To Egypt we went, knowing we were exploring content that we were already familiar with. However, the story shared by Basma Abdel Aziz took us much closer to home than any of us would have originally thought. We had to come to terms with how easily the normalization of extremism can create a reality that was once unfathomable.

Do not be fooled by this mere 6 hour audiobook. Much like other shorter novels such as Animal Farm, the Lord of the Flies and even one of our more recent reads Tender is the Flesh, this shortie was not easily digestible. Instead, we were forced to witness very uncomfortable situations arise amid the most routine of interactions.

Was it just us or did you also cringe at the mention of "the Certificate of True Citizenship?"

this month Jaimie and Tiah review a book that touches on an already complex topic with new understandings that reveal even more complexity. genuinely, could it get any more…complex?

alas, this is how life is.

this book was one that reminded us exactly why we choose to read books from different countries. the perspective and experience reflected in Sara Farizan’s book is one we could have never known otherwise.

have further insights? we encourage you to reach out. we’d love to hear from you.

alrighty, so a shibboleth. [defined in this episode, but in case you’re feeling anxious and don’t wish to search it up]

as defined by Merriam-Webster:

1 a: a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning

b: a widely held belief

c: truism, platitude

2 a: a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group

b: a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others

in the context of The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat, we’re looking at definition two more than one. arguably, it could be said that both are applicable. either way, we were struck by the narrator choice and the laissez-faire attitude that she seemed to hold at the intial discussions of confrontation.

if this is different to how you see it, please, please, share away. we’d love to hear other perspectives.

regardless, we were able to discuss some insights on the current world ,the nature of history and the passage of time.

——

wellllllll, we feel pretty confident that we won't be able to beat this book in regard to tough reads. for once, we can agree with the general internet, this book is not for everyone.

was it tough to get through? yes. was it bad? absolutley not. content was challenging, but thought provoking. and extremely well handled. maybe a little too close to reality, but what dystopian literature isn't?

~as always spoilers!

——

this being the end of year number two, we are starting a second season. is this mentioned anywhere else? of course not, but it is nevertheless still fact. lol cause we said so. thanks for continuing to listen, thanks for your patience as we evolve and thanks for just being here. it helps us feel like we're not just shouting into the void.

——

Find us on our social media:

⁠instagam.com/theadhdqueens⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/theadhdqueens⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

theadhdqueens.bsky.social

or our website:

theadhdqs.gay

-- listen to us live on our radio show featured on KZUM 89.3 FM just look up ADHD Queens: Disorderly Detours or check us out on Thursdays at 6-630pm CST --

Music thanks to:

***VLOG by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/***

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US***⁠⁠⁠

so this may be the most intense conversation over the chillest book we’ve ever read. it might be easier to have opinions when the stakes are so much lower.

did we learn something? i don’t know. however, we might move to Scotland now. so there was definitely value in this book in our opinion. Thanks Jenny Colgan!

~as always spoilers!

——

this being the end of year number two, we are starting a second season. is this mentioned anywhere else? of course not, but it is nevertheless still fact. lol cause we said so. thanks for continuing to listen, thanks for your patience as we evolve and thanks for just being here. it helps us feel like we're not just shouting into the void.

——

Find us on our social media:

⁠instagam.com/theadhdqueens⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/theadhdqueens⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

theadhdqueens.bsky.social

or our website:

theadhdqs.gay

Music thanks to:

***VLOG by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/***

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US***⁠⁠⁠

with our friend sanaa, we adventure through the alphabet and Afghanistan. And even with the challenges faced by Ryan and Tiah, we reflect on much, just as Fowzia Karimi does in her storytelling.

as always, spoilers!

——

Find us on our social media:

instagam.com/theadhdqueens

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/theadhdqueens⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

theadhdqueens.bsky.social

or our website:

theadhdqs.gay

Music thanks to:

***VLOG by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/***

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US***⁠⁠⁠

to oman we went and confused we became. Jokha Alharti has a beautiful writing style and Bitter Orange Tree could be a great piece of literature to study. That being said our little adhd brains could not entirely commit ourselves to the story through our standard audiobook format. We did our best. However, with our thoughts being encouraged to float and reflect, we definitely drifted off.

as always, spoilers!

——

Find us on our social media:

instagam.com/theadhdqueens

⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/theadhdqueens⁠⁠⁠⁠

theadhdqueens.bsky.social

or our website:

theadhdqs.gay

Music thanks to:

VLOG by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US⁠⁠

so pride month is a busy time and this year proved no different, buuuuut we still made time to travel with Carlos Ruiz Zafon to 1936 Spain in the throws of the Spanish Civil War.

we were not prepared~

be sure to check out the time stamp that's being used as the title right now. (it would be such a long title if we used the direct quote instead)

as always, spoilers!

——

Find us on our social media:

instagam.com/theadhdqueens

⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/theadhdqueens⁠⁠⁠

theadhdqueens.bsky.social

or our website:

theadhdqs.gay

Music thanks to:

VLOG by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/

Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US⁠