What do readers think of In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa? Write your own review.

Khaled Khalifa, author of In Praise of Hatred contends—in the book's forward written by Robin Yassin-Kassab—that he does not want us to read his book because he is an oppressed writer; rather, he asks that we read it because we are interested in the story and because we enjoy it.

First, I am interested in Middle Eastern life, religion, history, and politics while admitting that my understanding here is fragmented and woefully naïve. In all honesty, Khalifa's book served to increase my confusion, especially concerning the events leading up to and during Aleppo's war between Islamist rebels and the Mukhabarat and how this event fit into a larger framework.

Second, some men can write stories in a female voice; others cannot. I would put Khalifa in the later group. The unnamed narrator's lustful obsessions, for example, were not thoughts I would attribute to a woman's worldview. Therefore, I did not find the book enjoyable.