and highly compelling. The author conveys Asaf’s pain and doubt at her parents’ absence in her life in a real and tangible way. As she struggled to identify how she wants to define herself as a person and someone of the Muslim faith, and she forms a friendship with another girl at school, her hurt and anger at events that have taken place in her family, and eventual peace that she finds are so very well written. I loved those sections.
I did not connect with the sections of the book written in the present day (the school shooting). I believe this is because so little page time was devoted to fleshing them out compared to the sections in the past.
I did not connect with the sections of the book written in the present day (the school shooting). I believe this is because so little page time was devoted to fleshing them out compared to the sections in the past.
February 24, 2023
"How naive to believe she's ever really belonged—with and without her hijab. Before and after a terrorist attack."
an absolute must readarab/muslim girlies im talking to you <3 if you're willing to sacrifice your mental stability for one of the most damaging stories I've read👍
an absolute must read
August 19, 2024
Thought-provoking, enlightening, un-putdownable
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face we meet a Palestinian-American woman who is trying to fight her place in a country that tells her she does not belong. It opens with a shooter visiting the school she is the principal of and opening fire.
Afaf Rahman is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants living in Chicago. The book goes between her childhood/teenage years and the present, which her at school with the shooter. Afaf grew up in a home with her older sister, brother and parents, at a young age, her older sister went missing and was never found. That tragic incident changed the dynamics of their family forever. Afaf watches her family fall apart, sees her dad become a devout Muslim and decides to follow in his footsteps. This divides the family as it is seen as she taking her father’s side and her brother taking her mother’s side.
In the present Afaf is negotiating with a shooter who opened fire at the children at her school. She comes face to face with him and his hatred and what happens next, will change you.
This is an exceptional novel that deserves to be read. This book explores grief, identity, belonging, community, forgiveness and love. Truly a beautiful novel that remains timely.
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face we meet a Palestinian-American woman who is trying to fight her place in a country that tells her she does not belong. It opens with a shooter visiting the school she is the principal of and opening fire.
Afaf Rahman is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants living in Chicago. The book goes between her childhood/teenage years and the present, which her at school with the shooter. Afaf grew up in a home with her older sister, brother and parents, at a young age, her older sister went missing and was never found. That tragic incident changed the dynamics of their family forever. Afaf watches her family fall apart, sees her dad become a devout Muslim and decides to follow in his footsteps. This divides the family as it is seen as she taking her father’s side and her brother taking her mother’s side.
In the present Afaf is negotiating with a shooter who opened fire at the children at her school. She comes face to face with him and his hatred and what happens next, will change you.
This is an exceptional novel that deserves to be read. This book explores grief, identity, belonging, community, forgiveness and love. Truly a beautiful novel that remains timely.
May 26, 2020
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 school shooting drives much of the narrative, which I found unnecessary to make me interested.
I had a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss; it came out April 7.
I had a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss; it came out April 7.
April 16, 2022
One of the most impactful books I have ever read. There are so many complex emotions that you will feel; sorrow, anger, wonder, despair, hope. This is a story of identity, forgiveness, and overcoming all of the trauma and mysteries of life. It’s not only relatable but so moving that you will have to sit in silence and process when you finish this book. Incredibly highly recommended.
May 12, 2021
SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SCHOOL SHOOTING
Discussed in my April Wrap Up Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZJ3...
The characters are so complex, this is a work of fiction but it felt like I was reading a memoir.
Trigger warnings: islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, prejudice, grief, mental illness, addiction, attempted suicide.
4.5 stars
Discussed in my April Wrap Up Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZJ3...
The characters are so complex, this is a work of fiction but it felt like I was reading a memoir.
Trigger warnings: islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, prejudice, grief, mental illness, addiction, attempted suicide.
4.5 stars
May 11, 2021
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 have locked and loaded my weapon hoping that I wouldn’t have to use it to make sure that I would make it home to my child. When I came home I had PTSD. I flinched at loud noises and shied away from Arabic people and I am so sorry for how that made them feel. Did that Arabic family that came into my job, know that I gave that table up because I couldn’t breathe around them? Did I ruin their night? I am so sorry.
If you want to know about the other side of the story.... how a Muslim feels or felt in America, read this book. Seriously. This hit me right in the heart.
If you want to know about the other side of the story.... how a Muslim feels or felt in America, read this book. Seriously. This hit me right in the heart.
March 11, 2024
Set in the US, we immediately join our main character as she faces a gunman in an Islamic School, of which she is the principal.
From there, we head to the very beginning. A Palestinian family arriving in the US with a young daughter.
Through our characters, we see close up the various struggles that face displaced families in the West and how society reacts to them.
I liked this. I liked the portrayal of a family with varying degrees of belief, I don't remember seeing that portrayed before. Also, how the displaced long for home and the mental health issues relating to that.
Four stars.
From there, we head to the very beginning. A Palestinian family arriving in the US with a young daughter.
Through our characters, we see close up the various struggles that face displaced families in the West and how society reacts to them.
I liked this. I liked the portrayal of a family with varying degrees of belief, I don't remember seeing that portrayed before. Also, how the displaced long for home and the mental health issues relating to that.
Four stars.
July 8, 2020
4.5 stars. This was an excellent read. I haven't been this emotionally invested in a story for a while.
May 18, 2020
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.
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.
April 7, 2020
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. Her past is full of both disappointment and growth, both balanced and contrasted so gracefully. The search for identity is a huge theme, and is what Afaf has struggled the most with throughout her life and losses.
I had trouble putting this book down, and hope that other people feel the same and share this story and its lessons with others. I can see this book being in my top 5 of the year!
Thank you to W. W. Norton Company for the advanced review copy.
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. Her past is full of both disappointment and growth, both balanced and contrasted so gracefully. The search for identity is a huge theme, and is what Afaf has struggled the most with throughout her life and losses.
I had trouble putting this book down, and hope that other people feel the same and share this story and its lessons with others. I can see this book being in my top 5 of the year!
Thank you to W. W. Norton Company for the advanced review copy.
June 15, 2021
The book alternates between two timelines:
- a shooting taking place in the muslim school where Afaf works (3 stars)
- Afaf's life as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, the story of her 'broken' family, her struggles of feeling like an outcast and her identity crisis, her journey to embracing Islam.. (5 stars)
I loved the Muslim representation in this book. The writer dealt gracefully with serious and relevant issues presented to us though complex characters. Afaf's journey warmed my heart. I highly empathized with her as she was navigating and finding her way through life.
However, the school shooting parts were a bit off. Those chapters felt.. random? I'm not sure how i feel about them.. and the shooter's pov really made me cringe. Maybe a school shooting is such a huge event that i was expecting more from it.
Overall, i recommend!!
- a shooting taking place in the muslim school where Afaf works (3 stars)
- Afaf's life as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, the story of her 'broken' family, her struggles of feeling like an outcast and her identity crisis, her journey to embracing Islam.. (5 stars)
I loved the Muslim representation in this book. The writer dealt gracefully with serious and relevant issues presented to us though complex characters. Afaf's journey warmed my heart. I highly empathized with her as she was navigating and finding her way through life.
However, the school shooting parts were a bit off. Those chapters felt.. random? I'm not sure how i feel about them.. and the shooter's pov really made me cringe. Maybe a school shooting is such a huge event that i was expecting more from it.
Overall, i recommend!!
February 24, 2021
Con questo romanzo entriamo in una famiglia palestinese emigrata negli Stati Uniti con tutte le difficoltà che ciò comporta. Una famiglia che affronta le problematiche dell'emarginazione e dell'esclusione in una terra diversa. Afaf, la protagonista, è una insegnante che non si è mai sentita parte della comunità in cui vive. Lo stesso destino che condivide con l'attentatore che, giunge con il suo fucile, nel liceo in cui lei è la direttrice.
La tua bellezza parla di emarginazione, ma anche di integrazione e avvicinamento alla religione Islamica con i suoi precetti e dogmi.
Tramite le tradizioni, la fede, racconta una storia di dolore, sofferenza, ma anche odio. Un racconto che parla di accoglienza e apertura verso l'altro, anche grazie all'Islam a cui si avvicina la stessa Afaf che sa benissimo cosa si prova a "essere un papavero in un campo di gigli".
La tua bellezza parla di emarginazione, ma anche di integrazione e avvicinamento alla religione Islamica con i suoi precetti e dogmi.
Tramite le tradizioni, la fede, racconta una storia di dolore, sofferenza, ma anche odio. Un racconto che parla di accoglienza e apertura verso l'altro, anche grazie all'Islam a cui si avvicina la stessa Afaf che sa benissimo cosa si prova a "essere un papavero in un campo di gigli".
August 13, 2020
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 Afaf's life story is the day she finds her school, where she is Principal, attacked by a loan gun man. This part of the story is probably not as strong.
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 Afaf's life story is the day she finds her school, where she is Principal, attacked by a loan gun man. This part of the story is probably not as strong.
December 30, 2020
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 self allows this individuality to be affirmed in both directions.
This is a beautiful debut novel.
This is a beautiful debut novel.
January 17, 2023
“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible”
TW: Racism, domestic violence, car accident, suicide attempt, death, loss of a loved one, depression, school shooting, blood, alcoholism
A profound moving telling of a beautiful woman, Afaf, and her journey to find herself, define her own identity and her path through religion, navigating a fragmented family, deeply hurt by a tragedy that happened when Afaf was 10. All of it unfolds around today’s events - Afaf’s school shooting by a radical white man.
I was deeply moved by the protagonist's growing relationship with religion and how the author goes at length to include references to the practice, the pilgrimage, the consequences on her family, etc. It was an eye-opening experience. I particularly enjoyed Afaf’s relationship with her hijab, what it represents in the muslim religion but also what it means for her as well - how it became her assertiveness in a lot of situations and how she never gave up on her beliefs. Afaf is a character that taught me a lot in less than 300 pages, and I strongly believe she will stay with me for a long time.
The Beauty Of Your Face is one of these books that introduces a caring fatherly figure who’s motivated to pass on what he knows, his values and traditions. And I love these kinds of books. Baba was a pivotal character in Afaf’s life, self discovery and future.
I will just give it a little criticism, residing in the structure of the book. I was unsettled by the numerous chapters punctuating the occasional ellipse of the present, where Afaf is dealing with the school shooting. Because there were a lot of throwbacks in between the present chapters, I felt like I was growing less and less interested in the shooting events and wanted to focus solely on Afaf’s upbringing. In my opinion, the pacing felt off between the past and present timelines. But that’s all the negative I have to say about this book!
TW: Racism, domestic violence, car accident, suicide attempt, death, loss of a loved one, depression, school shooting, blood, alcoholism
A profound moving telling of a beautiful woman, Afaf, and her journey to find herself, define her own identity and her path through religion, navigating a fragmented family, deeply hurt by a tragedy that happened when Afaf was 10. All of it unfolds around today’s events - Afaf’s school shooting by a radical white man.
I was deeply moved by the protagonist's growing relationship with religion and how the author goes at length to include references to the practice, the pilgrimage, the consequences on her family, etc. It was an eye-opening experience. I particularly enjoyed Afaf’s relationship with her hijab, what it represents in the muslim religion but also what it means for her as well - how it became her assertiveness in a lot of situations and how she never gave up on her beliefs. Afaf is a character that taught me a lot in less than 300 pages, and I strongly believe she will stay with me for a long time.
The Beauty Of Your Face is one of these books that introduces a caring fatherly figure who’s motivated to pass on what he knows, his values and traditions. And I love these kinds of books. Baba was a pivotal character in Afaf’s life, self discovery and future.
I will just give it a little criticism, residing in the structure of the book. I was unsettled by the numerous chapters punctuating the occasional ellipse of the present, where Afaf is dealing with the school shooting. Because there were a lot of throwbacks in between the present chapters, I felt like I was growing less and less interested in the shooting events and wanted to focus solely on Afaf’s upbringing. In my opinion, the pacing felt off between the past and present timelines. But that’s all the negative I have to say about this book!
November 14, 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 complex and well rounded; everything was rounded off brilliantly and the way every narrative was explored was something that was carried extremely well and the author didn’t drop then all once.
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 complex and well rounded; everything was rounded off brilliantly and the way every narrative was explored was something that was carried extremely well and the author didn’t drop then all once.
May 18, 2020
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.
January 17, 2024
a searing novel about the power of community and the impact of blame. this one will stick with me for a long, long time.
November 8, 2020
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...
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...
January 25, 2024
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.
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.
January 19, 2024
gorgeous gorgeous writing!!
gorgeous gorgeous protagonist!!
This book follows Afaf Rahman, a Palestinian American principal at an all girls Islamic school, where she comes face to face with a shooter. With the book alternating between the past and present we get to see Afaf trying to find her place in a country that doesn’t accept her ethnicity.
The positive Muslim rep was so apparent throughout the whole book, I was so glad to see Afaf beginning to embrace Islam on her own terms, finding comfort in it, falling in love with wearing the hijab🥹🥹 and learning that the hijab is a symbol of strength as apposed to the stereotypes.
The execution of the story was so raw and real ( had me in tears MULTIPLE times ).The range of topics covered are extensive and important. An emotionally rich novel that I would recommend to anyone!!!
gorgeous gorgeous protagonist!!
This book follows Afaf Rahman, a Palestinian American principal at an all girls Islamic school, where she comes face to face with a shooter. With the book alternating between the past and present we get to see Afaf trying to find her place in a country that doesn’t accept her ethnicity.
The positive Muslim rep was so apparent throughout the whole book, I was so glad to see Afaf beginning to embrace Islam on her own terms, finding comfort in it, falling in love with wearing the hijab🥹🥹 and learning that the hijab is a symbol of strength as apposed to the stereotypes.
The execution of the story was so raw and real ( had me in tears MULTIPLE times ).The range of topics covered are extensive and important. An emotionally rich novel that I would recommend to anyone!!!
March 6, 2024
A well-crafted novel.
November 29, 2020
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 Rahman’s journey, navigating her way through life, trying to find her place not only in a family which is crumbling under the weight of loss, longing for the homeland, addiction and mental-health struggles, but in a society where she is considered as “different”.
Sahar has succeeded in writing about the Muslim identity in its simplistic and truest form.
This is a book which everyone should read, so that we can all educate ourselves!
Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for providing me with a free copy of the book.
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 Rahman’s journey, navigating her way through life, trying to find her place not only in a family which is crumbling under the weight of loss, longing for the homeland, addiction and mental-health struggles, but in a society where she is considered as “different”.
Sahar has succeeded in writing about the Muslim identity in its simplistic and truest form.
This is a book which everyone should read, so that we can all educate ourselves!
Thank you NetGalley and Legend Press for providing me with a free copy of the book.
May 30, 2020
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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