Reviews

• “Captivating and important about honour oppression […] Ali writes straightforward and accessibly and it’s clear that the book is aimed at a young audience. That doesn’t stop a full-grown person like the undersigned from devouring it in one sitting. ”

• “It is touching and at the same time factual and should be read by everyone between the ages of 13 and death. ”

• “It shows that people can change, and that to fight honor oppression, it is crucial to understand how it happens. Yet that is neither the most important nor the strongest lesson to be learnt from Ali’s book. […] Instead, it is this: those who live under honor oppression are not alone in their experiences. Understanding that can be decisive for daring and wanting to raise the alarm about one’s situation. ”

• “A heart rendering and important story about the everyday hell it means to live in an honourary oppressive culture. /…/ With a journalistic and objective distance, she balances the autobiographical elements through facts and interviews. She gives the reader a broad and multifaceted picture of cultural clashes, integration, issues of responsibility and honourary oppression, but also love. This is a harrowing and pressing story that everyone should read in order to understand the complexity of the culture of honour. ”

• “Elaf Ali (…) writes strongly and bravely autobiographically about an upbringing with honor oppression and the struggle to come to terms with both her and her parents’ world view and history. ”

• “Elaf Ali has written a very ambitious novel that depicts the most intimate moments of shame and fear as a consequence of the conditions she previously lived under. ”

• “Whoever Said Anything About Love is probably the most important book of the year, it depicts the oppression of honor from within. ”

• “A straightforward, well-written and important book, genuinely. ”

• “For those seeking a gripping read I can warmly recommend the highly well-written and informative autobiography by Elaf Ali: Who Said Anything About Love? ”

• “Elaf Ali’s story is a heart-wrenching page-turner. /…/ The book is straightforwardly and resolutely told. The language is skillful and easy to read, rhapsodically marching forward. /…/ A book that can become life-changing for many young people. ”

• “Bit by bit, [our protagonist] fights her way towards self-determination, and the battle to still be able to maintain the relationship with her loved ones is both brutally, delicately and vividly depicted.”