Breaking Vases: Shattering Limitations & Daring to Thrive is a memoir by Dima Ghawi.
 | |
| Author | Dima Ghawi |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Dima Ghawi |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
Publication date | 2018 |
| Pages | 232 |
| Awards | 2018 Writer’s Digest Grand Prize Winner, Best Indie Book Awards Winner, Reader's Favorite Book Award Winner, National Indie Excellence Awards Winner, Nautilus Book Awards Winner, Forward Indie’s Award Winner, Independent Press Award Winner, New York City Big Book Award Winner, Book Excellence Award Winner, International Book Award Winner, and The Ian Book of The Year Award Winner. |
| ISBN | 978-0997809350 |
| Website | https://www.breakingvases.com |
Overview
editGrowing up in a small Christian community in Jordan, Dima Ghawi was taught to be quiet and subservient to her elders and men, values ingrained my her conservative upbringing. At the age of five, Dima’s beloved grandmother cautioned the young girl that a woman’s main responsibility was to preserve her image — something as fragile as a glass vase — as well as the honor of her family’s reputation. Anything less would be shameful. However, Dima’s grandmother also planted a seed: the hope that Dima could attend a formal university and become the first college-educated woman in her family.
At nineteen, struggling to free herself from cultural constraints and her father’s temper, Dima entered a traditional engagement with an older, affluent, and seemingly Western-minded jeweler. Newly married, she eagerly uprooted her life in Jordan and moved with him to San Diego.
However, California’s “Little Middle East” was a jarring contrast to her American Dream. To Dima’s surprise, her husband was much more traditional and controlling than she had imagined. Escaping these circumstances would be dangerous and require more courage than Dima had ever known before. Regardless, she was determined to transform her own destiny, even if it meant standing alone and facing life-threatening consequences.
Reception
editShortly after publication, Breaking Vases was recognized as the 2018 Writer’s Digest Grand Prize Winner,[1] a Best Indie Book Award Winner,[2] Readers' Favorite Book Award Winner,[3] National Indie Excellence Awards Winner,[4] and a Nautilus Book Awards Winner.[5]
William Carmichael of HRProfessionalsMagazine described Breaking Vases as “a captivating story about self-discovery, leadership, how education transcends all boundaries, and rising above the painful shards of internal and external limitations,” further praising the memoir’s insight into patriarchal oppression around the world.[6]
References
edit- ^ Moss, Tyler. "Interview with Dima Ghawi: WD's 26th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winner". Writer's Digest.
- ^ "Best Indie Book Award Winners". Best Indie Book Award.
- ^ Reyes, Justine. "Book Review Breaking Vases Book Award Winner". Readers' Favorite.
- ^ "12th Annual Indie Excellence Award Winners". National Indie Excellence Awards.
- ^ "NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS ~ 2018 Season ~ Award Winners" (PDF).
- ^ Carmichael, William (2024-08-01). "Book Look Breaking Vases: Shattering Limitations & Daring to Thrive". HRProfessionalsMagazine. Retrieved 2024-08-15.