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The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing
The Homeland actress’s “recollections of her unconventional youth in war-torn Beirut are heartbreaking yet humorous . . . in this unique” memoir ( Publishers Weekly ). Raised in 1970s Lebanon on Charles Baudelaire, A Clockwork Orange , and fine Bordeaux, Darina Al-Joundi was encouraged by her unconventional father to defy all taboos. She spent her adolescence defying death in Beirut nightclubs as bombs fell across the city. The more oppressive the country became, the more drugs and anonymous sex she had, fueling the resentment directed at her daily by the same men who would spend the night with her. As the war dies down, she begins to incur the consequences of her lifestyle. On his deathbed, her father’s last wish is for his favorite song, “Sinnerman” by Nina Simone, to be played at his funeral instead of the traditional suras of the Koran. When she does just that, the final act of defiance elicits a catastrophic response from her surviving family members. In this dramatic true story, Darina Al-Joundi is defiantly passionate about living her life as a liberated woman, even if it means leaving everyone and everything behind in this “beautifully taut and relentlessly unemotional” memoir ( Kirkus ).
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2008
19 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Darina Al-Joundi
3 books10 followersDARINA AL-JOUNDI was born in Lebanon in 1968 to a Shiite Lebanese mother and a secular Syrian father. She began her acting career at age eight with Lebanese television. She left Beirut at thirty for Paris, where she wrote and performed Le jour où Nina Simone a cessé de chanter for the theater. The play caused a sensation at the Avignon festival, where it was hailed by critics all over France. Her latest movie, Un homme perdu, by Daniel Arbid, was presented at the Director’s Fortnight of the 2007 Cannes Festival.
(from http://www.feministpress.org/books/da...)
(from http://www.feministpress.org/books/da...)
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January 21, 2011This book starts out as something of a quirky coming-of-age story, but soon becomes one of the best books I’ve ever read about war, the hypocrisies of power, and the continual impact of violence, in this case the violence of the Lebanese civil war and its aftermath. Take this excerpt: “People recognize their loved ones by their clothes only, they were too disfigured. I held women up as they identified the dead, and I wept and vomited. It went beyond rage, grief, and even madness. I felt as if my own throat had been caught. What frightened me most in Sabra weren’t the dead but what could be read on the faces of the living. I had just turned 14.”
August 23, 2016
Le contexte historique d'une guerre incivile.
Une histoire personnelle de liberté, de libertinage et de liberticide.
Et les deux qui s'enlacent et se complètent pour ne faire qu'un. Une union intestine au point que l'un ne pourrait exister sans l'autre: ni Darina sans la guerre ni la guerre sans Darina.
On ne sort jamais indemne d'une guerre ni de cette écriture d'ailleurs, qui, crue et intense, mêle drame et humour comme se côtoient la vie et la mort.
Une histoire personnelle de liberté, de libertinage et de liberticide.
Et les deux qui s'enlacent et se complètent pour ne faire qu'un. Une union intestine au point que l'un ne pourrait exister sans l'autre: ni Darina sans la guerre ni la guerre sans Darina.
On ne sort jamais indemne d'une guerre ni de cette écriture d'ailleurs, qui, crue et intense, mêle drame et humour comme se côtoient la vie et la mort.
August 14, 2019
"I was at an ungrateful age, neither woman nor child, but prematurely adult as well because the war had robbed us of our childhood."
.
From THE DAY NINA SIMONE STOPPED SINGING by Darina al-Joundi and Mohamed Kacimi, translated from the French (Lebanon) by Marjolijn de Jager
I've had varied experiences with memoirs. Some are beautifully done with rich details, others need a good editor to slice and dice and build a narrative. A few good life stories does not always a good memoir make... Or something like that.
Now take Darina al-Joundi. Her writing style (co-authored with Kacimi) is spare. Bare even. In one short sentence, she'll mention some sort of horrific atrocity or major life-changing event, and then just move on to the next thing with little to no detail or description of the lasting effects. Other writers would spend (at least) half the book describing what she just synthesized into ONE sentence.
Is this resilience? Is it dismissal? Still trying to figure out... But what I know is that I've never read anything like it.
The daughter of a secular Syrian father, and a Lebanese mother, she describes the Lebanon War/invasion, and its various factions (Muslims, Christians, and Druze - Israelis, refugee Syrians, and Lebanese) her unconventional "no rules" childhood and an experimental (taboo) youth. It is violent and brutal, and in the end it's about a woman who has been through a whole bunch of shit in her life, and is now an actor and director in France, advocating for women's rights.
#witmonth #womenintranslation
.
From THE DAY NINA SIMONE STOPPED SINGING by Darina al-Joundi and Mohamed Kacimi, translated from the French (Lebanon) by Marjolijn de Jager
I've had varied experiences with memoirs. Some are beautifully done with rich details, others need a good editor to slice and dice and build a narrative. A few good life stories does not always a good memoir make... Or something like that.
Now take Darina al-Joundi. Her writing style (co-authored with Kacimi) is spare. Bare even. In one short sentence, she'll mention some sort of horrific atrocity or major life-changing event, and then just move on to the next thing with little to no detail or description of the lasting effects. Other writers would spend (at least) half the book describing what she just synthesized into ONE sentence.
Is this resilience? Is it dismissal? Still trying to figure out... But what I know is that I've never read anything like it.
The daughter of a secular Syrian father, and a Lebanese mother, she describes the Lebanon War/invasion, and its various factions (Muslims, Christians, and Druze - Israelis, refugee Syrians, and Lebanese) her unconventional "no rules" childhood and an experimental (taboo) youth. It is violent and brutal, and in the end it's about a woman who has been through a whole bunch of shit in her life, and is now an actor and director in France, advocating for women's rights.
#witmonth #womenintranslation
July 11, 2022
There is a fine line between tragedy and comedy and The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing swerves between both realms. As the subtitle states the book is a monologue or a series of 10 monlogues to be more precise, where the author speaks about her father and his role in Beirut. In between each scene Nina Simone’s Sinnerman plays.
Each monologue focuses on a certain aspect on the author’s life. Her father’s background, the brutality of the civil war in Lebanon, the cruel tortures inflicted upon her father and how life was like during that period including boyfriends and family relationships. Given the backdrop of the play one can understand the significance of Sinnerman. In fact Darina Al Joundi talks about the importance of Nina Simone to her as well.
At times the narrative becomes so crazy that it is hard to believe that these are events which really happened. However there are humorous moments as well, mainly the descriptions of the author’s past lovers or the Bible study scene in the beginning. What comes out though is that The Day is not only a love letter to a missing parent but, and more importantly, also a statement about how women are treated in Lebanon: They cannot attend burials, one monologue is about rape, another is about marriage. As one can guess these sections also have a tragic aspect.
The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing is barely 70 pages long but it is a powerful piece on war and feminism. It is eye opening and sure to leave an affect on the reader. The dark comic vibe, doesn’t alleviate matters but drives into the mind the sheer absurdity of war crossed with a fanatical notion of religion.
Each monologue focuses on a certain aspect on the author’s life. Her father’s background, the brutality of the civil war in Lebanon, the cruel tortures inflicted upon her father and how life was like during that period including boyfriends and family relationships. Given the backdrop of the play one can understand the significance of Sinnerman. In fact Darina Al Joundi talks about the importance of Nina Simone to her as well.
At times the narrative becomes so crazy that it is hard to believe that these are events which really happened. However there are humorous moments as well, mainly the descriptions of the author’s past lovers or the Bible study scene in the beginning. What comes out though is that The Day is not only a love letter to a missing parent but, and more importantly, also a statement about how women are treated in Lebanon: They cannot attend burials, one monologue is about rape, another is about marriage. As one can guess these sections also have a tragic aspect.
The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing is barely 70 pages long but it is a powerful piece on war and feminism. It is eye opening and sure to leave an affect on the reader. The dark comic vibe, doesn’t alleviate matters but drives into the mind the sheer absurdity of war crossed with a fanatical notion of religion.
October 5, 2018
From my Instagram account @Onebookonecountry
The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing defiantly begins with #NinaSimone's 'Save Me' loudly playing over the Koranic grieving prayers at #DarinaAlJoundi's father's funeral. And then our protagonist goes on a quest of female liberation at the behest of her father's wishes.
Filled with musings about alcohol, sex and women's place in pre-war #Lebanese society, this small, but powerful story can be summarized in one eloquent advice: "Watch out my girl, all the men in this country are monstrous to women." Truly prescient.
This edition in French is by @actessud
More Asian books here #onebookAsia
More Middle Eastern books here #onebookMiddleEast
More Arabic books here #onebookArabic
More Lebanese books here #onebookLebanon
The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing defiantly begins with #NinaSimone's 'Save Me' loudly playing over the Koranic grieving prayers at #DarinaAlJoundi's father's funeral. And then our protagonist goes on a quest of female liberation at the behest of her father's wishes.
Filled with musings about alcohol, sex and women's place in pre-war #Lebanese society, this small, but powerful story can be summarized in one eloquent advice: "Watch out my girl, all the men in this country are monstrous to women." Truly prescient.
This edition in French is by @actessud
More Asian books here #onebookAsia
More Middle Eastern books here #onebookMiddleEast
More Arabic books here #onebookArabic
More Lebanese books here #onebookLebanon
February 6, 2017
I loved how the book tells the story of Darina, an actress grown up in a liberal family during the civil war in Lebanon. The simple style of the writing makes Darina appear in the reader's mind, telling her story in a straight way. The drugs, alcohol and excesses of the actress live are described in a very human way, connecting them to her education, the society and the history of Lebanon. A great book to read if you are searching a straight and human view of the civil war, Beirut and the craziness that they caused.
April 17, 2011
Intense and horrifying, all about freedom and punishment and chaos.
It's a lightning fast read, and left me wishing there was more of it and more in depth from the writer. The style is very matter of fact - this terrible thing happened, then another. It will definitely stock with me, but I wish the writer was more introspective.
It's a lightning fast read, and left me wishing there was more of it and more in depth from the writer. The style is very matter of fact - this terrible thing happened, then another. It will definitely stock with me, but I wish the writer was more introspective.
November 27, 2019
J'ai vraiment adoré cette plongée dans le Liban pendant la guerre car j'en savais très peu sur le sujet. La plume et les réactions parfois très froides de la narratrice peuvent surprendre mais sont bien compréhensibles face à une vie vécue majoritairement dans une pays où la mort était omniprésente.
March 2, 2011
The book describes the life of an independent woman in war torn Beirut, Lebanon. She is raised by a secular freedom loving father who brings her up to live life as a “liberated woman.” Al-Joundi does just this while also going through the difficulties of living through war and the constant changes that occurred in Lebanon during the 1970s and 1980s. It is a tragically comical coming of age story.
Al-Joundi tells a brilliant story of her life and of her father. It is filled with clever quips, enlightening statements, and brilliant imagery. Much of the discussion follows war and the simple state of growing up as a young woman
Scenes of death and war are interspersed throughout this book. One moment you will find yourself laughing at a simple scene and the next there will be a scene of such dread.
The remarkable descriptions and language used within the book make it an endearing tale and one that reaches deep into your being and stays with you. The imagery is unforgettable and the story is one that is different. It goes beyond war and discusses the issues a wild and reckless female encounters in life. The part that makes it so fascinating is that she is attempting to live an independent life in a place where it is not common for a woman to be independent.
This book is a coming of age tale that has you laughing out loud and also shocks you to the core. It is much more than just a story of a woman coming to age: It is a tale of a woman living in a war torn country, a tale of a woman’s love for her father, a tale of a woman’s desire to be free in a country that is anything but, and it is a tale that shouldn’t be ignored.
Overall, I couldn’t put this book down once I picked it up. It is not only a worthwhile read, but one I think most people would enjoy thoroughly. Though I must warn that there are some scenes describing not only war, but sex and it can be rather graphic. It is a poignant, beautiful, and funny memoir that is by far worth the time it takes to read.
Al-Joundi tells a brilliant story of her life and of her father. It is filled with clever quips, enlightening statements, and brilliant imagery. Much of the discussion follows war and the simple state of growing up as a young woman
Scenes of death and war are interspersed throughout this book. One moment you will find yourself laughing at a simple scene and the next there will be a scene of such dread.
The remarkable descriptions and language used within the book make it an endearing tale and one that reaches deep into your being and stays with you. The imagery is unforgettable and the story is one that is different. It goes beyond war and discusses the issues a wild and reckless female encounters in life. The part that makes it so fascinating is that she is attempting to live an independent life in a place where it is not common for a woman to be independent.
This book is a coming of age tale that has you laughing out loud and also shocks you to the core. It is much more than just a story of a woman coming to age: It is a tale of a woman living in a war torn country, a tale of a woman’s love for her father, a tale of a woman’s desire to be free in a country that is anything but, and it is a tale that shouldn’t be ignored.
Overall, I couldn’t put this book down once I picked it up. It is not only a worthwhile read, but one I think most people would enjoy thoroughly. Though I must warn that there are some scenes describing not only war, but sex and it can be rather graphic. It is a poignant, beautiful, and funny memoir that is by far worth the time it takes to read.
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January 31, 2014another winner from the feminist press (if ya ever just want to reach down in the sack and snag a good book with your eyes closed, you can't go wrong hardly with FP) about growing up in lebenon. it aint pretty. funny how humans can make life and culture about as miserable, dangerous, sad, unsustainable, bigoted, greedy, ugly, sadistic, unhopeful, heartbreaking, deathly...just look at baltics, balkans, oklahoma, south dakota, ukraine, st petersburg, buchenwald, inner mongolia, bolivia
and in this story;s case, levant.
but despite it all individuals, families, clans, tribes, nations still embrace love, empathy, art, food dance nourishment of the body and soul, to keep 'this machinery of joy" running and laughing and drinking and singing and fucking and having kids and writing books, despite ourselves.
for a good look at lebanon, israel, palastine,and syria, this book is good place to start.
and in this story;s case, levant.
but despite it all individuals, families, clans, tribes, nations still embrace love, empathy, art, food dance nourishment of the body and soul, to keep 'this machinery of joy" running and laughing and drinking and singing and fucking and having kids and writing books, despite ourselves.
for a good look at lebanon, israel, palastine,and syria, this book is good place to start.
October 13, 2015
When I started reading this book I thought it was a funny coming to age story where the dad is joking about getting your period and warning you about bras. By the end of the book I was so moved and so in awe of the life of this woman the coming of age idea seemed to vanish in the air.
You don’t understand violence that you don’t see or experience in your lifetime. If it didn’t happen in your country or to someone you know it’s almost like it doesn’t exist. This book was a real eye opener about a civil war that really happened, even if no one I know lived through it or no one’s family had to come from their country to mine. Taking place during the Lebanese War Ms. Al-Joundi describes the war through her eyes and all the things life has happen even if war is occurring: sex, drugs, and terrible violence and all.
You don’t understand violence that you don’t see or experience in your lifetime. If it didn’t happen in your country or to someone you know it’s almost like it doesn’t exist. This book was a real eye opener about a civil war that really happened, even if no one I know lived through it or no one’s family had to come from their country to mine. Taking place during the Lebanese War Ms. Al-Joundi describes the war through her eyes and all the things life has happen even if war is occurring: sex, drugs, and terrible violence and all.
August 27, 2011
I thought this would be a very fascinating read. I was eager to give Darina Al-Joundi's memoir 5 stars. Unfortunately, maybe due to my own ignorance of what happened in Beirut, I was unable to be fully immersed in the story. This memoir is sheer catharsis. It's enjoyable in a strange way that makes one cringe. I think that though I understood that this a war memoir, I felt that the politics revolving Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon during this time should be made more clear. Very short read, could have been longer to emphasize her rebellious POV, and her family in general; not just her father.
October 26, 2012
This is powerful stuff. The Book is set partly during the Civil War in Beirut. Here's a quote: "In the street, as I watched other people, I was constnatly wondering which of them had killed and which of them hadn't. When I would fuck militiamen on the demarcation line I used to know what I was doing and who was what. AFter the war they all put on the same mask, executioners and victims mingling."
At first, Darina Al-Joundi seemed so unusual, so unlike most of the women I'd met in Beirut, I found it hard to believe her. But then I thought back to some of the women I'd met, and realized, "Oh, yes, of course it's true." The prose is vivid as can be.
At first, Darina Al-Joundi seemed so unusual, so unlike most of the women I'd met in Beirut, I found it hard to believe her. But then I thought back to some of the women I'd met, and realized, "Oh, yes, of course it's true." The prose is vivid as can be.
September 25, 2021
Le récit complètement fou à quatre mains de la vie d'une véritable insoumise, Darina Al-Joundi. Ses rêves de liberté sexuelle, sociale et religieuse se brisent dans le Liban déchiré dans une guerre civile où culmine l'hypocrisie.
"Je voyais toutes ces femmes et j'ai compris que je payais le prix de ma liberté insensée de femme dans ce pays d'insensés." (p. 149)
"Je voyais toutes ces femmes et j'ai compris que je payais le prix de ma liberté insensée de femme dans ce pays d'insensés." (p. 149)
December 28, 2017
un tord boyaux ...
March 31, 2019
A harrowing account of what it means to grow up as a free woman in an oppressive society and in the midst of war.
November 8, 2021
I am so glad I discovered that raw female memoirs are a thing I love because I am reading so many cool books for that reason these days that I don't think I would have considered a few years ago. Like this one, "The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing" is very much in the described wheelhouse of what kind of memoirs I love but it is also a bit different to your typical memoir.
In very sparse, clipped prose and mere 137 pages will take you through her life, years 5 to 30. It seems like with that approach she wouldn't be able to accomplish much but quite the contrary, this book is full of life, emotions, Lebanon, the war, her father, her wild child persona, her complex personality, her ultimate decision to leave her home country. What starts of as prose that comes of unpolished will develop a captivating rhythm and delve into unexpected poetic depths. Maybe not everyone will find her descriptions poetic but over time I really did. I kind of fell in love with this little book. This look into a life under war, in a religiously challenging and even confusing environment, shaped by a father who wanted his daughters to be free from cultural and religious suppression but in return imposes his own complexities on them, but a life even more so shaped by bombs and bullets that when those end she doesn't even know how to be anymore. I have read a few memoirs about war times but I am not sure any of them felt as honest and complex as this one, the damage it does to a person. I mean at some point Al-Joundi describes a teenage memory where she and some friends play Russian Roulette with fatal consequences because they are so numbed by the death around them!
I love how the narration could flip from some rather quirky childhood moment to absolute war devastation within a sentence, no need to further elaborate or wallow. Precise is what this book is, sharp in its details, scarce in words but rich in meaning.
She also goes through some sh*t. No other way to phrase that, even war atrocities aside she gets into rough situations. For example with men, and considering her father's goal was to have emancipated and self-loving daughters some of those experiences are doubly heartbreaking. And yes, at times she seems her own worst enemy. To see by the end though how this country and the culture that she tries to love despite everything betrays her the way it does is simply crushing.
I am convinced this book will stay with me.
In very sparse, clipped prose and mere 137 pages will take you through her life, years 5 to 30. It seems like with that approach she wouldn't be able to accomplish much but quite the contrary, this book is full of life, emotions, Lebanon, the war, her father, her wild child persona, her complex personality, her ultimate decision to leave her home country. What starts of as prose that comes of unpolished will develop a captivating rhythm and delve into unexpected poetic depths. Maybe not everyone will find her descriptions poetic but over time I really did. I kind of fell in love with this little book. This look into a life under war, in a religiously challenging and even confusing environment, shaped by a father who wanted his daughters to be free from cultural and religious suppression but in return imposes his own complexities on them, but a life even more so shaped by bombs and bullets that when those end she doesn't even know how to be anymore. I have read a few memoirs about war times but I am not sure any of them felt as honest and complex as this one, the damage it does to a person. I mean at some point Al-Joundi describes a teenage memory where she and some friends play Russian Roulette with fatal consequences because they are so numbed by the death around them!
I love how the narration could flip from some rather quirky childhood moment to absolute war devastation within a sentence, no need to further elaborate or wallow. Precise is what this book is, sharp in its details, scarce in words but rich in meaning.
She also goes through some sh*t. No other way to phrase that, even war atrocities aside she gets into rough situations. For example with men, and considering her father's goal was to have emancipated and self-loving daughters some of those experiences are doubly heartbreaking. And yes, at times she seems her own worst enemy. To see by the end though how this country and the culture that she tries to love despite everything betrays her the way it does is simply crushing.
I am convinced this book will stay with me.
November 6, 2025
Une histoire lourde, mais l'écriture directe rend la lecture facile. Cela me fait un peu penser à du Virginie Despentes, pour son insoumission, mais sous fond de guerre civile libanaise et d'exil. C'est un grand oui 🖤
September 4, 2022
My god, what a woman! And what a life. A stunning book.
April 21, 2024
BRILLIANT !!!!
August 30, 2021
Beaucoup de folie, d’honnêteté, de transparence... Darina El Joundi a défié tous les tabous pour écrire son chef d’oeuvre.
J’ai versé des larmes en lisant ce livre et son histoire ne me quittera jamais.
J’ai versé des larmes en lisant ce livre et son histoire ne me quittera jamais.
May 17, 2011
Unsettling doesn't even begin to describe this book. For such a short book, it was a hard read. This book follows the life of Darina Al-Joundi. Born in Beirut in 1968, her life was one of constant chaos. In times of almost constant war, Darina grew up never knowing if she'd live to see the next day. Her family constantly moved around to avoid the danger around then, but often ended up back in Beirut.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book per se, but it was a good book. Darina had no identity to speak of. Because of her parentage, she had no claim to citizenship anywhere. She was told to speak one language at home and one at school. With no stability due to the war, her life was one of chaos. Thinking she would die at any moment, she threw herself into drugs and sex with anyone she ran into. Honestly, I thought it was a wonder she survived to tell her story.
This was certainly a sad tale. It was also cautionary to some extent. The horrors of extended war are detailed. More than anything though, I felt like Darina really missed out on security and stability while growing up. Without those things, she bounced from one thing to the next trying to find what could make her feel good about herself. This book was harsh, but I think she was brave to be able to tell about everything that happened. I am curious to find out if she has found some peace living her life on her terms now. I hope she has.
Book won in online contest.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book per se, but it was a good book. Darina had no identity to speak of. Because of her parentage, she had no claim to citizenship anywhere. She was told to speak one language at home and one at school. With no stability due to the war, her life was one of chaos. Thinking she would die at any moment, she threw herself into drugs and sex with anyone she ran into. Honestly, I thought it was a wonder she survived to tell her story.
This was certainly a sad tale. It was also cautionary to some extent. The horrors of extended war are detailed. More than anything though, I felt like Darina really missed out on security and stability while growing up. Without those things, she bounced from one thing to the next trying to find what could make her feel good about herself. This book was harsh, but I think she was brave to be able to tell about everything that happened. I am curious to find out if she has found some peace living her life on her terms now. I hope she has.
Book won in online contest.
February 22, 2016
Ένα βιβλίο για την Νταρίνα...και για όσες αισθανονται Νταρίνες..κι όμως καμια δεν μπορεί να πει οτι έζησε οσα η Νταρίνα Αλ-Τζουντι. Οι περιγραφές της Μέσης Ανατολής των δεκαετιών '70 και '80 με τη ματιά μας ομορφης και ατιθασης νεαρης..Που έμαθε να ζει ελευθερη, που έζησε τη νεανικη ζωη της στο μαξιμουμ-πολεμος, ναρκωτικα, εκδιωξεις, θρησκεια, σεξ, ερωτας, καταπιεση, εξευτελισμος, ελευθερια..Τελικα για μας τις Δυτικες γυναικες που ολα ειναι τοσο σχετικα ευκολα και που η επανασταση μας ειναι να ξεμυτισουμε απο την πορτα του σπιτιου μας οταν ειμαστε 12 ή που μπορει να καπνισαμε το πρωτο μας τσιγαριλικι στα 14 ή 16 ή ακομη και να καναμε σεξ στα 14 ολα ειναι σχετικα και ανεκτικα στο Δυτικο πλανητη μας...Ο αγωνας και η χειραφετηση μιας νεαρης γυναικας στο 20ο αιωνα και στον 21ο στις μουσουλμανικες χωρες ακομη εχει πολυ δρομο! Οσο αφορα αυτο που συμβαινει και σημερα στη Μεση Ανατολη, προτεινω να διατρεξετε τις σελιδες του βιβλιου για να καταλαβαιτε οτι τιποτα δεν αλλαξε ολο αυτο το διαστημα και η Ιστορια, δυστυχως επαναλαμβανεται...
June 12, 2013
Female version of a Lebanese 'Forest Gump'.
Now I love 'Forest Gump' but, like the movie, the story in the book is more a fiction than an autobiography.
The fact that Mrs. Al Joundy lived through all the Lebanese war is credible, but the fact that she witnessed, first hand, all these described events is difficult to grasp, especially for someone who ALSO lived through that war.
A rather 'simplistic' style is used when depicting civil war madness; a style that better relay the fact that, whether they happened to her or not, for a Lebanese, such stories and events are not shocking at all.
Now I love 'Forest Gump' but, like the movie, the story in the book is more a fiction than an autobiography.
The fact that Mrs. Al Joundy lived through all the Lebanese war is credible, but the fact that she witnessed, first hand, all these described events is difficult to grasp, especially for someone who ALSO lived through that war.
A rather 'simplistic' style is used when depicting civil war madness; a style that better relay the fact that, whether they happened to her or not, for a Lebanese, such stories and events are not shocking at all.
September 28, 2015
It's a funny thing to say, but marvelous literature has come out of the Lebanese Civil War. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this particular novel for understanding historical context, that said it is my favorite novel from the war so far.
Darina herself is a person I would love to meet, and her descriptions of her family and experiences were lovely. Lovely in the sort of tragic, brutal way that can only exist when violence is normal. Parts of the book are emotionally trying- TW for rape, murder, suicide, maternal abandonment, and both physical/psychological torture.
Darina herself is a person I would love to meet, and her descriptions of her family and experiences were lovely. Lovely in the sort of tragic, brutal way that can only exist when violence is normal. Parts of the book are emotionally trying- TW for rape, murder, suicide, maternal abandonment, and both physical/psychological torture.
March 1, 2011
Terribile, crudo, sincero.
Un padre che si batte per educare la figlia ad essere una donna libera, un'"orfana della guerra" che per cercare se stessa si ribella alle convenzioni sociali e religiose e viene rinchiusa in manicomio per scontare la pena della sua educazione di donna libera.
E sullo sfondo la guerra del Libano, i cadaveri di Sabra, l'esercito siriano, le fughe di notte, la fuga finale.
Decisamente un'autobiografia coinvolgente.
Un padre che si batte per educare la figlia ad essere una donna libera, un'"orfana della guerra" che per cercare se stessa si ribella alle convenzioni sociali e religiose e viene rinchiusa in manicomio per scontare la pena della sua educazione di donna libera.
E sullo sfondo la guerra del Libano, i cadaveri di Sabra, l'esercito siriano, le fughe di notte, la fuga finale.
Decisamente un'autobiografia coinvolgente.
January 7, 2023
Je ne suis déjà pas à l’aise avec le concept de noter et juger des livres, alors je suis encore moins à l’aise quand il s’agit d’un récit comme celui-ci. Je n’ai pas d’opinion à donner si ce n’est que j’ai adoré le lire. J’ai été fascinée tout le long des pages, tout le long de l’histoire, fascinée par Darina al-Joundi et sa liberté presque sans fin. Poignant, fort, tragique, terrible, représentatif de la vie de l’humanité. C’est une histoire qui change.
January 3, 2020
كتاب مشحون كما هي يوميات بيروت خلال الحرب الأهلية. يفتح نافذة على الفراغ القاسي المبطن بألوان وردية سخيفة وخادعة كالتي تزين بها وسط بيروت، منذ اتفاق الطائف، مرغما الناس على حياة مفصومة... كأن حربا لم تكن يوما! حياة لا تزال تحمل في أطرافها رائحة موت وحقد وكذب ورياء وقدرة مخيفة على ركل كل من لا يتقنها، إلى حد الجنون...
December 27, 2013
La guerre, telle que nous l'avons vécue vue du côté diamétralement opposé mais tellement parallèle ! Les héros des uns sont les monstres des autres, mais le vécu reste singulièrement le même. Et cet attachement inavouable a la guerre dont on devient honteusement "orphelin". Un livre qui nous décortique.
March 21, 2014
Superbement écrit, parfois hilarant et profondément glauque et érotique à la fois.
Ca s'lit d'une traite tout en étant très intense.
L'atrocité de la guerre civile libanaise dans les corps et les consciences est écrite d'une façon totalement inattendue, crue et passionnée.
Dommage que la réception du texte en France et que l'auteure se soient fourvoyées dans une islamophobie d'Etat.
Ca s'lit d'une traite tout en étant très intense.
L'atrocité de la guerre civile libanaise dans les corps et les consciences est écrite d'une façon totalement inattendue, crue et passionnée.
Dommage que la réception du texte en France et que l'auteure se soient fourvoyées dans une islamophobie d'Etat.
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