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| https://kaleela.com/palate-pleasing-palestinian-traditional-meals/ |
Dear Bookclub,
IF, If, if, if, if, if we could be together, we would surely have been sharing Palestinian food while discussing Etaf Rum's, " A Woman is no Man". I may have been grumpy if it were me preparing it though, as food, a hugely descriptive element in Rum's novel, represented both the distinct culture and the drudgery performed by the women. Finding the women bound in hard menial work lent to my grumpiness as the oppressed characters devolved and the depressive tone was masterfully transmitted to this reader's demeanor.
Collectively embracing the book's power, we discussed the complicated situation of the horrendous patriarchal oppression and violence coupled with the newly appreciated history of the cultural upheaval brought about from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
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Nakba 1948 Palestine - Jaramana Refugee Camp, Damascus, Syria/ Wikipedia |
The following article, dated April 2020, states that 11 Palestinian women have been killed, victims of domestic abuse so far that year; five since the coronavirus lockdown (only weeks at that point):
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| Demonstrators hold signs during a protest demanding legal protection for women, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank [File: Mohamad Torokman/Reuters] |
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/20/domestic-abuse-against-palestinian-women-soars
Please read about "The Ongoing Struggle of Palestinian Women":
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/the-ongoing-struggle-of-palestinian-women
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| NC Bookwatch interview by DG Martin |
Etaf's novel is a bit autobiographical, as she had an arranged marriage; both her parents and her husband's parents were refugees from the camps. Here is a very telling interview, excellent and worth listening to if you are interested in the motivation and development of her work:
https://www.pbs.org/video/etaf-rum-a-woman-is-no-man-e7usip/
..and a shorter interview with Jenna Bush Hager's book club, also good (and has Rum touch on the ending):
https://booksandbeanscoffee.com/
Finally, I wanted to check out Books and Beans, the bookstore in the novel. Actually Etaf's bookstore, as mentioned in the first interview above, is named the same in her North Carolina town (follow it on Instagram: @booksandbeans), I also discovered Etaf is married to a 'local boy', a very heart-warming turn in her journey. Together they have three businesses including the bookstore. Please enjoy the article from a Spring 2020 issue of what looks like a wedding magazine, "Charm":
The short and sweet article can be found if you page through the online edition to pages 6-7:
https://issuu.com/cookecommunicationsnc/docs/charm_spring_2020
Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"The Midnight Library" Matt Haig* (chosen)
"The Four Winds" Kristin Hannah
"Whereabouts" Jhumpa Lahiri
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
