Sought this out for #disguisedasaboy queer/trans subtext, and it delivers.

To tell the truth, after twelve weeks among men only, after twelve weeks without ever looking at my own self, I'd almost forgotten I was a woman. That doesn't mean I thought of myself as a man. I was only me, Nasir.

The author definitely didn't understand the subtext she was putting down, the speed it was squashed. I would bet it's actually anachronistic that none of these rich boys has ever heard of homosexuality, although I don't have citations for this.

I found the beginning slow but it sped up considerably. Instead of discovering magic powers, the characters are learning about the obscure and mystical powers of capitalism. Not interesting to me at all, personally, but I thought it was well done - it's clear what Buran/Nasir likes about it.

It's interesting how learning Arabic has changed how I see some stylistic translation choices! "O my father" sounds super formal in English, at least in part because it's so polysyllablic, but when it's a literal translation of "ya abbi" and you know that ya is an indispensable part of speech, you can see how it could actually be just a normal and familiar way to talk. ( )

Yeah I still love this book as much now as I did 18 years ago when I first read it. ( )

I really really liked this. I love stories based off of traditional tales, and even though I had never heard of the Iraqi folktale this book was based off it, I loved it.

It is a story of a girl who defies her culture's traditions, customs, and notions of a proper woman's place to make herself a success and save her family from poverty. It is also the story of love conquering all and being loved for who you are.

I need to look up the inspiration for this book. ( )

3.5 stars

I found this book because it was recommended to me by coding sequence. When I clicked the title I was surprised to see that several of my friends had already read it. So, my question is, why didn't my "good" friends suggest it to me? Why did I have to wait for chance? I feel slightly betrayed. ;)

In this book, the villain in the story seems to be Buran's (and her sisters') feminine sex. They are wretchedly poor because her father has no sons. Buran decides to tackle the problem, refusing to be the victim of her culture. What I loved about this book is that her parents don't stand in her way. They believe in her and in her worth and ability as a person. The villain here is not the parents, a person, or other figure; the villain is society and culture. Although the uncle comes in a close second. :)

Though I was slightly put off by the section that had the male viewpoint (who gets that emotional even if they're female?) it wasn't all bad. But it definitely contributed to the lower score.

* Definitely a teen novel. ( )

I liked it. 13yo son did not. He thought it was too much like Mulan which we already read this year. ( )