The book has quite a decent rating of 4.2 with the story of a Palestinian American woman wrestles with faith, loss, and identity before coming face-to-face with a school shooter in this searing debut. A uniquely American story told in powerful, evocative prose, The Beauty of Your Face navigates a country growing ever more divided. Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the principal of Nurrideen School for Girls, a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter—radicalized by the online alt-right—attacks the school.
As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.
The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals
ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE AUTHOR SAHAR MUSTAFA
Sahar Mustafah is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Her short stories have been awarded the Guild Literary Complex Prize for fiction, a Distinguished Story honor from Best American Short Stories, and three Pushcart Prize nominations, among other honors. She writes and teaches outside of Chicago.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
| Title | The Beauty of Your Face: A Novel |
| Author | SAHAR MUSTAFA |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton, 2020 |
| ISBN | 1324003383, 9781324003380 |
| Length | 312 pages |
| Subjects | FICTION/FAMILY LIFE/GENERAL |
