A WOMAN IS NO MAN

This compelling and courageous debut novel is nearly impossible to put down, and equally impossible to forget. Through a family of Palestinian immigrants living in Brooklyn, A Woman Is No Man explores the longstanding oppression of women in their culture, a cycle that is perpetuated from one generation to the next. The story draws us in from the first chapter, as the characters' desperation - to be free from their circumstances, and to understand the secrets within their own family - builds steadily throughout this powerful story. These Arab-American women support, betray, suppress and embolden one another as they navigate the challenges of assimilation, and the even greater threats within their own home.

There's so much to process in this novel. Do choices really exist if we lack the courage and ability to safely make them? Why does misery beget more misery - what does it take to break this cycle? Have women played any role, historically, in prolonging their own oppression in the name of preserving culture or family reputation? And when will it all end? Let’s hope that Etaf Rum's voice is one that will be joined by others willing to stand together and say: no more.

If you’ve read this book, you know there were countless options of what to cook to accompany this post. In the end I settled on shakshuka, and homemade hummus with za’atar, which were made with a newfound appreciation for the freedoms I have, in the kitchen and beyond.