MENA Book Club

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Did you read Once upon a Promised Land yet?

I am just starting that one today.

[~Jackie~ 30]

I think you will enjoy it.

[Tunisia216 2]

This is awesome!!!! I love books!

I just finished.. "The Attack" by Yasmina Khadra ... I'm not sure if it's been mentioned on this thread yet, but has anyone else read it? Really interesting perspective... For me it was a definite "page turner"

From Publishers Weekly

Khadra, the pseudonym of Mohammed Moulessehoul, an exiled Algerian writer celebrated for his politically themed fiction (The Swallows of Kabul), turns his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this moving novel unlikely to satisfy partisans on either side of the issue. Dr. Amin Jaafari is a man caught between two worlds; he's a Bedouin Arab surgeon struggling to integrate himself into Israeli society. The balancing act becomes impossible when the terrorist responsible for a suicide bombing that claims 20 lives, including many children, is identified as Jaafari's wife by the Israeli police. Jaafari's disbelief that his secular, loving spouse committed the atrocity is overcome when he receives a letter from her posthumously. In an effort to make sense of her decision, Jaafari plunges into the Palestinian territories to discover the forces that recruited her. Khadra, who nicely captures his hero's turmoil in trying to come to terms with the endless violence, closes on an appropriately grim note. (May)

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I haven't read that one but I'll add it to the database.

[nunyab 0]

I am reading the "Heirs of the Propet Muhammad and the roots of the sunni-Shia Schism"

I am really into it.. it's explains alot of things noone really wants to talk about.

[star_dragon 0]

Oohh!! A book club! I'm a librarian so I get excited about these things (lol)

I just read through this thread - is the book club still active??

I noticed many of you had posted that you liked The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah. He just came out with a new one earlier this year - kind of a sequel, "In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams" which I really enjoyed (I haven't read Caliph's house yet, it's on my list).

Another "morocco" favorite is an older short story collection called "Larabi's Ox: Stories of Morocco" by Tony Ardizzone.

Currently I'm reading "Year of the Elephant: a Moroccan woman's journey toward independence, and other stories" by Moroccan author Leila Abouzeid.

I have many on the "to read" list. Of course it helps that I'm in charge of ordering fiction at my library and get to see reviews and pre-pub dates well in advance. One I'm looking forward to reading is "View from Garden City: a novel" by Carolyn Baugh. It's a fiction novel that takes place in Cairo, Egypt...Here's one of the reviews:

“The View from Garden City provides a striking testament to the amazing spirit of the unseen and unheard Arab woman living in Cairo. These women, though powerless to make their own decisions, not only survive the mental, psychological, and physical abuse inflicted on them, but through their unbreakable bonds with each other, actually triumph and become the core, the essence, of their society.”---

So of course I ordered it for my library and am on the list to be the first one to read it when it comes in..

If I come across more, I'll post em. I have LOTS of resources of Arabic-related literature

[sara535 15]

I just finished reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, it was excellent. Anyone else read it?

[~Jackie~ 30]

Olivia did you like the Promised Land book?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Oh wow Star_Dragon you're more than welcome to join the Yahoo MENA Girls Book Club. It sounds like you would have a lot of good suggestions for some new fictions for us to read related to the MENA.

Another member MrsAmera "Amanda" is the owner of it and I only offered to moderate it this summer vacation to keep my mind sharp while out of school. On August 23rd the "summer book club" portion will close as I head back to school unless someone else wants to moderate it. Participation comes in goes with the interest in certain books and various peoples schedules. Mostly we all just read similar books around the same time and post our reviews. There hasn't been any indepth continued discussions or questions and answers. I think the book club could just be continued in this thread as people choose to read. However what is nice about the book club is we've already built a database of books and reviews to reference. This was built on suggestions posted in this thread from books people actually read. Also there are files full of reviews by members of the book club on books we've already covered. Anyone can add to the Database or Files.

-----------

I haven't read that one Sara.

--------------

I'm just to the part where Salwa discovers she's pregnant, Jackie.

[~Jackie~ 30]

For me...for some reason the kid on the skateboard stays in my mind.

jJ

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

The cover talks about Jassim accidentally killing someone so I'm wondering if you're hinting at that. I haven't gotten that far yet.

I really like these two names Jassim and Salwa. Salwa was one I picked out if Waleed and I had a girl. He told me it was too old fashioned of a name but here I am reading it in a contemporary book now.

[star_dragon 0]

Great I'd love to! How do I find it?

and I'd be happy to pass along info about upcoming books I come across in my review journals.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I'm posting how to join the book club in this link encase anyone wants to try to join for future reference.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the Yahoo web page.

Select Groups.

Then type in menagirlsbookclub in the group search.

Then click the request to be added and type in something identifying about yourself.

MrsAmera "Amanda" will be the one accepting members in the future as the owner for the site.

Currently this summer I have the ability to approve members being a moderator, but after this summer when I head back to school I'll just be another regular book club member.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

My review for "Once in a Promised Land"

I just finished Once in a Promised Land by Laila Halaby.

The story took me several days to read through it in chunks. I was

struck by the depth of the authors character development with the two

main characters Salwa and Jassim. Salwa was the princess of PJ's and

Jassim was an OCD avid swimmer and hydrologist. It is my belief that

the authors main focus was on the character Jassim and his interest in

water. It felt to me that she had done the most research on the part

for Jassim than any other character because the depth of information

he held concerning water played a theme throughout the book even in

the decoration of the book. The depth of which could be a slipped in

agenda of the authors on water conservation. It would make sense

because the story takes place in Arizona which is also where the

author lives.

I appreciate how the author weaves the various characters lives

together such as the skateboarding boy who Jassim had the accident

with purchased drugs from the man that Salwa had the affair with.

The pointless characters to me where Jack the wanna be FBI guy and

Hassan the forlorn young lover of Salwa's. They could have been left

out of the story. They played such a minor roll and added little

depth to the story although it was alternate avenues for readers to

venture down dead ends.

During the entire book I kept thinking to myself why doesn't Jassim

and Salwa just talk? So many of there problems could have been solved

if they had just been there for each other and communicated. However,

we wouldn't have had much of a story then would we?

The post 9/11 stuff that they faced is not unlike what I've

experienced myself through all aspects and shades that the various

characters showed. However, I don't believe that the 9/11 stuff was

the main reason that this couple drifted apart as much as it was a

complaint of theirs or the book made it sounds to be in the reviews.

The majority of the stuff that happened to this couple could have

taken place in any period of time in modern history. Infidelity and

lack of self worth are common threads in texts today and yesterday.

At times the book felt like I was reading a day time soap opera novel.

I chuckled at the part where the author mentions one of the

characters, Penny, being reminded of a soap opera just when I was thinking this book reminded me of the same thing.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I was thinking of finishing Zorha's Ladder this Winter Break. I was half way through it when the semester started and I haven't picked it up since.

Out of all the books we've read in the book club my favorite pick so far has been Saffron Kitchen. My mind goes back to the story line of them painting the kitchen saffron color and how the color ties to the roots of the daughter from Iran. Such a rich story and well told.