Review of The Elephant Tooth of '95

[Ammarah Azhar Khan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Elephant Tooth of '95" by Rana Baydoun.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Is marriage the basic purpose of a woman's life? Is a woman allowed to fall in love while struggling against social norms? A strong woman fights her way against all odds to survive against religious discrimination and poverty.

The Elephant Tooth of '95 by Rana Baydoun is about a woman, Noor Beyrouti, who has just graduated in Nutrition and Food Technology and is looking for a job. This book is set in post-war times, during the 1990s when political and religious tensions froze a permanent wall between the citizens. As the story progresses, she finds love, which opens a Pandora of problems for her. Can she overcome all the hurdles life decided to throw at her? This book includes the daily life of Noor with recurrent flashbacks of her childhood.

There were many good things about this book that I would like to highlight. Firstly, this book is comprehensive, it has many aspects which give this book life. Secondly, the small paragraphs with information on Lebanese culture were very interesting and helpful in understanding the book. The traditional sayings are hilarious and relatable, especially to Muslim readers. Thirdly, the problems faced by her are very similar to the problems faced by many other women in other Eastern Countries. Furthermore, the strong bond between sisters is my favorite aspect of the book. It is beautifully portrayed in this book, but not many authors include this aspect in their books. Another beautiful aspect of this book is the description of the war scenes, they capture the reader's heart. The way people have adapted to the bombings is heartbreaking and heart-touching at the same time. Lastly, the sexism is very on point, without any exaggeration. Overall, this book is very beautiful and light, which is not something generally associated with books that include aspects and consequences of wars. This book was exceptionally edited and I couldn't find any mistakes in the book.

The thing I didn't like about the book was that the writer used some words that are scarred for Muslims, such as "inshallah" not "In sha Allah". It is actually offensive because it's not just a phrasal mistake, it holds great religious value.

I award this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the religious mistake in the book. I advise the author to be more careful about such mistakes. If it weren't for that mistake, it would definitely have been a 4 star book.

I would like to recommend this book to people with a war background, this would be a very good read for them. Female readers must read this book because this book is very realistic and relatable to them. This book is very important for people who have an interest in multicultural books. People who have a love for history will also like this book.

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The Elephant Tooth of '95
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[WriteOn]

The thing I didn't like about the book was that the writer used some words that are scarred for Muslims, such as "inshallah" not "In sha Allah". It is actually offensive because it's not just a phrasal mistake, it holds great religious value.

I did not appreciate this when reviewing the book Ammarah Azhar 1. Thanks for raising my awareness of it.
It was good to see your perspective of this book; all your observations are interesting and insightful. It's a great review Thank you.

[Amy Luman]

While here in the West it is not uncommon for a woman to focus on her arteries over marriage, it is still the norm for people of Eastern descent to believe this is the highest calling. Just differences in culture, no matter how much we don’t like it.

[Oyedeji Funmilayo]

Women do face a lot trying to manage family and career together. I like the plot of the book and how well you said the author arranged each chapter. Wonderful review, welldone!!!