My review of Jerusalem Spring by Fares Aoun

Last week, I picked up a new novel that was a must read as far as I was concerned.  THe author, Fares Aoun was raised in Lebanon, where he graduated from the Lebanese University in Beirut with a degree in Fine Arts.  Already an accomplished painter and sculptor with shows at private galleries and the UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Fares has expanded his repertoire of artistic endeavors to include photography, graphic design, and writing.

His photography has been featured in local exhibitions and his subjects range from nature and wildlife to the sights and people seen during his travels.  His first book, Maximum Alaska, features the astonishing variety of flora and fauna as well as the magnificent landscapes of Alaska.  His portraits of indigenous peoples offer a rare glimpse of a disappearing way of life, a theme repeated in his work with rural farmers and laborers in the Middle East. 

Now he has written Jerusalem Spring, a thought-provoking novel about injustice and the unquenchable thirst for peace.

Fares is married with two children.  He enjoys traveling and cooking in his spare time.

Find out more about Fares at: http://faresaoun.com/FA/Fares_Aoun.html

BLURB:

Everything was going according to plan. Scott had a steady job as the prison warden in a sleepy little town in the South. He and his wife were planning to have a baby soon. He was modernizing the prison, gaining notice from his superiors, and rising through the ranks thanks to the reliability of his informant, Joe.

But one day Scott wakes up to find his world crumbling around him. Forced to reevaluate his life, Scott decides to stand up for what he believes in and embarks on a path toward redemption. He knows things are about to change. What he doesn't realize is that nothing will ever be the same again.

Pick  up your copy at:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Spring-ebook/dp/B004AYDGRG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1289363780&sr=8-6

B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Jerusalem-Spring/Fares-Aoun/e/2940011926143/?itm=1#customerReviewsTab

My review:

The 1960s were a time in the South where a man was frowned upon for his color.  Set in the 60s, Jerusalem Spring brings the reader into a world of a segregated prison bursting at the seams, and the lack of food can turn men into animals. There is a hint of compassion, people with a vision that see more than a man's race, which blends beautifully into the second section of this well-written novel.

Part II of Jerusalem Spring swiftly jerks you into the present.  The world has changed little in the Middle East, and prejudice still runs rife even in a society as advanced as ours has become.  The sadness, the hunger, and the lack of understanding so often displayed to those of another race or religion is blended eloquently into this tale.  Fares Aoun's skill as a wordsmith gives Jerusalem Spring a heart-wrenching leap from the backward mentality that still plagues the world, and makes the reader look at man in a completely new light.  Compassion, humanity, and the human soul can change a person's entire outlook.

As Fares comments–

 "My mom raised us to treat others the way we would want to be treated.  My Dad taught us to tell the truth and stand up for the weak."

Hear, Hear, Fares…your parents are very wise!

5 stars!

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