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A Woman Is No Man

A Novel

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A Woman Is No Man

Written by: Etaf Rum
Narrated by: Ariana Delawari, Dahlia Salem, Susan Nezami
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About this listen

A New York Times Best Seller

A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • Washington Post 10 Books to Read in March • Marie Claire Best Women’s Fiction of 2019 • Washington Book Review Difficult-To-Put-Down Novel • The Millions Most Anticipated Books of 2019 • A USA Today Best Book of the Week • An Elaine Newton - Summer Reading List Critic’s Choice • A Girls Night In Book Club Pick

“I couldn't put it down. I was obsessed with figuring out the mystery of this family." (Jenna Bush Hager, Today Show Book Club Pick)

Three generations of Palestinian-American women living in Brooklyn are torn between individual desire and the strict mores of Arab culture in this powerful debut - a heart-wrenching story of love, intrigue, courage, and betrayal that will resonate with women from all backgrounds, giving voice to the silenced and agency to the oppressed.

"Where I come from, we’ve learned to silence ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence will save us. Where I come from, we keep these stories to ourselves. To tell them to the outside world is unheard of - dangerous, the ultimate shame.”

Palestine, 1990. Seventeen-year-old Isra prefers reading books to entertaining the suitors her father has chosen for her. Over the course of a week, the naive and dreamy girl finds herself quickly betrothed and married and is soon living in Brooklyn. There, Isra struggles to adapt to the expectations of her oppressive mother-in-law, Fareeda, and strange new husband, Adam, a pressure that intensifies as she begins to have children - four daughters instead of the sons Fareeda tells Isra she must bear.

Brooklyn, 2008. Eighteen-year-old Deya, Isra’s oldest daughter, must meet with potential husbands at her grandmother Fareeda’s insistence, though her only desire is to go to college. Deya can’t help but wonder if her options would have been different had her parents survived the car crash that killed them when Deya was only eight. But her grandmother is firm on the matter: The only way to secure a worthy future for Deya is through marriage to the right man.

But fate has a will of its own, and soon, Deya will find herself on an unexpected path that leads her to shocking truths about her family - knowledge that will force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, the past, and her own future.

Set in an America at once foreign to many and staggeringly close at hand, A Woman Is No Man is a story of culture and honor, secrets and betrayals, love and violence. It is an intimate glimpse into a controlling and closed cultural world and a universal tale about family and the ways silence and shame can destroy those we have sworn to protect.

©2019 Etaf Rum (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature Emotionally Gripping Tearjerking Marriage
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What the critics say

"Three female narrators work together in this Palestinian family epic.... Listeners will become enmeshed in the overlapping ambitions of these fascinating women." (AudioFile)

“Sometimes heroism is loud and dramatic. Other times, it is daring to listen to that quiet voice within and having the courage to follow it. In this story, we see inside the lives of three generations of Palestinian women living in America, struggling and suffering to hear that voice. Etaf Rum has done a great service by sharing these voices with us.” (Shilpi Somaya Gowda, New York Times best-selling author of Secret Daughter and The Golden Son)

“Garnering justified comparisons to Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns... Etaf Rum’s debut novel is a must-read about women mustering up the bravery to follow their inner voice.” (Refinery29)

What listeners say about A Woman Is No Man

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Cycle Breakers

The story, though some may complain, can seem repetitive. However, it goes to show how generational trauma is passed on. I loved the pain, the trauma, the growth, the healing portrayed in every story. I disliked the pronunciation of Arabic words by the narrators and the accents. They weren’t authentic and I thought did disservice to the story. If you grew up in a cultural family with strict rules and traditions (in whatever varying degrees) there will be something for you to take away from this novel. Grateful for more voices like these. Thank you, Etaf.

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Gripping

This book is gut-wrenchingly good. The characters draw you in, and the performance is lovely.

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The story is amazing. The narration is terrible.

As the title says. Again, this story is phenomenal. I read it once a year but decided to listen to the audiobook while I craft. I am Arab myself, and you can tell the narrators do not speak the language.The mispronunciations are so so so distracting; Arabic words/names throughout are important to the story. This is why it’s important to remember that the Middle East is not a monolith, and just because you speak one of the many languages native to the region, does not mean you can speak for all. The other two are passable but Fareeda’s narrator is the absolute worst one.

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Amazing storytelling

This book was eye opening. In certain cultures women are still not valued or empowered. We need to help break down the barriers so that all people regardless of race or gender are free to be their best selves.
Highly recommend this book

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Brillant and eye opening

Trigger warning for conjugal violence.

This book was brilliantly written. The pace was good throughout and left no loose ends. It gave me personally a shock and got me talking about the themes seen here. Excellent read for any time.

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I was consumed

Loved the story and it was exceptionally well written. I would highly recommend it if you like complicated family sagas.

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Jaw dropping!!!

Performances were excellent. I had no idea. Inter generational abuse was mind boggling to me. Truly eye opening and unforgettable. I won’t soon forget this book.

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