Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Beauty of Your Face

By: Sahar Mustafah
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq, Michael Braun
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2020 by Marie Claire, Bustle, Real Simple, and Literary Hub

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, an emotionally rich novel that encourages us to reflect on our shared humanity. If others take the time to really see us, to look into our face, they will find something indelibly familiar, something achingly beautiful gazing back.

©2020 Sahar Mustafah (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Beauty of Your Face

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    91
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    94
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    75
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This story touched on everything from xenophobia to family dysfunction. I loved how it showed through spiritual rebirth a person’s life can be turned around.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jumping timeline was great and heartbreaking and exciting all at the same time!

Loved putting all the pieces together of this women’s life. Every book I read gives me a greater understanding of the people of Palestine and why they choose the paths they do. I have great respect for you!! 🙏

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Read

Well written and timely.It takes the reader on a journey of self discovery and self acceptance with honesty and heart.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Take a chance on something different !

I really enjoyed this book. It is out of my usual genre so I wasn’t sure ... it was so worth it. The way the story is told is captivating. It takes you on a journey and you begin to really care for Afaf. This is definitely not a typical school shooter story and the way the story flips back and forth from past to present revealing more and more about the characters... it just pulls you in. Great book from start to finish!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A mostly satisfying tale of faith, tragedy and family

I was lucky in that I came into this novel not knowing much about it other than it was a story about a Palestinian-American family (told mostly from the perspective of one of the daughters), and that there was a school shooting. I’m glad that I hadn’t read many reviews before listening, as many of them give away some major plot points that the writer gracefully builds toward.

However, I couldn’t help but feel that had I read those reviews beforehand, I may have been disappointed overall in the story. Mustafah is an excellent storyteller, but the strength of the writing itself doesn’t save what is sometimes a predictable and trite plot.

That aside, I still found myself highly engrossed by the story of Afaf and her family as they navigate pre- and post-9/11 America. Afaf is an excellent narrator and I became invested in her journey. While I had issues with how she eventually comes to rediscover her Muslim faith (that is, like most of her catharses, it comes about because of or out of duty to the men in her life), her experience is one that is relatable no matter the reader’s religion.

Both narrators of the audiobook did an excellent job (one for Afaf’s story, the other for the chapters about the school shooter), and I think this is an excellent choice for an Audible download. It’s one of the better narrations I’ve heard in a while and would seek out other books narrated by Lameece Isaaq.

Predictability and problema aside, this is an extremely impressive and assured sophomore novel from Mustafah, and I look forward to reading her next one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful emotional read

wow, so much going on. very heart wrenching journey though this story. very emotional story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Best narrated book I’ve listened to

The narrator quickly whisks you away into this incredible story of a family. One of my favorite books I’ve listened to this year.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An Important Cultural Lesson

This novel is a beautiful story of a Pakistani-American woman navigating life as her family deals with multiple life changes. She learns to find her true self and works as a principal of a school for Muslim girls. There, she faces another life-changing event.
I loved learning about a culture that I was not familiar with. This books gives a good lesson on the impact of racial stereotypes as well. It’s an important read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful read!

This book masterfully addresses the danger of stereotypes with reminders that people are people when it comes to pain, love, faith, and family. Everyone should read this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating from the very beginning

I love a book that can transport you and make you feel as if you’re there . The Beauty Of Your Face did this for me , the very first chapter pulled me in and after that I couldn’t stop listening, Which is why I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!