Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits

Feb 27, 2012 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Laila Lalami's very fine debut (somewhat of a novel-in-stories) opens with a group of Moroccans crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in an undersized boat, risking their lives in pursuit of better circumstances in Spain - despite knowing they'll be, at best, second-class citizens there. This introductory passage illustrates the only significant bond between the four main characters, as the author goes on to tell their stories separately, studying each of their lives prior to the attempted crossing,...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, contemporary-fiction, fiction, reviewed-for-slj, young-adult-fiction

From December 2005 School Library Journal:
When is fourteen kilometers the deciding factor between hope and resignation? When it is the distance between two lives, one the actual, poverty-ridden world of modern-day Morocco, and the other the successful life of imagination. The tale opens with thirty people huddled on an inflatable lifeboat meant to hold eight, attempting to illegally cross the Strait of Gibralter from Tangier to Spain. Lalami explores the lives of four of these travelers, from th...more

like · see review

Jan 12, 2011 Jeniwren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

First time novelist Lalami has written a beautitul story that is surprisingly detailed for a slim novel of 200 pages. It begins with the crossing from Morocco by four protagonists, an abused wife, a fanatical student, a hustler and a husband seeking decent wages by way of the Strait of Gibraltar for a new life in Spain. The pilot refuses to take them all the way where they are tipped into the ocean and forced to swim only to be met by the waiting authorities as they reach the shore. It is here t...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" provides a window on a different world.

It is a finely crafted book written by a woman who takes both her literature and her homeland seriously.

You have to care about Morocco and you have to care about the plight that millions of people in the Third World endure to care about this book also - and you should.

"Hope" provides us with a insider's understanding of how countries battling with the onslaught of Western modernity - the aspirations it inflames and the...more

like · see review

Apr 23, 2009 Milan/zzz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa

First I’m very pleasantly surprised with the structure of the novel (“novel” in some lovely weird way). Namely it starts from the middle of the story, somewhere in the middle of the road between survival and life (or should I say ‘hope’?), in the middle of the night, between two continents: Africa and Europe; in the middle of the path which separates “not just two countries but two universes.”; in the boat made for eight people but which bears thirty passengers right now.
All those passengers hav...more First I’m very pleasantly surprised with the structure of the novel (“novel” in some lovely weird way). Namely it starts from the middle of the story, somewhere in the middle of the road between survival and life (or should I say ‘hope’?), in the middle of the night, between two continents: Africa and Europe; in the middle of the path which separates “not just two countries but two universes.”; in the boat made for eight people but which bears thirty passengers right now.
All those passengers have in common hope, their dream about life they couldn’t have in their motherland - Morocco.

They are approaching Spanish coast with fear in their stomach and hope in their eyes and … (I’ll avoid spoilers)… after page or two we are reaching the spot where story starts to branch (it’s like a reverse delta). Or maybe it’s even better to say that we are reaching narrowest spot on the sandglass.

Sandglass is turned over and now we are following lives of the main characters prior their journey and here the novel becomes sort of collection of short stories. And these stories are very detailed and very personal portraits of persons with different characters, professions, education, etc. which are living in the same (mainly) political/economical pot which will transform them in immigrants.

It is a very colorful picture of nowadays Morocco and clash of its traditional and modern faces. Land filled with tourists seeking for roots of Paul Bowles’s inspiration, or hashish, or some other sort of exotic adventure while muezzins are calling for prayer from minarets, with streets with girls covered with scarves and gay couples fearless sitting in the bars. We are introduced with some Islamic customs, especially in the marriage; with two completely different ways of interpretation of Qur’an: traditional as if there are no changes from the time of the Prophet and the modern one which is adapted with the current civilization level. And of course cuisine: you could feel the smell while passing through the pages mouth-watering.

However accent is on the horrifying economic situation with huge unemployment population (sometime regardless their education), extremely (and quite openly) corrupted system, from university via any sort of bureaucracy ‘till the judicial system. Indeed you have a sensation of hermetic-incurable-never-ending-no-way-out, sensation so strong that you can feel it in your throat. Sensation that is boosted with descriptions of their homes, streets, furniture, etc so that you are wondering “How on Earth they’re surviving at all?” and naturally when you’re looking with their eyes immigrate in Spain is best (if not only) solution.

Then again sandglass is turned over and now we can see how immigrants live in their new country. Of course those kinds of dreams are often nightmares but it is incredible how people can find consolation and be satisfied. I guess when you manage to leave enormous misery behind, new misery doesn’t look so unbearable. You just have to remember the ones who weren’t that lucky and who would instantly exchange their place with yours.
Naturally new life will change them but while some changes are expectable (no one would gladly accept to leave horse and ride donkey again) some changes are so drastic that I had to double check if that is the same person.

I should say that “sandglass” will be turned over more than once: to let us know why would anyone leave its own people, family, friends, customs and go in unknown land among strangers, become stranger himself (even among compatriots); to let us know how the ones who survived the trip but have not succeed in their intention are reestablish their lives in the country they wanted to leave; and to let us know about the ones whose lives have torn from the roots and are thrown on the other soil.

This is a story about their hope which helps them to stay alive. (less)

like · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: stuff-i-love, fiction

It's hard to describe this book without giving too much away, so I'll start by saying that it's terrific. Four Moroccan people attempt an illegal crossing to Spain; the book is about their reasons and the aftermath. The "Before" section sketches each person's life as it was in Morocco, and lets us see the compelling hope and desperation that fuel the decisions to leave. In "After," we find out what happened to each one.

I was left wishing for more, in a good way. Without being polemical, this boo...more

like · see review

May 06, 2013 McKenzie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits opens with a group of Moroccans attempting to cross the Strait of Gibraltar on an overloaded inflatable zodiac to find better lives and economic opportunity in Spain. In a blend of short stories and cohesive narrative, Lalami examines the lives of four of these hopeful immigrants, looking both at what drove them to make the attempt, and what happens to their lives afterwards. She touches on Western tourism to Morocco, gender relations, radical Islam, and governm...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2008 Carole rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the book that Rochester, NY reads for 2008. The subject is informative as it regards the lives of men and women struggling to survive in modern Morocco. The format of short stories describing one critical moment in the lives of four characters, then the past, and later the present is unique. The writing is stark and simple in a good way. I liked the book - I do not love it.

like 1 like · see review

Apr 23, 2009 Anna Hanson Bevens rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kate

Recommended to Anna by: L.A. Times Festival of Books

Shelves: fiction, library-book, read-in-2009

Laila Lalami is one of the authors speaking at the 2009 L.A. Times Festival of Books - that was the motivation for my picking up her book.

She gets immediate points for an evocative title. "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" is an elegant way of describing the concept of the book - an insight into four Moroccans attempting to illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain, as well as the past which brought them to this decision.

The book was well-executed, clean and spare - ultimately, that's...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Suzy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Suzy by: Susan B

For a debut, this book was pretty good. I would probably pick up something by Lalami again. The writing seemed a little stiff, but not so bad as to get in the way, and in some places it was good.
I liked the way the story was told: It begins with a clandestine trip from Morocco to Spain, and we get to know a bit about each of the characters on the boat. From there it goes to the back story of each of the characters on the boat, one by one, each very different, and each having a different reason f...more

like · see review

May 21, 2010 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, morocco

Lalani’s first novel reads like a free flowing expose of the lives of four desperate people who attempt to leave their plight in the cities of Morocco to illegally cross the Straits of Gibraltar to Spain for a better way of living. In truth they simply trade one way of living for another, but Lalani takes us through the process with beautifully written prose and creative flashbacks and flash forwards that impact our lives with those of her main characters. The common thread of human need for a b...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 26, 2013 Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent novel that tracks four different characters in their trials of trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, and what happened to them before and after. It's mainly set in Morocco, and I definitely learned a lot about culture differences. Not just my view versus the character, but also tensions within Morocco, Islam, or families. There were even a few parts that were set in Spain, and it was interesting to see that there was even the idea of Orientalism taking place between the countries ri...more

like · see review

Aug 01, 2012 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in one day, it was such an easy and engrossing read. About to visit Morocco for the first time this fall, I am reading up on the area. Without hitting the reader over the head with it, Laila Lalami paints an interesting picture of the evolution of Morocco's atmosphere from a more open-minded, liberal country to a more hard-line, fundamental one. I've read a lot about this in the last year and share the concerns of many Moroccans that their country is moving backwards, not forwar...more

like · see review

Jan 29, 2012 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: around-the-world-challenge, fiction

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami
Posted on January 29, 2012 by Suzanne

“FOURTEEN KILOMETERS. Murad has pondered that number hundreds of times in the last year, trying to decide whether the risk was worth it. Some days he told himself that the distance was nothing, a brief inconvenience, that the crossing would take as little as thirty minutes if the weather was good.”

For many Muslims living in Morocco, the idea of escape to the West is the promise of a better life: a job, the abil...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 08, 2008 Justin Matott rated it 4 of 5 stars

� Plot in a nutshell: From separate walks of life, four Moroccan main characters' stories are linked in their desperation to illegally immigrate to Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar to find better employment and better conditions for themselves and their families. The book opens with the treacherous journey in a raft, and focuses on Faten, Noura, Halima and Aziz, then moves backwards to the events that brought them there.
The story follows their lives as they struggle to make their way in a st...more

like · see review

Jun 22, 2007 Myfanwy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Laila Lalami's debut Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is an exquisitely written linked collection. I know Laila from her blog. So I know this is her first book and I know the steps she has taken to get here, but even so, as I read this book, it was difficult to believe that it was a debut. The writing, to me, seems incredibly seasoned--clean, efficient, evocative. Essentially, I forgot that this was Laila writing within the first few words and, instead, fell into the world as it was written.

Th...more Laila Lalami's debut Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is an exquisitely written linked collection. I know Laila from her blog. So I know this is her first book and I know the steps she has taken to get here, but even so, as I read this book, it was difficult to believe that it was a debut. The writing, to me, seems incredibly seasoned--clean, efficient, evocative. Essentially, I forgot that this was Laila writing within the first few words and, instead, fell into the world as it was written.

The protagonists of these stories are Moroccans looking for a different (I would say better life but I'm not sure that's true--many of them, though anxious to get across the Strait of Gibraltar, are fearful of what life on the other side will hold) life in Spain. Ironically, the one person who actually makes it without being deported back to Morocco, does so at great personal expense. She makes her living as a protitute, leaving behind her morals and beliefs. She is, essentially, lost.

My favorite character is Halima, who tries to leave Morocco in order to save herself and her children from her husband. Instead, she almost loses everything, except that her young son saves the family from drowning in the frigid waters. It is because of this that she believes he may be special, but the truth is that it is she and her enduring hope which make her the special one--the survivor, the saint.

The book ends with another favorite character, Murad, the scholar, the writer. It is from him, the storyteller, that we learn the essence of this book:
His father started every story with "Kan, ya ma kan," "Once there was and there was not." The timeless opening line was fitting, it seemed to him, to the state he found himself in now, unable to ascertain whether the tales he remembered were real or figments of his imagination.
It is that sense of rebirth, creation, crawling from the water into a new world that proves itself unreal, only to be sent back and to begin again--to forget and to remember, but to always be present and to always hope, no matter what the consequences. And what we learn is that this book is not only about Moroccans looking to escape to a different life, but about all of us who have hopes, who wish to overcome. It is universal.

A beautiful debut. Read it.
(less)

like · see review

Jun 22, 2007 Myfanwy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Laila Lalami's debut Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is an exquisitely written linked collection. I know Laila from her blog. So I know this is her first book and I know the steps she has taken to get here, but even so, as I read this book, it was difficult to believe that it was a debut. The writing, to me, seems incredibly seasoned--clean, efficient, evocative. Essentially, I forgot that this was Laila writing within the first few words and, instead, fell into the world as it was written.

Th...more Laila Lalami's debut Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is an exquisitely written linked collection. I know Laila from her blog. So I know this is her first book and I know the steps she has taken to get here, but even so, as I read this book, it was difficult to believe that it was a debut. The writing, to me, seems incredibly seasoned--clean, efficient, evocative. Essentially, I forgot that this was Laila writing within the first few words and, instead, fell into the world as it was written.

The protagonists of these stories are Moroccans looking for a different (I would say better life but I'm not sure that's true--many of them, though anxious to get across the Strait of Gibraltar, are fearful of what life on the other side will hold) life in Spain. Ironically, the one person who actually makes it without being deported back to Morocco, does so at great personal expense. She makes her living as a protitute, leaving behind her morals and beliefs. She is, essentially, lost.

My favorite character is Halima, who tries to leave Morocco in order to save herself and her children from her husband. Instead, she almost loses everything, except that her young son saves the family from drowning in the frigid waters. It is because of this that she believes he may be special, but the truth is that it is she and her enduring hope which make her the special one--the survivor, the saint.

The book ends with another favorite character, Murad, the scholar, the writer. It is from him, the storyteller, that we learn the essence of this book:
His father started every story with "Kan, ya ma kan," "Once there was and there was not." The timeless opening line was fitting, it seemed to him, to the state he found himself in now, unable to ascertain whether the tales he remembered were real or figments of his imagination.
It is that sense of rebirth, creation, crawling from the water into a new world that proves itself unreal, only to be sent back and to begin again--to forget and to remember, but to always be present and to always hope, no matter what the consequences. And what we learn is that this book is not only about Moroccans looking to escape to a different life, but about all of us who have hopes, who wish to overcome. It is universal.

A beautiful debut. Read it.
(less)

like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Mona rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century-lit, literature, morocco

This book narrates the struggles of four Moroccans who attempt the 14-kilometer journey across the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain.

I like the way Lalami structured her book, providing glimpses of each person's story both before and after the crossing. I also liked that even though there was variety in the characters' backgrounds and experiences, there were a few overall themes - traditional and/or religious values clashing with modern ones, political corruption, economic social strata, unemploym...more

like · see review

Apr 10, 2009 Stuart rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a pure joy to read. It is listed as a collection of short stories — and that it is — however, the stories are all related. Among a group of people fleeing Morocco to Spain in a small boat are four unrelated Muslims whose lives are briefly intertwined during the journey. By introducing her cast of characters in this manner, I deeply cared about them — who they were, where did they come from, what happened to them... and Laila does not disappoint. Highly recommended!

like · see review

Jul 27, 2007 eloise rated it 5 of 5 stars

clearly it was amazing because morocco is still a fresh experience in my recent history. but beyond that obvious bias, this is a finely-crafted book that tells the stories of several moroccans as they struggle with unemployment and less-than-brilliant futures at home and as immigrants (starting out as illegals). it contains just enough "moroccan-isms" to make it "authentic" (the author was born in morocco, now lives in the US)... and the fact that i understood the few arabic words or moroccan re...more

like · see review

Jun 03, 2007 arafat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

During, Before, and After. The core episode is an illegal attempt to cross a border, the Strait of Gibraltar, on a small boat. The book is a glimpse into the lives of ordinary Moroccans: a mother of three trying to escape an abusive, alcoholic husband; an unemployed college graduate trying to make a living as one of countless unsolicited tour guides on the streets of Tangiers; a smart, rebellious daughter who adopts the hijab against the wishes of her father, a corrupt government official; a fai...more

like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Karis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this as one of my required readings for going abroad to Morocco this upcoming semester. A nice look at several different stories/issues facing Moroccans. The writing is descriptive, but not flowery, which is appreciated as I have been trying to find a good characterization of every day life that doesn't come from a guide book. Quick read too! I recommend.

like · see review

May 11, 2009 D.B. Pacini rated it 5 of 5 stars

I recently received HOPE AND OTHER DANGEROUS PURSUITS by Laila Lalami as a gift. Lalami shares modern Morocco though interconnecting profiles and the compelling journeys of her characters will intrigue and draw you to them. These fictional characters are very much alive. This remarkable book is a beautiful gift to receive.

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Surbhi Ahluwalia rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://surbhireads.blogspot.in/2012/0...

"Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" by Laila Lalami provides a view on a different world. This book narrates the struggles of four Moroccans who attempt the 14-kilometer journey across the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain, to find better employment and better conditions for themselves and their families. I like the way Lalami structured her book, providing glimpses of each person's story both before and after the crossing.

The book opens with the treacherous...more

like · see review

Jan 29, 2008 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Around spring time of last year (2007) I went through all of the Arab fiction I could stand to read at once. I locked myself in my apartment in Boston at night and read and read and read until I couldn't read any more. The thing about fiction from the Middle East and Northern Africa is that it is unfailingly depressing as hell and even when the stories end well (though never happy) there is still an overall sense of impending doom.

These are short vingettes of migrants trying to make it from Nort...more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Steven Salaita rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an interesting, though unspectacular, examination of migration from Africa to Europe (along with a host of other issues of import to North Africa, Morocco especially). It is billed as a short story collection, but there's a cohesiveness that would allow one to read it as a novel.

like · see review

Oct 21, 2010 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anyone who has ever traveled to and found something special about Morocco would enjoy this book. I wasn't overly impressed by the way some of the stories were crafted--I found some endings surprisingly simplistic and some stories didactic or plodding--but I still enjoyed the collection.

like · see review

Jul 26, 2009 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though set in Morocco, not Mexico, and the body of water crossed is the Mediterranean, not the Rio Grande, the stories of the desperate immigrants told in this book are eerily similar to those of many new Texans. The writing is lovely and the stories are captivating.

like · see review

May 08, 2010 Jes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: political

I love the way the stories interweave in this book. It's fantastic read, especially if you like seeing things from a different point of view. You have to be able to keep up with stories that start up, leave off, and start up again. Being an avid Stephen King reader, I can do this. Simple, yet powerful and amazing.

like 1 like · see review

Sep 26, 2012 Eileen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book doesn't hang together as a novel, it's more like a look into the lives of several people who all end up on the same boat, trying to emigrate to Spain illegally. Characters are well defined and engaging. Worth looking for another book by this author.

like · see review

title link	preview: Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits
avg rating	preview: Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits Goodreads rating: 3.65 (564 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1250814.Hope_Other_Dangerous_Pursuits?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348270440l/1250814.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1250814.Hope_Other_Dangerous_Pursuits?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami[/url]

Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Laila Lalami

Books by Laila Lalami

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Hope & Other Dang...