Wonderful collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyable and diverse enough to keep the reader enticed throughout.

"They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories" by Sheikha Helawy is an evocative collection that delves into the lives of Bedouin women and girls in Palestine. Through 18 short stories, Helawy paints vivid portraits of life on the margins, illuminating the intricate cultural taboos and emotional landscapes that shape these women's experiences.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to juxtapose the tender innocence of youth with the often harsh realities of adult life. Young girls, on the cusp of womanhood, navigate their worlds with a mixture of curiosity and resilience. Helawy captures these moments with an authenticity that is both heartwarming and poignant, allowing readers to witness the innocence and wonder that defines their early years.

The collection also explores the defiance of societal norms through powerful characters such as the woman whose tattoo challenges sexual conventions. This story, like many others in the book, is a testament to the courage and strength of Bedouin women who assert their identities in the face of oppressive cultural expectations. Helawy's writing here is particularly striking, imbuing her characters with a sense of agency and defiance that is inspiring.

Equally compelling is the tragic narrative of a husband consumed by jealousy over his wife's teenage love, a story that underscores the destructive power of possessiveness and the enduring scars it leaves. Helawy handles such themes with sensitivity, never shying away from the darker aspects of human relationships but always with a touch of empathy that makes these characters' struggles deeply affecting.

In contrast, the story of an elderly woman's euphoric passion for football brings a delightful sense of joy and liberation. It is a refreshing reminder of the diverse and often unexpected ways in which love and passion can manifest, regardless of age or societal expectations. These lighter moments provide a necessary balance to the collection, showcasing Helawy's range as a storyteller.

The narratives in "They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories" are packed with an emotional power that lingers long after the last word. Helawy's prose is sometimes witty, sometimes harrowing, but always compelling. The translation from Arabic retains the lyrical quality of the original language, allowing the cultural richness of the stories to shine through.

Overall, this collection is a celebration of the resilience and spirit of Bedouin women and girls. It is a powerful exploration of identity, love, and defiance in the face of societal constraints. Sheikha Helawy has crafted a work that is both a poignant tribute and a stirring call to recognize the strength and humanity of those who often live on the margins. "They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories" is a must-read for anyone interested in the untold stories of women and the complex tapestry of Palestinian life.

THEY FELL LIKE STARS FROM THE SKY & OTHER STORIES is a collection of short stories by Palestinian writer Sheikha Helawy, translated by Nancy Roberts. These 18 stories explore the lives of Bedouin women and girls from the village of Dhail El E’rj, the author’s homeland from which she and all the other residents were forcibly displaced by the Israeli occupation in the 1990s. The occupation is present in these stories, but it’s not the focus; rather these stories focus on daily experiences related to womanhood, puberty, love, and grief. The book explores themes of family, freedom and identity as the characters navigate societal expectations.

Almost every story confronts patriarchy in some way and feels like a tiny rebellion. Most of these characters are determined and stubborn, and this feels like a form of rebellion, too. I loved witnessing these characters act out of spite, call out double standards, and stand up for themselves as they dealt with unwanted attention from men or clashed with family members. Desire is also a common theme—some characters long for home while others long for love, and they all long for the freedom to be themselves.

This feminist collection is bold and provides readers with a lively glimpse into Palestinian Bedouin life. As Nancy Roberts notes in her preface, the experiences of Bedouin women and girls are rarely written about, and with this book, Sheikha Helawy has created space for their stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for providing me with an e-ARC to review.

An own voices collection of short stories by a Bedouin Palestinian woman, displaced by the Israelis, writting about the life and little rebellions of women of her tribe, her culture.
Some of the stories were brilliant, some were unfortunately too short to have a considerable impact on the reader. A very interesting collection overall

Thank you NetGalley and Neem Tree Press, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion! These are powerful, beautiful, and necessary stories that are so needed, especially in this current climate we live in. It was very eye-opening to read this and see stories from Palestinian Beduoin women, voices that are often ignored and neglected by the media.

Thank you Neem Tree Press and NetGalley for this ARC. WhenI received this book I knew instantly I had gotten my hands on what can only be described as a literary gem.

Through 18 stories set in Palestine through the lens of Bedouin women - Sheikha takes us through the entire gamut of emotions, taboos, a coming of love stories, social mores, and the end of the day proving yet again, that humans however different our circumstances, or our culture and lifestyle. What drives us as human beings at the of the day, is the same thing. Humour, love, acceptance, a need to fit in, an urge to stand out- these are universal. And in her lyrical and touching way Sheikha also brings to light the daily lives, plight, and even small joys experienced by women living in a world so far away from our own, and yet in som ways not so different from ours.

A beautiful, evocative and almost lyrical read, this set of short stories is definitely that lingers for a long time.


I loved this book and will be gifting it to all my friends who love reading short stories.

I devoured this collection of eighteen short stories from Palestine—about Bedouin village life, and mostly about women—in one sitting. It declares its intention in the opening story, about a young girl who decides to cut off her traditional braid as she now goes to the local convent, and wants to conform. Her mother disapproves, but allows it (and calls her horrible names in the process). Many of the stories in the collection are about the pressures of “modernity” on traditional ways of life; but traditional ways of life are often oppressive to women, and this comes through clearly in stories like W-h-o-r-e, a hard-hitting look into the mind of a man obsessed with his sister’s chastity and his own honour, and Ali, about a husband whose jealousy appears to have led to a terrible crime.

The freedom of young women to choose their lives and futures is a recurring theme: The Day My Donkey Died, Barbed Question, The Door to the Body, All the Love I’ve Known all touch on this. They Fell Like Stars From the Sky is the beautiful heart of the book, and says almost everything the book does in a few pages: the plight of villagers in an “unrecognised” Palestinian village, the freedom of boys against the strictures on the lives of girls, and the courage of girls to change things, their pushing boundaries making a way for older women, too.

The wonderful thing is that Helawy brings not just sympathy to these stories, but also humour and nuance: women and girls as multidimensional beings. Umm Kulthum, the grandmother of the narrator of Umm Kulthum’s Intercessor, has a musical idol, and works through her shock and horror from her bed when she finds out something truly unexpected (I loved the touches of fabulism); Aunt Aisha in “God Bless Toun Field” is a football superfan, and not even her husband’s asthma is allowed to interrupt her.

Helawy brings readers into the intimate parts of these characters’ lives, into their thoughts, and the closed spaces of family and culture; but above all, she gives voice to women and girls in a culture that would keep them silent. A fantastic read, highly recommended.

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and to NetGalley for early access.

This is a pretty interesting glimpse into bedouin women’s lives. My favourite stories were Umm Kulthums Intercessor and the door to the body.
Unfortunately I realised that short stories are not really my cup of tea, since I mostly didn’t even understand the underlying meaning of the story, which disappointed me.

“There were no great books in my childhood. But there were women as great as books”

The stories are SHORT, witty and tugs at your heart. Some of them being only a couple of pages, but the writing is enough to draw you in to give each character had quite a distinctive voice.

Set in village so far from my home, but I could still see the similarities in our lives. Concerns about fitting in, rebelling against parents, being grown to enough to understanding the prying of a man’s unwanted gaze, the urge to just leave, the extra responsibilities that come with being a daughter, sister, girl. It’s all the same everywhere except with the exception of being under occupation and growing up with a war in your own homeland.

It reminds me a lot of People In My Neighbourhood. A very slice of life collection against a harsh backdrop of war and destruction.

I NEEED a physical copy so I can flip thru and look at the stunning little illustrations!!

A collection of poignant and expressive short stories exploring the experiences of Bedouin Palestinian women, inspired by the author’s own experience as one. While I can’t read Arabic myself, the translator seems to strike the right balance between making the stories’ tones accessible for international readers while still incorporating the phonetic Arabic with a direct translation so we can appreciate the emotion and double entendres within them.

Each short story focuses on an aspect of girlhood/womanhood, generally following in chronological order (but not strictly) and through both male and female perspectives. It was interesting to see how universal many aspects of the female experiences are at their core, even across very different cultures. They may vary in intensity and the way they’re rationalised, but the theme of women taking the responsibility for men’s treatment of them stays persistent. Even more interesting is how many Bedouin women maintain their vitality and own independence throughout, despite being under an incredibly patriarchal community.

I do wish there was a story (stories?) exploring Helway’s experience of transitioning away from her Bedouin village, or at least introduced this outside of ‘W-h-o-r-e’, which is told through a male perspective. ‘Soulless Cities’ introduces a woman who may be escaping to the city…then abruptly stops. Given how some of the other stories wove together, I was hoping to see something towards the end tying back to women’s experiences leaving (or returning!), but instead it felt like it came to an abrupt stop.

Overall, I enjoyed the majority of stories and would rate them individually between 3-5, most being a 4/5. Particular favourites were ‘Haifa assassinated my braid’, ‘W-h-o-r-e’, ‘Serpent’ and ‘Umm Kulthum’s Intercessor', as these explored how women perceived their experiences vs how those same women were perceived by their community.

This is a collection of 18 short stories by a Palestinian Bedouin author that were translated from Arabic. Most of the stories are about 5 pages long and about the everyday life of Bedouin women—their daily struggles, resistance against oppression, and desire for love and freedom. The stories were beautifully written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

My favorite stories:
The Door to the Body
Ali
All the Love I’ve Known
W - h - o - r - e
Pink Dress
Soulless Cities
The Day My Donkey Died

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories is a translated collection of 18 short stories by a Bedouin Palestinian author. The stories focus on the experience of women and girls thriving, surviving, fighting and simply existing. Helawy's lyrical writing meshes well with the sparseness of the stories. Most of the stories are quite short, ranging from 2- 5 pages each. They are also quite open ended.

I enjoyed this collection. Each story is embedded with the history and culture of Palestinian Bedouin women. They give glimpses into the colorful lives of average women. Although the stories were short, each character in each story had a distinctive voice. I read a short story or two in between other books. I'd recommend reading it that way to give time to soak in each story before moving on to the next.

Apart from the writing itself, each chapter had an illustration on the title page. It's a little detail that brought me joy.

They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories will be available on April 16th, 2024.

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and Netgalley for an advance reader copy of They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories.

“She’d taken a liking to the taste of rebellion. Or at least, she’d come to hate the taste of subservience.”
🇵🇸

The experiences of girlhood & womanhood are unique to one's trajectory, but these feelings & shortcomings are also universal, and Sheikha Helawy encompasses these very intimate yet universal experiences with finesse in her short stories collection "They Fell Like Stars From The Sky & Other Stories".

Translated from Arabic by Nancy Roberts & illustrated by Anna Morrison, "They Fell Like Stars..", a slim 128-page long collection with 18 short stories, celebrates the courage, resilience, triumphs & tragedies of Bedouin Palestinian women & girls.

Helawy's characters' Bedouinness is centered in her forgotten village of Dhail El E’rj (lost to the Israeli occupation in 1990) & explores the lived experiences of women & girls—their coming of age, their vibrant love for life, football & music, their resistance against patriarchy & colonial oppression, their tragedies at the hands of jealous husbands & lovers and their exploration of self, deemed taboo by the society.

"They Fell Like Stars.." is replete with prose having the tenderness & curiosity of a child, the rebellious streak of a young & the wisdom of an old; and the realities of the characters transcend their geographical borders, sharing a similarity with the lives of women globally, especially those whose voices have been suppressed at the margins.

The book left me with a mixed bag of emotions & one I would love to revisit another day.

My favorites in the collection include: 'Haifa Assassinated My Braid', 'Ali', 'All the Love I've Known', 'Umm Kulthum's Intercessor', 'The Day My Donkey Died', 'The Door to the Body' & 'God Bless Toun Field!'

Even as Helawy focuses on the humdrum of daily lives, the lurking forces of the Isræli Occupation, apartheid & the systemic oppression of Palestinians & their land loss never go unnoticed.

I cannot emphasize how important this piece of literature is, especially when Palestinian voices are being erased & censored everyday.

I knew there was Bedouin population in Palestine but I didn't have any information aside from what I learned from reading Minor Detail. That book had a different focus so my knowledge was close to zero. But these stories paint a vivid picture of what it's like to be a woman in a Bedouin community. I learned about the strict patriarchal rules that govern this society, sexual taboos, young girls' yearning for freedom and knowledge, and the ways they cope with tragedies marring their lives.

It's amazing that all the stories are 5-6 pages at most (often less) but they all feel complete and you get immersed in all of them, even in that short time. It really speaks to Sheikha Halawy's skill as a writer.

My favorite stories were Haifa Assassinated My Braid, I'll Be There, Ali, All the Love I've Known, Umm Kulthum's Intercessor, and The Door to the Body. They all illustrate very different aspects of a girl's life or how they're perceived by the men surrounding them, but I found these ones the most powerful and I keep thinking back to them. All 18 in the book were amazing though and there wasn't one I didn't enjoy. I originally didn't set out to read the book in one sitting but I kept telling myself 'just one more!' until suddenly it was over.

I warmly recommend this to anyone who wants to read more Palestinian voices (it's still as timely as ever and we shouldn't stop reading and posting these books) and to those who seek to learn more about the lives of communities not often represented.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Neem Tree Press for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book and may even be waiting for the hard copy so I can share it to friends!

This was a beautiful and poignant read. Refreshing to read the different perspectives of Bedouin women, especially with the grapple between modern concerns and old world audience and their emphasis on good behaviour. The publication date is also timely.

This is a collection of 18 short stories, all have a strong feminist voice and a will to fight the misogyny that existed in the past but even now in the present. Sometimes I wonder, how things have changed so much and yet are just the same as they were. A woman is always born to corrupt a man. L, to seduce him, to take him on an ungodly path. How world still holds this true to its chest like a talisman, clutched firmly without losing the grip.

This collection tells us about experiences of women in Palestinian Bedouin society. The author sheikha was born and brought up there, so these stories ring with the truth that is horrifyingly uncomfortable but you can't deny that as a woman you have experienced it in your life, even if at the hands of your dear ones.

1. Haifa assassinated my braid

A young girl's braid is cut because she wants to look more like a city girl than a village girl and the criticism she faces from the whole community and worse her own mother is horrifyingly brutal.

2. I'll be there

A rebellious girl and how every woman in her life, her muslim mother and her Christian teacher even though belong to different faith are trying to crush her spirit by continually bashing her for all the things she is doing.

3. They fell like stars from the sky

Story of jawahir and her girlfriends and a swing. It unsettles me how girls couldn't do simplest of things in the village in the past. It wasn't much different in India as well.

4. Pink dress

Thurraya and her dilemma to wear the dress which will show her hairy legs. But according to her mother she is old enough for other women things like periods etc but not old enough to shave her legs.

5. - Ali

Dishonor doesn’t die. Neither does the unnamed lover. He remains unnamed.

A tragic end to the love? Story told through voice of a young woman's husband.

6. Serpent
A young woman with serpent tattoos dies suddenly and she becomes a talk for all the people around her.

7. Souless cities

Doris works for livelihood of her family while her husband rests and sleeps. In the end she is so fed up with it that rather than continuing to strive she chooses to leave everything behind and fend for herself.

8. All the love I've known

“we don't have girls who fall in love.” is the motto of village of Umm al-Zeinat.

A village where love is curse, Hasna hates it and disappears in the end like most girls.

9. Umm kulthum’s intercessor

Story of a young girl an her grandmother who is obsessed with a singer.

10. A funny red Rose

A Love story lost in the time

11. Bride

a big old oak tree and stories surrounding it.

12. Whore

A brother obsessed with disgrace his sisters might bring him one day.

13. The door to the body

Selma has grown breasts and her father thinks that it invites trouble. Someone will seduce her and take advantage of her. so he wants to send her to boarding school.

14. Barbed question

The attempts to prevent her getaway are never-ending. Most of them bounce off, though some hit their mark.
A young woman who wants to live her life on her terms, forget about that it is far fetched, a young woman who wants to spend a day in her life just the way she wants is asked numerous questions by the men in her life.

15. The three paintings

What's the use of a bridal dress once the wedding is done? Would you rather keep it or turn it into a work of art?

16. The day my donkey died

"she figured serving them was more merciful than some potential marriage of her own. "
Fedwa has sacrificed much to raise her siblings after her parents died. Everyone seems to remember her only when they need her But when people see her having a "friendship" with her donkey, she is looked down upon.

17. God bless toun field

A life of a woman is full of sacrifices and compromises she has to make for “men” in her life. This story isn't any different.

18. Queens of darkness

Rather, the only quarry they know is life itself—life unadorned.

Thank you Netgalley and Neem tree press for this wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

A beautiful collection of short stories focusing on life as a woman in Palestine. It is filled with tales of growing up and love, amongst other topics. The stories themselves are all fairly short, so I was able to finish it in one day. I fell in love with Helawy's writing style; it is unique and refreshing, vulnerable and familiar. I will absolutely be reading more of her works.

"They Fell Like Stars from the Sky and Other Stories" was written by Sheikha Helawy and translated by Nancy Roberts.

I learned so much about a culture I previously had no knowledge of, which is genuinely one of my favourite aspects of reading. I am incredibly grateful to Sheikha for telling these painful and powerful stories.

I found this collection of stories incredibly accessible to read and learn from, as the storytelling is done in such a poignant and impactful way. This is even more impressive when considering how short many of the stories are, some are only one page long! Something that really stood out to me in this collection was the contradictory finality and openness of the last line of each story. I found that each last line almost told a whole story in and of itself.

I will say that I found some of the stories equally as confusing as they were intriguing, but that didn’t take away from those that made a little more sense to me. The beauty of a short story collection is that stories can ebb and flow, and every reader will find something of meaning in a varying assortment of stories.

I would recommend this book widely, but recommend checking content warnings as always, as this collection addresses a multitude of painful topics and experiences.

My favourite stories in the collection were: "I'll Be There," "The Door to the Body," "The Day My Donkey Died," and "God Bless Toun Field!"

I know that these stories and their reflections on girlhood and womanhood in a patriarchal community will definitely stick with me.

Thank you @NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for approving my request for this book’s ARC.

I have been meaning to read books by Palestinian authors from quite sometime and I am glad that I got to read this short but powerful book of 18 stories written from the perspective of women/ girls belonging to a Palestinian Bedouin village.

These are 18 stories of resilience and strength. Every story fits only a few pages but each story has such a powerful message or even if they end on a cliffhanger, they make you think.

The oppression faced by the females in a male-dominated patriarchal society and how women defy their so-called rules and restrictions was so well written. It is also about women taking matters in their hands to progress. It is also about navigating the world as one grows up. The aftermath of Israeli occupation, Nakba, and illegal settlements also make a subtle appearance.

These stories definitely leave you wanting for more as I felt with some of them that they ended abruptly. However, each story also reads like an autobiography given the author’s background.

I ended up reading this book in two days and I am happy to have read it.