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An Unproductive Woman

by Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali (Goodreads Author)

4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 · rating details · 46 ratings · 19 reviews

An Unproductive Woman tells the story of family, faith, marriage, and above all else, hope.
Adam is desperate for a son, but after ten years of marriage he and his wife Asabe remain childless. Despite the obvious heartbreak this causes Asabe, Adam marries a second wife, the very young and beautiful Fatima. Double tragedy prevents the realization of Adam's hope and Asabe sta...more

Paperback, 296 pages

Published September 18th 2008 by Xlibris Corporation

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Mar 19, 2012 Melanie Adkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Asabe was married to the man she loved, Adam. She never wanted to be married to any other man. The only thing missing from their happy lives were children. Try as she might Asabe wasn't able to conceive. She didn't know at the time that Adam had a son by a Western woman. All she knew was Adam craved a son. Adam married twice and though he tried, he was given daughters. Asabe goes above and beyond as his first wife. She cooks, cleans, launders his clothing and keeps things running smoothly. His s...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Hilary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali did an incredible job with this novel. The characters drive the plot forward and are definitely the main focus in this novel. I formed strong opinions of the characters very early on. Adam is a complete jerk, but makes the story interesting. Asabe is such a sweet, caring and beautiful woman who just wants to give her husband Adam everything he wants, but when that isn't enough she even helps him with his other wives. Asabe tries everything to keep her husbands attention, b...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

This book is full of heartbreak and sadness. It is also full of family and love and understanding and faith. I know that this one is outside the genres that I normally post about here on Books Devoured but when I got an email from the author, I read an excerpt of the book online. There was no way I could stop after that and not know what happened next. I am so glad I made that decision.

If there was ever a woman to look up to and aspire to be like it is Asabe. She is Adams first wife and his ste...more This book is full of heartbreak and sadness. It is also full of family and love and understanding and faith. I know that this one is outside the genres that I normally post about here on Books Devoured but when I got an email from the author, I read an excerpt of the book online. There was no way I could stop after that and not know what happened next. I am so glad I made that decision.

If there was ever a woman to look up to and aspire to be like it is Asabe. She is Adams first wife and his steadfast partner in life. She loves her husband but she can not give him the one thing he wants the most, a son. I love that Asabe is written so well that even though I look up to her she is not perfect. She has some hard times in the story and she often reacts out of hurt pride just like any one else would. What makes her so amazing though is what she does next. She is not afraid to admit when she is wrong but she is also not a doormat to be walked on and mistreated. I loved Asabe.

Where Asabe’s actions are motivated by faith, her husband Adam’s actions are motivated by grief and regret. There were times in the story that I wanted to dislike Adam but I just could not. He suffers so much and does what he feels he must to take care of his family. Fatima breaks my heart from the first moment we learn about her. I cut the synopsis short this time because I think it give too much away, especially about Fatima. I urge you to read the first chapter that I linked to instead of the synopsis.

The only thing that kept me from giving this story a 5 was the end. It felt so rushed and I felt a bit cheated out of the emotions because of it. Everything else in the story was told so honestly and openly and I felt that the end was glossed over and it broke my heart. Still though, I did get closure. I just wish I had gotten more details.

I could write pages about this story but you know how I hate to give anything away that you could discover while reading. What I will say is that I think this story is a great example of how families are similar no matter their religion. Even though Adam does marry more than one woman it does not change what is important. Love, faith, communication. This family is put through some serious heartbreak and they do what any family wants to do, they get through it together. I really enjoyed my time with this family and I hope that many readers discover them.

BOTTOM LINE: An unexpected gem of a story, I loved it. (less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was just my kind of book. I have a love of books relating to other cultures like "A Thousand Splendid Suns", "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". Although these books are possibly still in a different league to this and I gave them a 5* rating being my favourite books, I still gave this a 5* rating because I loved it.

The story is about the marriage of Asabe and Adam and his hidden secret. They have been married for 10 years but have not been able to have children. Although Adam loves Asabe and...more This was just my kind of book. I have a love of books relating to other cultures like "A Thousand Splendid Suns", "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". Although these books are possibly still in a different league to this and I gave them a 5* rating being my favourite books, I still gave this a 5* rating because I loved it.

The story is about the marriage of Asabe and Adam and his hidden secret. They have been married for 10 years but have not been able to have children. Although Adam loves Asabe and said he would never take another wife, he really wants a son and heir. He therefore takes a second wife Fatima, who is just a mere child. Fatima and Asabe actually become good friends and develop a good relationship. Fatima does eventually give birth to twins, but both her and her son die and Asabe willingly brings up the daughter as her own. Still wanting a son and heir, Adam takes another wife, who he doesn't really love but comes to an "arrangement" with her father. Asabe and this wife definately do not get on, despite being friends in their childhood. I won't tell more, for fear of leaving spoilers.

I really liked Asabe, and although I found Adam somewhat weak I did feel for him. Asabe to me, was written as a strong character and I really admired her. Despite not liking the character Sauda, the third wife, I had such an amusing picture of her in my head. For those who watch the soap Eastenders in the UK, I pictured her as Kim Fox, brassy and over the top with lots of cleavage and heavily made up. That may not be how the author portrayed her but that is the image I got of her. I love a book when you can form a real picture of the characters in your head. I enjoyed reading about the culture of the polygamous wedding which is alien to a westerner.

All in all the book was descriptive, fun, full of content and well written.

This book was provided to me free of charge by the author, but this did in no way affect my opinion when reviewing the book.

For an interview with the author and a free e-book international giveaway please see my blog. http://bookalicious-traveladdict.blog...
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Jun 20, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, on-kindle, received-for-review

Where I got the book: free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Going to Smashwords, where I originally got the book, I see it's been unpublished: I hope this means that the author has pulled it for editing and re-issuing. Because it needs both. Can I hope that she's been signed by someone? Because this writer is definitely a diamond in the rough. Anyway, this review comes with the warning that it may not pertain to the version you, Dear Reader, eventually read, but to an earlie...more Where I got the book: free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Going to Smashwords, where I originally got the book, I see it's been unpublished: I hope this means that the author has pulled it for editing and re-issuing. Because it needs both. Can I hope that she's been signed by someone? Because this writer is definitely a diamond in the rough. Anyway, this review comes with the warning that it may not pertain to the version you, Dear Reader, eventually read, but to an earlier incarnation.

First, the whole issue of "good writing" vs "technically correct writing". There were many technical flaws in this novel, from structural snafus to unstable POV to incorrect word usage, but that's very common in a first-time writer who hasn't used an editor. If you hang around writing groups you'll see flawed writing that's just plain ol' bad writing and is pretty much unsalvageable, and flawed writing that's still good writing. An Unproductive Woman is in the latter category, which means that my rating knocks off a star for not using an editor (or subjecting the writing to a rigorous but encouraging writer group) but is high to indicate my overall enjoyment of the story and the author's overall abilities with the written word.

The story is gripping, if a little over-the-top and soap-operaish in places. It's set in Senegal: one of my peeves is that it took most of the book to work this out, and I would have liked more scene-setting at the outset and some more description of locales and environments. This is not only an African setting but a Muslim African setting, and Western readers may receive many small culture shocks and a less-than-flattering view of themselves. I loved that; one of the beauties of literature is this ability to challenge our ideas and worldview while emphasizing our common humanity.

I won't over-discuss the plot, as it may have changed a little when the new edition comes out. Adam and Asabe have been married for several years but remain childless. Even though Adam always promised Asabe that he would never take a second wife, he is now aging and desperate for a son (view spoiler) His desperation leads him to seek out a 14-year-old girl as his bride, and he is eventually forced by circumstances to accept a third, more difficult wife. And lots and lots of things happen in the birth, death and marriage departments...but the story is ultimately one of redemption through love, the focus of which is the long-suffering Asabe, who turns out to be far from unproductive in many senses of the word. It's a family story, and the emotions will resonate with readers who are able to stuff their own cultural prejudices under a blanket and learn something about the world outside their own experience.

Talking about learning something, I would have loved a glossary of the Arabic terms used and their religious overtones. And I was curious about which language the characters were speaking; would it have been French or an ethnic language? I see from the author's bio that she's American-born, so perhaps that explains why the only non-English terms used were generic Muslim terms (a bit like the way the Catholic church used to use Latin), but this speaks again to the need to ground the story more firmly in its setting.

I would love to see this author write about the experience of growing up Muslim in America, by the way, without sugar-coating or over-evangelizing (if I can use that term in a Muslim context) the message. I did detect a teeny bit of the "our way is better" rhetoric common to writers with strong religious views; this always runs the danger of alienating people of different faiths (Christian authors take note!), and imho the best approach is simply to paint the picture without applying labels to it. Intelligent readers will have their ideas sufficiently challenged by a clear, unadorned description of a life they don't know.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Rahime rated it 4 of 5 stars

An incredibly absorbing read. I stayed up til 2 am reading and then finished it the next morning. The story was interesting and I felt the characters were especially well-developed - I especially liked how even though Adam was a jerk, I was still able to kind of sympathize with him bc it was so clear that his actions stemmed from his own weakness and insecurity and deep down, he was ashamed himself. At least I didn't want to throw things while reading his perspective, which has happened to me wi...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Sanaa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent. Brilliant. Amazing, Capturing. This by far has been the best book I have read since returning to reading at the beginning of the year. It raised my faith, the character of Asabe the main figure in the story with all her traits made me reflect and ponder and look at myself and compare. All characters were wonderfully expressed and brought to life. Whilst reading I laughed, I cried, I got emotional, I got involved in the characters as if I knew them with my outbursts. I am amazed at the...more

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May 27, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kbr

I’m a little torn with this book. It started well, and the story is engaging. I suspect for many Western readers, some of the concepts and ideas explored in the book are alien, by Muhammed-Ali does a great job of setting these in context, and you quickly accept it.
The story is essentially about the marriage of Asabe and Adam. Asabe is unable to give Adam a child, and Adam is harbouring a secret. Adam takes another wife who later dies, leaving a daughter who Asabe raises. The story progresses and...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Alesha Escobar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, strong-heroine

This story begins with Asabe's heart-crushing confrontation with her husband: Adam wants a son, and he has grown frustrated and disappointed with her barren womb. He's taking a second wife.

Asabe doesn't leave Adam, but neither does she sit around and quietly accept his decision. It was interesting to view the dynamics of their relationship, and how the arrival of the second wife, Fatima, both altered and tested it.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how Asabe would hold up, but her strength, intelligenc...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: africa, islam, fiction

An interesting story. It was entertaining, but not realistic.

The entire focus of the book is on pregnancy, childbirth, nursing children that you didn't give birth to, emotions and relations between rival women and the one man that they all seem to think is worth fighting over, and hoping that people you have abandoned will someday come back into your life.

A lot of fairy tale wishing going on, though it is entertaining for sure. I'm not much into fiction though, so for someone who enjoys fictio...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Sheena at Hot Eats and Cool Reads rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, kindle, around-the-world, fiction, aa-and-urban

3.5 stars.

This book is a very interesting and easy read. Asabe is a great woman, and no matter what her husband does, she is loyal, and stands by his side. He decided to take on a second wife and eventually a third wife to become pregnant with a son because Asabe is not able to conceive. Not everything works as planned and alot of heartache and struggle follow with the new wives and the children they have.

I really liked this book alot overall, but the editing was definitely lacking. It did not...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book. It is well written and from just a chapter in I felt both moved by the story and like I knew the characters well. There is such diversity and dynamic relationships between characters. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

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Dec 23, 2012 Grwelch rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A culture different than my own, made this story so interesting. Although I felt as though the story was a bit slow at times, it was a poignant message of love. The main woman of this story is a true hero.

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Jan 26, 2013 Shawanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book started out very slow for me but once I really got into it, I couldn't put it down. I love reading books about other cultures and this book gave me more insight into the Muslim culture. The characters were realistic and well developed. The plot was extremely interesting and even to the end, I had no clue as to what would happen to the main characters. I easily give the book 5 stars and was terribly disappointed when it ended. I recommend this book without any reservations.

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Jan 17, 2013 Tania rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

an insight into a Muslim marriage and the heartache of not being able to conceive!

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Dec 29, 2012 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought it was avery good read. Her strength was unending,very admirable

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Nov 26, 2012 Eileen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It certain pulled me in and I felt very strong emotions throught the entire story.

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Nov 13, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Infuriating.

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Jun 03, 2013 Roy Huff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Shelves: _ebook_-own, to-read-own_fiction, genre_theme_social-issues, genre_theme_family-friendship, tag-issue_islam-culture, _ebook_kindle-freebies

May 06, 2013 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Shelves: giveaways-won, home

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About Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali

There is this running joke among my friends and family that the next time someone asks me where I am from, I will answer with the name of some distant exotic locale, such as Sumatra, or Timbuktu. I recognize that I sometimes confuse people. They see my hijab (Muslim woman’s head scarf) and Muslim garb and assume I am from a far-away difficult to pronounce country. Then they hear me speak with a di...more

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