This feminist collection features eighteen very short stories that explore how Palestinian Bedouin girls and women navigate societal expectations, especially when facing misogyny. Each story is a brief but powerful glimpse into their lives, with characters standing up for themselves through small acts of rebellion. In addition, many of these characters express a sense of desire and longing for freedom: something more for themselves and for the place they call home. Helawy quietly touches on the Israeli occupation of her homeland, which is inherently part of the experience of contemporary Palestinian Bedouin society, even if it’s not at the foreground. However, at the heart of this collection is to shine a light on the girls and women who share her identity, to uplift their stories, as so few have written about their experiences (including hers).

Regarding personal enjoyment, I admit I wasn’t especially attached to a lot of the stories in this collection, mainly due to how short they were, but there were absolutely a few that had me thinking. I’d be curious to read more of Helawy’s writings, though, should more be translated into English in the future.