THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE BY SAHAR MUSTAFAH

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BOOK NAME: THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE

AUTHOR NAME: SAHAR MUSTAFAH

GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION 

PUBLISHER: LEGEND PRESS

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Beauty-Your-Face-Sahar-Mustafah/dp/1789559731



BOOK COVER IMAGE



BOOK REVIEW

I read this book as a part of the Read for Palestine and Palestinian Voices campaign and am so happy I chose it. From the very first line, I knew this book would be a five-star read, and it didn't deviate even a bit throughout. The author looks back at her roots as an American born to Palestinian parents and brings out the raw emotions through her words. One must accept that anyone who has a voice and a medium will speak and must speak for the world to know about the oppressed, no matter who they are or where they live. 


The book oscillates between Afaf's childhood, when she has no memory of her mother's homeland - Palestine and adulthood, when she fights deep-rooted Islamophobia every day. Afaf, the principal of the Muslim girls' school in Chicago, battles every day against the fathers of her students to continue their education. She wants to give the women in her community the power of education to prove themselves to the world. But her ambitions are threatened when an Islamophobic armed terrorist enters her school and starts firing. Will she escape, and will the Muslim women find the courage to enter a school again? Will she rebuild her and others' futures after the attack? Will Islamophobia ever stop, and will the world start seeing Muslims as humans first? 


This book is a very bold attempt in explaining the misconception that exists in Islam and how even Muslims don't seem to understand the core values too well. Afaf's spiritual journey from a nonbeliever to a firm follower against her immigrant mother's wishes was natural and smooth. The friction between her and her mother was palpable, and her troubled childhood as a middle child brought tears to my eyes. From someone who was confused about why her sister Nada escaped the torments of her house by fleeing away to someone coming to understand her mother's longing for her land, Afaf's characterisation was humanesque and flawless. This book is one of the must-read own voice books based on Palestine. I finished it in two days, and you will not regret it.



MY REVIEW: 5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel


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