A woman is no man

  The prologue opens with saying "I was born without a voice, one cold, overcast day in Brooklyn, New York. No one ever spoke of my condition. I did not know I was mute until years later when I opened my mouth to ask for what I wanted and realized no one could hear me". The opening itself foreshadows and tie the theme of this novel, which is of gender inequality and oppression of woman. However, this novel gives them a voice.
  Isra suffered most of her life, confined in the basement, the guilt of borning only daughters hanging over her head; she was trapped in depression and loneliness. In the novel, we see that she had some hope of leading a different life when preparing to come to America, a glimpse of hope that maybe women would have more rights, that she would be freer. Her mom had told her it doesn't matter if where she is in the world, a woman will always be a woman, and Isra learned that early on. The fact that Isra suffers the fate of death at the hands of her own husband is tragic. It would be nice to hear that she made it out, she escaped with her children and led a completely different life. However, her death at the hands of her husband is in a way realistic. Most women don't make it out of these situations because for many of them, it is all they know. Although devastating and brutal, this scene shines a light on the reality of domestic abuse and the life that these women had to endure. While reading books that Sarah had snuck in for her, Isra always expresses her desire to find women like her in the novel, and I believe that this novel grants her wish in a way.
  The ending of the book is tragic because readers know that Isra never made it to freedom while reading the scene of her taking a bus to escape. However, I believe that this scene shows the love she has for her children. Throughout the novel, we see Isra as a quiet girl, never daring to speak her mind, and the complete opposite of Sarah. She was depressed, and at some point, felt like there was nothing she could do except to endure the pain and have patience, forgetting about the aspect of love in a marriage. Her running to the bus with her children gives us a glimpse of hope, and prove that she IS brave, that she always had something in her to take the kids away and flee from her home. When reading about how she constantly had daughters, we can see that Isra is visibly upset. Her situation and shame she carries from having daughters made her resent the girls at some times. Deya sometimes questions if her mother ever loved her. This ending also shows that Isra has so much love for her daughters because she risked everything to take them away so they could lead a better life.
    A woman telling her story is important socially, culturally, and individually because these are words that the world need to hear. Books like this give the voiceless a voice and call for a change in the way that women are treated. Character such as Freeda is a prime example of the consequence of being raised within a mindset where women are seen as less than. Freeda knows that women are treated wrong and that Isra was being hit, however; she does nothing about it because this is all normal to her. She has a mindset that this is how it is for women and that they should just deal with it.  Of course, this toxic mindset of hers became toxic and contribute to Isra's fate. However, telling a story of different generations with different women dealing with inequality gives the world an insight of their reality.

Hisham Matar

 The presentation that was most interesting for me was Ta'Niya's presentation on Hisham Matar because the plot of the book caught my attention. The interplay between innocence and corruption is interesting because like the presentation mentions,  children are often unaware of the problems that occur in life but the 9 years old boy in this book had to be exposed to the ugliness of the world early.
  There are also quite a lot of political and historical elements mentioned in the book such as exile and oppression, however; we can look at it different perspectives and viewpoints, and I think that kind of flexibility is intriguing. As mentioned, the book goes into themes such as adolescence, betrayal, family, and loyalty. The character seems to experience many hardships and hurdles throughout his life. Looking at Hisham's background, it can be seen that he shares some similarities with the character in his book. His father was kidnapped and sent to a facility where torture and poor treatment is prominent, and incorporating his life experiences in his book sets a realistic factor. This book explores various relationships, between friends, neighbors, and mostly, parent to children, and how each relationship can have an impact on an individual.
   Suleiman, who is the protagonist, catches my attention because he is a young boy who is trying to make sense of the world around him, and what it means to be in the adult world. In a way, it also reflects into my own childhood of trying to understand the world at such a young age, being exposed to hardships. His mother, when drunk, often reveals to him things that she would never mention if she was sober, like getting married at 14 and losing her childhood. Suleiman's mother also experiences the struggle with losing her innocence and being thrown into the adult world at an early age, trying to make sense of being a wife. This part was interesting to me because of the realization that there are people who do get married at a young age, and that it is a reality that they live, not just a story from a book.
  This book also interests me the most because there are a lot of discussion topics that could be drawn.  For example, one could discuss the idea of freedom and punishment, and the affect that exile and imprisonment can have by observing the characters. Suleiman grew up lacking a mother or father figure, and there could be various discussions on how this impacts his life. Gender and identity issues are also mentioned, and how fear due to political issues shapes the character into who they are.
  Although it is fictional, you can tie real-life accounts of many of the issues that are mentioned in the book. Hisham's father was exiled, and it is also one of the themes in the book, and it leads to further thinking of real-life accounts of exile.

A Map of Home

    A Map Of Home is a coming of age story in which Nidali heads towards adulthood, and learn the beauty yet ugly truth about the world. From the start of the novel, Nidali already learns that the world isn't perfect and all rainbow from the reveal of the non-cliche, picture-perfect way in which her parents met each other. As we follow her journey, we learn very quickly that Nidali experiences the ugly parts of the world at a young age. In Kuwait, a war causes her family to flee to Egypt, and Nidali is forced to deal with the struggles of life. Along with dealing with the turmoil of war, and constantly having to move homes; Nidali experiences struggles with her identity. Born to a Palestinian father, and an Egyptian mother, Nidali battles unfamiliar backgrounds, along with trying to reason with her strict father's expectations.
    In her new neighborhood, she meets a boy by the name of Fakhr, and she begins her first romantic relationship. We can see that Nidali is growing up, and starting to leave her innocence as she explores romantic relationships. During this time, she experiments with her sexuality, and masturbation, followed by feelings of guilt. Nidali is learning more about herself and becoming conscious of the world around her. In Egypt, she is aware of the stricter rule in society concerning public display of affection and such as she warns Fakhr to not kiss her in public again during their reunion. Nidali also moves a lot throughout the novel, having to adapt to new environments and leaving behind the people she already built special bonds with. This is in a way, also a part of lessons about life that she learns throughout her life, that some people are temporary.
   As Nidali's family pack their bags and move again, we follow Nidali to her reaching adulthood and figuring out what it is she wants to do with her life.  In America, Nidali is yet faced again with struggles, this time, having to adapt from an eastern to western life. Texas public high school allowed her to experience being a teenager as she develops a crush on a boy named Omar, and mingle with new friend group. During this period of her life, tensions with her father increase, and she tries to break from her father trying to control her life. She learns of how different her peers live compare to herself, expressing her anger to her parents that she wants to have more freedom. We also see her running away from home for the first time, showing teenage rebellion against her strict home life, as she tries to negotiate with her parents to give her more freedom. She learns that she wants to become a writer, and had a hard time convincing her parents, especially her father, to allow her to attend Boston University. In the end, we finally see Nidali going off to college, and in a foreshadowing scene of her catching a pen, pursuing her dreams to become a writer.

   A Map Of Home tells the story of Nidali, a girl who grew up in a tough situation due to political changes and having to adapt to new environments. It is certainly a coming of age story where a girl remains optimistic through various struggles in her life, leading up to her adulthood.