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Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami
Drawing from her own experiences as a Moroccan immigrant living in the States, in Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America Laila Lalami presents us with an impassioned and thoughtful social commentary. With piercing clarity, she touches upon Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, and sexism. She reflects on the many flaws and conditions of citizenship, specifically American citizenship,…
1st pov, 2000s, 2010s, 4 STARS, America, American dream, belonging, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about writers, Conditional Citizens, Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America, cultural dissonance, ESSAYS, female authors, history, identity, Islam, Laila Lalami, MEMOIR, migration/immigration, Moroccan American author, morocco, Nonfiction, politics, published in 2020, RACE, read in 2022, reading, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues -
Blood Feast: The Complete Short Stories of Malika Moustadraf by Malika Moustadraf
Blood Fest collects all of Malika Moustadraf’s short fiction. Set in contemporary-ish Morocco these stories explore fraught gender and family dynamics, highlighting the insidious nature of misogyny. Within these short stories, women are forced to marry men they don’t love, they are abused or mistreated by male relatives and struggle to retain freedom and independence…
2000s, 3 STARS, Adult, Blood Feast, Blood Feast: The Complete Short Stories of Malika Moustadraf, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, collection of short stories, Contemporary, female authors, Islam, lgbtq+ side, Malika Moustadraf, moroccan author, morocco, My reviews, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, reading, sex, SEXUALITY, short stories, social issues, TRANSLATED FICTION -
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
“Fear and hatred, fear and hatred: often, it seemed that those were the only two qualities he possessed. Fear of everyone else; hatred of himself.” A Little Life is a heart-wrenching tour de force. Dark, all-consuming, devastating, moving, stunning, brutal, dazzling, beautiful, disturbing, A Little Life is all of these and so much more. This…
5 STARS, A Little Life, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, actors, Adult, ALIENATION, all of the trigger warnings, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, anxiety, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, beautiful prose, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, child abuse, chronic pain, cliques, Contemporary, dark, DEPRESSION, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), disabilities, distressing reads, female authors, film industry, forgiveness, found family, friendships, gay, graphic content, GRIEF, GUILT, Hanya Yanagihara, identity, Italy, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, m/m, male friendships, masculinity, monasteries, morocco, NEW YORK, Pedophelia, psychological, published in 2015, queer, rape, read in 2021, self-harming, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SEXUALITY, suicide, tragedy, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, violence -
Less by Andrew Sean Greer — book review
I’m sure I won’t be the first or last person to find Less to be a bit less than expected. Although it had its moments, for the most part I found myself annoyed by its employment of satire. Not only does Greer lampoon the literary world but almost every scene ends up being satirical of…
2.5 STARS, Adult, age gap, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Andrew Sean Greer, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, Contemporary, gay, Germany, HUMOR, India, japan, Less, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, Mexico, midlife crisis, morocco, Pulitzer Prize, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, ROMANCE, satire, travel, why the hype -
The Other Americans : Book Review
The Other Americans by Laila Lalami ★★✰✰✰ 2.5 stars (rounded down) I’m really disappointed by this book. It tells a predictable and unevenly paced story which focuses on flat stereotypes whose different point of views merge into one indistinguishable passive voice. Not a bad novel but…far from good. If you haven’t read novels similar to…
2.5 STARS, Adult, America, American, American dream, Booklr, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, drama, family, female authors, GRIEF, intergenerational, Laila Lalami, LITERARY FICTION, migration/immigration, Moroccan American author, morocco, RACE, REVIEW, SMALL TOWN, social issues, The Other Americans
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