January 15, 2019
In his last sermon, the Prophet Muhammad said, "Observe your duty to Allah in respect to the women, and treat them well," but in many Muslim countries, tradition relegates women to subservient roles. Isra Hadid, the heroine of Rum's debut novel, has been reminded of this every day of her life.Unable to complete school in Palestine, where she grew up, Isra was married off by her parents to American deli owner Adam Ra'ad and sent to Brooklyn, New York, where she was forced to live in the crowded Bay Ridge home of her in-laws, Fareeda and Khaled, and their three other children. Almost immediately tensions erupted, and the newly arrived immigrant found herself on the receiving end of near-daily beatings and verbal abuse. Conditions further worsened after Isra gave birth to four daughters in little more than five years--her lack of sons being evidence, Fareeda claims, of Isra's deficiency. The situation shifts dramatically, however, after Isra and Adam are killed in an accident, leaving their children to be raised by the Ra'ads. Now, a decade after Isra's and Adam's deaths, their oldest child, Deya, age 18, receives a mysterious message from an unidentified source, asking her to travel to a Manhattan bookshop. When she does, an estranged family member reveals some jarring truths about the family's history. More importantly, the disclosure gives Deya the tools she needs to take charge of her life rather than allowing Fareeda and Khaled to marry her off. In a note accompanying an advance copy of her book, Rum acknowledges that writing her intergenerational saga meant "violating [the] code of silence" and might even bring "shame to [her] community." Nonetheless, in telling this compelling tale, Rum--who was born in Brooklyn to Palestinian immigrants herself--writes that she hopes readers will be moved "by the strength and power of our women."A richly detailed and emotionally charged debut.

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February 1, 2019

Yanked away from the books she loves, Isra leaves 1990 Palestine for marriage to a stranger who takes her to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. There she is expected to be a traditional wife, enduring the scorn of her mother-in-law, especially after birthing four girls. Years later, her eldest daughter, too, is scorned, especially because she wants to go to college. With a 50,000-copy first printing; Rum is famous for her Instagram account @booksandbeans.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A dauntless exploration of the pathology of silence, an attempt to unsnarl the dark knot of history, culture, fear and trauma that can render conservative Arab-American women so visibly invisible. . . . The triumph of Rum's novel is that she refuses to measure her women against anything but their own hearts and histories. . . . Both a love letter to storytelling and a careful object lesson in its power." — Beejay Silcox, New York Times Book Review

"What is a woman's life worth? This question echoes across countries and generations through Etaf Rum's intense debut novel.... The narrative draws links between economic desperation and discord in the home [and] also touches on the legacy of violence passed down from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.... A Woman Is No Man complicates and deepens the Arab American story — a tale as rich and varied as America itself." — Diana Abu-Jaber, Washington Post

“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

“A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum is a stunning debut novel that hooked me from page one. With the utterly compelling characters, Rum accomplishes the high-wire act of telling a story that feels both contemporary and timeless, intimate and epic. This is a novel you devour in a few precious sittings, that you press into the hands of friends and family, that lingers in your heart and mind long after the last page.” — Tara Conklin, author of The Last Romantics

“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.” — Refinery 29

“Rum writes of the complexities inside the lives of Arab American women. She probes the dark and the daunting as she tells the story of a Brooklyn teenager navigating the wishes of a family who want her to marry.” — Juliana Rose Pignataro, Newsweek

"A blistering exploration of three generations of Palestinian-American women, unfolding in lyrical but demanding prose." — David Canfield, Entertainment Weekly

"Sometimes heroism is loud and dramatic. Other times, it is daring to listen to that quiet voice within and have 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, author of Secret Daughter and The Golden Son

“Three generations of women from a conservative Arab family living in America are at the core of Etaf Rum's riveting debut novel. From the very first line, Rum brings you into the hearts and minds of these characters, and you'll stay connected to them well beyond finishing the last page.” — Ciera Velarde, Buzzfeed News

"Explores themes of cultural expectations and taboos, family tragedy and the immigrants' story, all from the perspective of an author whose life experience bears many similarities. [Also] how women who are limited by societal norms can make their own unique contributions to society and be 'equal if not greater than men.'" — Nick Meyer, Arab American News

“A story of how a woman can break taboos and break free from patriarchal misogynistic families. This mesmerizing novel will take all your attention from the very...