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64th out of 215 books
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28 voters
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A Map of Home
by
Randa Jarrar (Goodreads Author)
Nidali, the rebellious daughter of an Egyptian-Greek mother and a Palestinian father, narrates the story of her childhood in Kuwait, her teenage years in Egypt (to where she and her family fled the 1990 Iraqi invasion), and her family's last flight to Texas. Nidali mixes humor with a sharp, loving portrait of an eccentric middle-class family, and this perspective keeps her...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
September 2nd 2008
by Other Press
(first published January 1st 2008)
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I REALLY enjoyed this book. It is HONEST and RAW and RIPE. Love the expletives the characters use like:
"May the caves they live in be their eternal dwellings!"
"Sons of Whores!"
and some other good ones that I am too embarrassed to write.
The dialogue is like bullets flying:
When 12 year old Nidali (the narrator of this story)asks her mother for another glass of water, her mother replies,"Drink your spit."
When the family is forced t...more
"May the caves they live in be their eternal dwellings!"
"Sons of Whores!"
and some other good ones that I am too embarrassed to write.
The dialogue is like bullets flying:
When 12 year old Nidali (the narrator of this story)asks her mother for another glass of water, her mother replies,"Drink your spit."
When the family is forced t...more
view all 4 comments
This book tells the story of a girl, Nidali, growing up in Kuwait during the time before and during the Iraqi invasion, eventually fleeing to Egypt and the US. This book was just okay for me. I felt sometimes that the writing seemed a little forced. I've generally appreciated the perspective of coming of age stories, when stories are told from the point of view of a young person, however I didn't really enjoy it in this book. I think its because the narrator is so spunky and strong and inde...more
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
(UPDATE, DECEMBER 2008: I heard today from this book's author, Randa Jarrar, who wanted to make a clarification: that not all of her three college degrees are related to writing, but rather with one being in Middle Eastern Studies and a second in the general Liberal Arts. My apologies for ...more
(UPDATE, DECEMBER 2008: I heard today from this book's author, Randa Jarrar, who wanted to make a clarification: that not all of her three college degrees are related to writing, but rather with one being in Middle Eastern Studies and a second in the general Liberal Arts. My apologies for ...more
The figurative language and images in this novel are simply breathtaking. There are so many creative surprises and literary pleasure along the way--switching to a second person voice in one chapter, incorporating hilarious compositions in another, referring to Hemingway's story "Hills Like White Elephants" with the title of Chapter Eight, "Tanks Like Green Elephants." The turn of each page brought some other delightful twist.
The characters in "A Map of Ho...more
The characters in "A Map of Ho...more
I love this book. It is a great example, along with Junot Diaz’s writing, of how the voice of a narrator can make you fall in love with a character and what she might have to say before the story really even begins. It is a bildungsroman, starring Nidali, a spunky charismatic firecracker of a girl, who is born in Chicago, grows up in Kuwait and then after war displaces her, moves to Egypt, and then after more difficulties moves to Texas.
I can’t tell you how many times this book had...more
I can’t tell you how many times this book had...more
After reading C(h)ristine's glowing review of this book, I feel like a grinch for having given it only two stars, but I am going to stand by my rating.
First, the good stuff: this book is a female coming-of-age novel (a genre I'm especially interested in, though maybe my special interest leads me to be unfairly extra-demanding of them), is definitely competently written, and it maintains a pretty standard tone throughout; that is, there aren't any wildly bad parts or ill-conceived cha...more
First, the good stuff: this book is a female coming-of-age novel (a genre I'm especially interested in, though maybe my special interest leads me to be unfairly extra-demanding of them), is definitely competently written, and it maintains a pretty standard tone throughout; that is, there aren't any wildly bad parts or ill-conceived cha...more
The most significant thing about this book is that it made me miss Jordan. The character in the novel talked about how her favorite food was za'ater burgers. My favorite thing to eat was "za'ater pizza." All za'ater is is a mixture of thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds, and salt, but for some reason, that combination on a piece of flatbread with a little crumbly goat cheese is a delicious flavor. It's a comfort food I had forgotten.
Nidali is half Egyptian and half...more
Nidali is half Egyptian and half...more
Kat Bryan
added it
I read this thinking it was a true story – I don’t know why. And thinking it was real, I didn’t like how the author wrote about her life. Now that I’m done and realize that it IS a novel, I still don’t like the story very much but I did find it very interesting. The tone of the book was somewhat juvenile like a young girl really was telling the story. It does do a good job of portraying life in the Arabic countries, putting a fresh spin on the life of a young girl there.
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Meaghan
rated it
This is a fairly typical coming-of-age story, beginning with the birth of the narrator, Nidali, and ending when she goes away to college. The most atypical thing about it is the unusual setting and the characters' unusual national/ethnic origin. Nidali was an Arab girl born in Boston, raised in Kuwait, where her younger brother was born. Her father was Palestinian and her mother Greek/Egyptian. After the 1991 invasion of Kuwait, the family fled to Egypt, then moved to America when they realized ...more
Nidali has an American passport, since she was born in Boston. Her Mama is Egyptian and Greek, her father is Palestinian, making Nidali "half-and-half." Growing up in Kuwait, she never quite feels at home - she has her friends, but she is on a different wavelength. She is a smart girl, but it's never quite enough for her father, a man who expects her to become a famous professor. While the story of her parents' courtship is one she remembers, somehow, with fondness, Nidali now deals wi...more
This is Randa Jarrar's first novel and it left me wondering what her second would be like...because this one packed a WHOLE LOT of major themes into 190 pages. It was as if she just had SO MANY stories to tell that they all burst out at once. They are very good stories, very well told, but I think the book would have been better if she had tightened her focus.
The narrator is young Nidali (her name means "My Struggle" and the story of how she got it is the main reason I re...more
The narrator is young Nidali (her name means "My Struggle" and the story of how she got it is the main reason I re...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm sure everyone on the bus was wondering why I laughed out loud so much. It's a riotous story of a rebellious teenage girl- following her from Kuwait to Egypt to Texas. Yet another great coming of age story. The interactions between Nidali and her parents are priceless. I did get a little tired of the abusive dad, but still well worth a read. Look forward to more from this emerging author.
The coming of age novel is a traditional and logical starting point for any aspiring novelist. In this time of many books and fewer readers, the challenge is to create a unique voice which can be heard above the din. In Randa Jarrar's debut, "A Map of Home," we find a voice which rises above the din to give us a modern and insightful look at how more young people come of age. Jarrar's own international upbringing lends support to her creation of Nidali, born in Boston to a Palestinian ...more
"Rare is the book that makes one stay up to finish it; this is one of them, simultaneously circling in its family dramas and
spiralling outwards in its connections to history and place. Adult and teen readers alike would enjoy Nidali’s honest portrayal..." (Bookbrowse.com review).
Author interview.
spiralling outwards in its connections to history and place. Adult and teen readers alike would enjoy Nidali’s honest portrayal..." (Bookbrowse.com review).
Author interview.
Sarah Stumpf
added it
I adored this book. It was a moving, gripping, and phenomenal tale of growing up as a bisexual woman in the middle east and the description was so rich and gorgeous that I was loathe to see it end. The main character was wonderful, and her struggles were so interesting and relatable. The themes of identity and belonging transcend cultures and make me excited for the next offering by this author.
The only bad part was the last 50 pages. Once they move to America, the writing style lost its gor...more
The only bad part was the last 50 pages. Once they move to America, the writing style lost its gor...more
Sandy D.
rated it
I've read a lot of memoirs about the Middle East, but this one was unique. The author's humor, her incredible use of language (including bad language!), and her ambition and love for life really made reading it a joy. I hope she writes a lot more books.
A raw tale of transplantation and the development of identity. This book adds little new to the writings on immigrants (such as that by Jhumpa Lahiri) but is one of the first of these sorts of novels aimed at young adults. The emotional range of the book is vivid and cultivates emotions that strongly mimic adolescence. The protagonist is endearing and familiar and her journey from Kuwait to Egypt to America is riveting and mostly hilarious. Fair warning though, the tone can be shaky as intense a...more
Now this was a good time. I'd read a bit about the author and the book at maudnewton.com, and it sounded like just the thing I needed--funny, vibrant, poignant, and otherwise just delicious. I loved Jarrar's style and wit.
Interesting and quick read about a girl, Nidali, born in Boston to a Egyptian-Greek mother and a Palestinian father. They move shortly thereafter to Kuwait and are driven out by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait when Nidali is 13. They flee to the family's summer home in Egypt then move to America (Texas)when Nidali is 14. All this serves as a backdrop to the real story which is the childhood and coming-of-age perspective of Nidali herself---we hear of the quirky interactions amongst the family me...more
Growing up in Kuwait, Egypt and Texas, Nidali is never sure exactly where she belongs as a smart, female, Muslim, part Palestinian, Greek and Egyptian immigrant. Forced to flee Kuwait during the first Gulf War, 14-year old Nidali and her piano playing mother and poet/architect father seek to start a new life in Egypt. But the lack of employment opportunities drives them to immigrate to the United States. In a perfectly pitched voice, Nidali chronicles her family's odyssey with passion and a caus...more
This was a coming of age tale about a girl named Nidali who grows up in Kuwait, but has to move with her family to the United States after the Iraqi invasion. The metaphors and imagery of the setting used by the author were intriguing. The story starting with a young narrator in another country gave it a unique point of view. I was able to imagine how kids in another country (Kuwait) like to spend their free time and what kinds of games they play. Family relationships were also interesting to re...more
This was quite an amusing tale although at times, I wondered how it was possible for such a young child to be so witty. I'm not a big fan of authors using children to make their points about life because it never seems convincing to me. But maybe I just didn't know many witty children growing up. Not only is Nidali witty but she's also very observant. She notices things about her parents and other relatives that I had a hard time believing she noticed. It don't bother me too much once I really g...more
This is a beautifully written first novel. The first-person narration is carefully crafted--a convincing voice of a young woman growing up with a foot in (at least) two worlds. I appreciated, too, the chance to learn something about Kuwait, especially during the time of the first Gulf War, and get a glimpse of what ordinary Kuwaitis might have thought about the U.S. at that time. The complexity of the characters' views of America rang true for me--the U.S. was simultaneously savior and oppressor...more
I felt this book was uneven. The parts that were good, were really, really good, but there were parts that just weren't as interesting or convincing. I really enjoyed the main character's voice and reading about her life in Kuwait. Of particular interest to me was the section in which the family had to escape due to the Gulf War. I also liked the depiction of the narrator's sexual awakening and sexuality. Still, I felt somewhat dissatisfied with this book.
The cultural details were qu...more
The cultural details were qu...more
I picked this up one Saturday morning to read over breakfast, and ended up being completely blown away. It's the story of a family who lives in Kuwait and has to move a number of times, with the plot mainly following their daughter as she grows up. The author has such a strong literary voice; I must have dogeared every other page for the first fifty or so. The details are great, the characters are interesting - I highly recommend it. The only thing that did let me down a little bit - the rea...more
This book is a very post-modern type of émigré literature that I adore. The tale of Palestinian-Egyptian living in Kuwait and having to evacuate during the Gulf War. I love this type of writing. I was entertained the entire book and read rather quickly. The store is nice. It is a coming of age tale told from a girl who eventually ends up in the United States (Texas I believe). It also explores the theme of the family dilemma, how we love our family's even if we disagree with how they raise or tr...more
I'm not even sure how I found this book, but it was a good find. Very readable story about a Palestinian (among other things) living in Kuwait and dealing with the insanity of adolescence, family craziness, and eventually the upheaval caused by war.
The main character is likable, even when she's an aggravating and smart-mouthing teenager. In general, the characters feel like a vehicle to describe a place and time, but all of them end up interesting enough to make it worth it anyway. T...more
The main character is likable, even when she's an aggravating and smart-mouthing teenager. In general, the characters feel like a vehicle to describe a place and time, but all of them end up interesting enough to make it worth it anyway. T...more
Shellie (Layers of Thought)
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who want to understand Middle Eastern culture
In this wonderful, humorous, and powerful story - Nidali is a strong teen caught between self discovery, and the constraints of war within a culture where women are subjected to very confining roles. The story opens with her “Baba” hoping for a the birth of a boy, due to his awareness of the difficulties facing women in Kuwait. In doing so he accidently names her Nidal. When realizing she is a girl, he adds an i creating Nidali, the narrator’s name.
Born in America from a...more
So many childhoods in the Middle East have been interrupted by war, and yet children--and teenagers even more so--go on growing, enveloped in their own angst, particularly within the middle and upper classes. This novel captures a girl that embodies so many of the conflicts of her time-Palestine, Iraq, Eygpt, Kuwait--and yet battles the conflicts of her family, her hormones, and her dreams with endless energy and conviction. In this novel, multiculturalism born of necessity leads to the the cr...more
Nidali Ammar, born in America to a Greek/Egyptian mother and a Palestinian father, spends her childhood in flux between Kuwait, Palestine, Egypt, and Texas. A Map of Home chronicles her childhood from birth to departure to college, and has such a biographical feel that I was unsurprised to find that first-time author Randa Jarrar is also the daughter of a Greek/Egyptian mother and a Palestinian father who spent her youth moving from country to country. Jarrar set out to write a book that would r...more
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Randa Jarrar is the author of the critically acclaimed novel A Map of Home, which won a Hopwood Award, an Arab-American Book Award, and was named one of the best novels of 2008 by the Barnes and Noble Review. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Five Chapters, The Oxford American, Salon, The New York Times Magazine, Guernica, Utne, and the Progressive, and she is a member of Beirut39, which cele...more
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