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In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa

In Praise of Hatred

by Khaled Khalifa

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Readers' Rating (17):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2014, 320 pages
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There are currently 17 reader reviews for In Praise of Hatred
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Darlene C. (Woodstock, IL)

The Power of Oppression
A powerful, stark story of the power of oppression to create and sustain hatred. Against the backdrop of one of Syria's many uprisings, the narrator ( a young teen age girl) struggles with her identity and loyalties. As the country's struggles intensify, the narrator's beliefs solidify until her life is ruled by only one emotion - hatred.

I almost gave up on this book before reaching the halfway point. I found the first half of the book to be scattered and unfocused. It was almost impossible to follow the story or feel it had any coherency. It took some time before I realized this was purposeful on the author'smore
Barbara G. (Lisle, IL)

In Praise of Women
The news is full of stories of disaffected young Muslim men, who pledge themselves to become martyrs for their faith, but not until this novel do we see what is/was happening to the equally fervent young women, many of them educated, who take up the cause beside them.
It's a layered tale that shows the reader the many levels of intrigue within the community where everything from position to power to sexual favors is available for a price and corruption at every level is rampant. I loved learning about this community we never really hear much about. I think as world citizens, it is up to us to try. There is muchmore
Linda H. (Glasgow, KY)

In Praise of Hatred
Aleppo native Khaled Khalifa first published the searing, prescient novel In Praise of Hatred in 2006 to great acclaim in much of the Arab world although it was promptly banned in Syria. The recent English translation should be a welcome addition to book club and individual readers, particularly for those who embraced the works of Afghan author Hussein Hosseini. The narrator is an unnamed girl, the youngest in a wealthy family who resides in comfort in her grandparents' home, raised by her three aunts and tended by their blind, male servant. The young woman becomes increasingly involved in the Islamic greenmore
Linda W. (Summit, NJ)

Behind the Veil
There are many places in the world where people live behind solid, almost impenetrable walls. We sometimes get a glimpse of a courtyard or inner sanctuary, but rarely can we enter so fully the life that goes on in these sequestered homes. Khaled Khalifa takes us by the hand and leads us into the life of a young Muslim girl living in Syria at a time when most of us had little knowledge of this part of the world.

The coming of age behind the walls of an extended family and behind the veil of Islamic culture is a story worth reading. Although sometimes challenging to follow the hopscotch of time, the text reads moremore
Diane P. (Concord, MA)

In Praise of Hatred
If you are willing to suspend clarity of place and time, entering into Khaled Khalifa's dreamscape novel, In Praise of Hatred, immerses the reader in an intimate sense of modern Syria (1980s) through the eyes of a radicalized, young woman. Her home, albeit the home of her relatives, and the city of Aleppo, provide a backdrop for many of the events and characters that inhabit the story.

Vivid, if only occasional, details punctuate Khalifa's metonymous prose and provide the novel's sense of authenticity and place: the barking of wild dogs, the parsley and aubergines needed from a Souk, a charred corpse thatmore
Kimberly H. (Stamford, CT)

a young girl's perspective, written by a male author
In Praise of Hatred was banned in Syria when released in 2006, unsurprisingly. A realistic inside view of religious and political strife, which still continues.
I had some difficulty getting into the book- lots of characters, challenging names (hard to keep track) but overall a way to better understand - or try to understand-a country and culture that us, as Americans, have difficulty comprehending.
Mary O. (Boston, MA)

True Hatred
The title "in Praise of Hatred" perfectly describes the book and it's characters. Sequestered in a small home, three aunts and the protagonist live in a world of vicious hate. At times disturbing but well drawn out characters reflecting the conflicts in the Muslim world and Middle East. A book people should read to gain insight into that tragic world.
Shirley D. (Amherst, MA)

IN PRAISE OF HATRED
The best way for me to be informed is to read fiction based on real lives, real events. This is what I gained from In Praise of Hatred. I felt no connection to the characters portrayed but the novel clarified the violence in the Middle East, let me see the hatred of the dictatorship's campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood , witness the changing life of a young secluded Muslim girl as she is tossed into the social and political chaos of the world outside the protection of the family walls. It is a powerful awakening.
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