Against the Loveless World

by Susan Abulhawa

Ours was a friendship forged from rivalry and jealousy as much as from love and familiarity. We knew each other’s secrets, had history, and stuck up for each other against outsiders, but we consistently tried to outdo each other and sometimes competed for the attention of the same boys.

Honor is an expendable luxury when you have no means or shelter in this fucking world.”

“We are not all blessed to receive a good education and inherit what it takes to live with some dignity. To exist on your own land, in the bosom of your family and your history. To know where you belong in the world and what you’re fighting for. To have some goddamn value.”