helenaraddock's reviews
36 reviews

This is easily the most devastating book I've ever read. Every time you feel an ounce of hope, it IMMEDIATELY gets dashed. There were multiple times when I had to take breaks because it was so upsetting. Chapter 29, in particular, will haunt me forever. It is rare to have such a visceral reaction to a book, but oh my god, I experienced every possible emotion reading this one:

"Every lemon will bring forth a child, and the lemons will never die out."

"When I die, I'm going to tell God everything."

“Know that even in death, you are my life.”

"When I leave, it won’t be easy. It’s going to shred my heart to ribbons and all the pieces will be scattered along Syria’s shore, with the cries of my people haunting me till the day I die."

“Bury me before I bury you, please.”

Like, you're kidding...

This is the story of a young Syrian woman, Salama, who loses her ENTIRE family in the Syrian Revolution and spends her days working as a surgeon at a hospital, saving lives, despite only having one year of medical training (for pharmacy school!!). Salama lives in Homs, which is the city perhaps best known as the site of a horrific military siege that lasted over three years and caused unimaginable death and destruction. At the hospital, Salama is surrounded by dying children, victims of bombings, chemical weapons, and more. As a result, Salama suffers from terrible PTSD, which manifests in the physical form of Khawf or "fear" in English. He plagues her and fills her with immense guilt and shame. 

Amongst this background, Salama experiences one of the sweetest love stories I have ever read with Kenan, an animator who pushes Salama to think deeply about her role in the Revolution and the future of Syria. Should they stay and fight (and face certain death)? Or leave to protect themselves and Kenan's siblings (and risk death)? Their story is so precious and speaks to how important love and family are in getting through such traumatic events. They have so many special moments, but their invisible strings are just.... wow... It is a bit cheesy, but even still, I loved their love story & found family <33 

In essence, this is a story about determination, fear, friendship, love, trauma, and hope--most of all. The prose is beautiful, and while it's a little cliche and repetitive, this is a 5-star read for me. Despite the dark tone, this is a YA book, which explains the flowery language and almost flawless male love interest lol. I debated lowering my ranking, but honestly, the message of this book--and the powerful emotions it conveys--is so much more important to me than these other issues. If you're in the right headspace, I highly recommend this book. For those who, like me, have only encountered Syria through the news without hearing directly from those affected by its unimaginable violence, this is another Helena-approved must-read.

This should be required reading… such a powerful and difficult memoir that really sheds lights on anti-Blackness in America and the prison industrial complex. Once I started this book, I truly couldn’t stop, despite the difficult subject matter. I learned so much, felt so many emotions, & was left wanting more, particularly regarding the organization and evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Holy shit... I can't believe I finished this book. I started this book over a year ago and had to stop because it was too depressing. The author of "A Problem From Hell," Samantha Power, asks the question: "Why do American leaders who vow "never again" repeatedly fail to stop genocide?" By drawing on hundreds of interviews with Washington's top policymakers, thousands of declassified documents, and her reporting from Bosnia, Power explores the world’s response (or lack thereof) to genocide over the past fifty years---beginning with the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust and Raphael Lemkin's creation of the word "genocide," and then through the genocides of the Cambodians, Kurdish, Bosnian Muslims, Rwandans, and Kosovar Albanians. While Power assigns some of the blame on the UN and NATO, she focuses most of her criticism on American leaders who vowed “never again,” yet refused to get involved in almost all cases of genocide in the 20th century.   

Here is Power's thesis: The real reason the United States did not do what it could and should have done to stop genocide was not a lack of knowledge or influence but a lack of will. Simply put, American leaders did not act because they did not want to. They believed that genocide was wrong, but they were not prepared to invest the military, financial, diplomatic, or domestic political capital needed to stop it. The U.S. policies crafted in response to each case of genocide examined in this book were not the accidental products of neglect. They were concrete choices made by this country's most influential decision-makers after unspoken and explicit weighing of costs and benefits

This book is extremely dense, and I listened to most of it on Audible and, thus, struggled to take in all the information. But also, can you blame me?!?! This book is a massive endeavor. One of its most impactful elements is Power's reporting on the many courageous Americans who risked their careers and lives to get the United States to act. Additionally, it provides fascinating biographical information about Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide and devoted his life to ensuring it became an international crime. Depressingly, the United States took over 40 years to ratify this United Nations resolution, long after many other countries had done so. 

One significant shortcoming of this book is its failure to address how we can respond more swiftly and effectively to prevent genocide in the future. What measures can be taken to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and ensure that the promise of "never again" becomes a reality? Unfortunately, the themes and issues discussed remain as relevant in 2025 as they were when the book was first published. Another notable omission is the lack of focus on the suffering caused by American militarism and complicity abroad. The book does not sufficiently examine how the U.S. has not only been complicit but, in some cases, has acted as a driving force behind genocidal actions across the globe. This gap leaves an important dimension of the discussion unexplored, limiting the book's scope and impact.

This quote really stuck with me:  "When, on September 12, 2001, the United States turned for help to its friends around the world, Americans were gratified by the overwhelming response. When the Tutsi*** cried out, by contrast, every country in the world turned away." 

***and the same could be said for Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians, and Kurds. 

I just finished this book like 10 minutes ago so I have a lot more thoughts and probably should have waited to write this review but oh well! I think the Introduction and Conclusion to this book are phenomenal and should be required reading. That's all for now!!!!!

I wanted to sit with this book for a bit before writing my review. This is a beautifully written novel that follows Obiefuna, a gay Nigerian boy, who is banished to a Christian boarding school after his father witnesses an intimate moment between his son and his apprentice. What follows is a coming-of-age story, where Obiefuna must hide his sexuality from his family, his new school, and Nigeria. All of this takes place, of course, amidst an increasingly conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ political climate. The book ends when Nigeria criminalizes same-sex relations. 

I really enjoyed this book; however, the dual POV between Obiefuna and his mother didn't work for me. I was so engrossed in Obiefuna's story that I found myself disappointed when it reverted to his mother's perspective. As Obiefuna grows increasingly distant from his family, the POV shift feels more out of place. 

There is also a bit of a tone shift between Obiefuna's years in boarding school and then college. I thought the author's prose actually improved a lot in Part 4, and he navigated a darker subject matter quite effectively. I feel like the author wanted to highlight Obiefuna's growth from teen to man, but I think the novel would have benefitted from 75 or so more pages so it felt less choppy (particularly between part 3 and part 4). I would have loved to spend more time with adult Obiefuna and his queer friend group & learn more about queer activism in Nigeria. Having said all that, this is the author's debut novel and I'm really excited to follow along his journey. 

This book is incredible! Every time I skipped over a sentence or a word, I had to go back because I didn’t want to miss a single thing. I am amazed by Gyasi’s ability to effortlessly explore issues of god, Christianity, science, and addiction amongst the backdrop of class issues, racism, immigration, etc. Taking off a half star because I felt like something was missing—because Gifty struggles so much to express her emotions, it makes it difficult as a reader to really feel/experience some of the more painful parts of the story & empathize both with Gifty and her mother’s grief and pain. 

Really interesting critique on American diplomacy and the foreign service/state department more broadly. Learned a lot about the conflict in South Sudan but was also left with lots of lingering questions.. 

Great writing. Beautiful and simple prose. Loved “Antarctica” but the two other stories left me wanting more. Excited to read more Claire Keegan but also now I’m scared of Irish men😀