What do you think?
Rate this book
Homeless Rats
Under the intolerable mid-day sun a troupe of Bedouins set up camp on land previously ruled by desert long-legged rats, who bury themselves in tunnels to escape the heat, snakes who lurk in the shade, wise old tortoises, wolves, and armies of ants. As the humans begin to search for food, a battle for survival begins. While the animals and humans fight, the humans also clash with a rival travelling family who have set up camp nearby. Neither hunger nor marriage succeeds in uniting the two families and their conflicting customs, but when disaster strikes in this little patch of desert it is time for everyone -humans, rats, snakes, wolves and insects - to unite as one, under the same burning sky.
203 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2011
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 9 reviews
January 12, 2022
I honestly loved reading this although the review may be up for change in the future. I will explain as I review.
"Homeless Rats" is the story of conflict between jerboa's, who have built a kingdom for themselves on abandoned land, and two groups of migrant humans who have temporarily settled there. The groups of humans are from West Libya and East Libya- both groups are fleeing starvation.
Conflict begins when the first group of humans settle and begin digging the jerboa's out of their holes and stealing their barley. When the second group of humans arrive they begin eating the jerboa's and the situation escalates. This also touches off conflict between the humans as they compete for food and argue over differences in cultural practices.
The plot is simple enough to follow. However, this story is very deliberately framed as a fable and it got me thinking about what kind of moral the author was trying to pass on to the reader. I believe he comes right out and says it through the mouth of the hedgehog and the spiny-tailed lizard- when a stronger force comes to steal a valuable resource and destroy your home, let them. If you try to retaliate in any way you and your families will be wiped out. This advice comes to late for to help the jerboa's who have already started going on suicide missions. And through all this the humans in this story barely notice the devastation to the communities they are intruding on.
I would say this book is an indictment of colonization and what happens when societies fail to communicate with each other. It is a comment on the way tragedy can unify people. It is a fascinating look at Libyan culture.
This book works on many levels. Ultimately it is so steeped in Libyan history and culture that I found myself second guessing my assumptions about it. This is what I think about the book, but I could easily change my mind after talking to someone more familiar with Libya or after reading more work by the author.
I do recommend this book. It is multifaceted, fascinating, and works on several levels.
"Homeless Rats" is the story of conflict between jerboa's, who have built a kingdom for themselves on abandoned land, and two groups of migrant humans who have temporarily settled there. The groups of humans are from West Libya and East Libya- both groups are fleeing starvation.
Conflict begins when the first group of humans settle and begin digging the jerboa's out of their holes and stealing their barley. When the second group of humans arrive they begin eating the jerboa's and the situation escalates. This also touches off conflict between the humans as they compete for food and argue over differences in cultural practices.
The plot is simple enough to follow. However, this story is very deliberately framed as a fable and it got me thinking about what kind of moral the author was trying to pass on to the reader. I believe he comes right out and says it through the mouth of the hedgehog and the spiny-tailed lizard- when a stronger force comes to steal a valuable resource and destroy your home, let them. If you try to retaliate in any way you and your families will be wiped out. This advice comes to late for to help the jerboa's who have already started going on suicide missions. And through all this the humans in this story barely notice the devastation to the communities they are intruding on.
I would say this book is an indictment of colonization and what happens when societies fail to communicate with each other. It is a comment on the way tragedy can unify people. It is a fascinating look at Libyan culture.
This book works on many levels. Ultimately it is so steeped in Libyan history and culture that I found myself second guessing my assumptions about it. This is what I think about the book, but I could easily change my mind after talking to someone more familiar with Libya or after reading more work by the author.
I do recommend this book. It is multifaceted, fascinating, and works on several levels.
July 18, 2015
Enjoyed the narrative framework of this little novel, although felt a little underwhelmed by the ending. However it was an interesting look at tribal life and customs in Libya, and the themes of ownership, abundance and harmony between social groups were very thought-provoking.
March 17, 2021
A short novel with the feel of a fable about it as we go back and forward between the human story, as a group of Bedouins seek escape from drought, and the point of view of the various animals disrupted by the humans' arrival. There is a lot packed into this slim volume, from culture clash and the tolerance of others' beliefs and values, how values and alliances can change and be tested in times of need, to humankind's impact on the natural world. I was skeptical about animal narrators but it works very well and gives this story a dimension it couldn't have otherwise. I particularly enjoyed the wise and very philosophical spiny-tailed lizard! The ending felt a little abrupt but overall an enjoyable experience.
May 18, 2020
A delightful fable about interactions between species, and between tribes within a species.
August 6, 2016
Where this book really shines is as the depiction of a micro-society, the forty of so people of Mizda. My copy says the author is from a village of the same name, though I don't whether he intends an accurate depiction of his homeplace and its people.
The villagers of Mizda, already struggling after a period of drought, come to Jandouba in the hope of harvesting the barley fields in exchange for some of the crop. Arriving on the brink of starvation, they discover the jerboas have already harvested every barley ear in every field. A lot of the book deals with the bitter struggle for insufficient resources between humans and jerboas.
But it's also very much a book about society, culture and history, especially that of the people of Mizda, individually and collectively. They clash with the second group of arrivals from Bir Hakeem over culture and resources. As a counterpoint, the author introduces the social organisation and beliefs of several species of animal.
I think the blurb for the book rather misrepresents the way it ends:
I really must have blinked and missed that part, although it is true that the situation between the groups of humans evolves somewhat. Perhaps it wouldn't be a total spoiler to say that everyone was united in their desire to avoid said disaster, but that's about it!
The downside to this book is that while its written in acceptable style, it's got a 'tell, don't show' kind of voice and no emotional depth. I had to bring my own knowledge of humans to get up much empathy for the human characters. As for the animals, their part is much less developed than the comments on this book might lead potential readers to imagine.
The villagers of Mizda, already struggling after a period of drought, come to Jandouba in the hope of harvesting the barley fields in exchange for some of the crop. Arriving on the brink of starvation, they discover the jerboas have already harvested every barley ear in every field. A lot of the book deals with the bitter struggle for insufficient resources between humans and jerboas.
But it's also very much a book about society, culture and history, especially that of the people of Mizda, individually and collectively. They clash with the second group of arrivals from Bir Hakeem over culture and resources. As a counterpoint, the author introduces the social organisation and beliefs of several species of animal.
I think the blurb for the book rather misrepresents the way it ends:
Neither hunger nor marriage succeeds in uniting the two tribes, but when disaster strikes in this little patch of desert it is time for everyone humans, rats, snakes, wolves and insects to unite as one, under the same burning sky.
I really must have blinked and missed that part, although it is true that the situation between the groups of humans evolves somewhat. Perhaps it wouldn't be a total spoiler to say that everyone was united in their desire to avoid said disaster, but that's about it!
The downside to this book is that while its written in acceptable style, it's got a 'tell, don't show' kind of voice and no emotional depth. I had to bring my own knowledge of humans to get up much empathy for the human characters. As for the animals, their part is much less developed than the comments on this book might lead potential readers to imagine.
October 7, 2015
Homeless Rats by Ahmed Fagih
Beautiful and powerful story about a group of Bedouins that is forced to leave Mizda, an oasis village in northern Libya. To avoid starvation the Sheikh leads his people to a place he had visited before, a fertile valley with big fields of barley.
After three long years of drought they could hardly believe their eyes seeing the big immense golden fields. But when the group got closer to the plants they found out to their horror that there was not one ear of barley left to be seen on the plant. No other choice, the Sheikh decides to sacrifice his most valuable and dearest possession to keep his people alive for another few more days.
Narrated not only by humans but also jerboas, dogs and insects makes this story of survival even more poignant.
But, there is a but. Why isn't there a jerboa on the book cover instead of a city rat?
Beautiful and powerful story about a group of Bedouins that is forced to leave Mizda, an oasis village in northern Libya. To avoid starvation the Sheikh leads his people to a place he had visited before, a fertile valley with big fields of barley.
After three long years of drought they could hardly believe their eyes seeing the big immense golden fields. But when the group got closer to the plants they found out to their horror that there was not one ear of barley left to be seen on the plant. No other choice, the Sheikh decides to sacrifice his most valuable and dearest possession to keep his people alive for another few more days.
Narrated not only by humans but also jerboas, dogs and insects makes this story of survival even more poignant.
But, there is a but. Why isn't there a jerboa on the book cover instead of a city rat?
October 17, 2011
I love books with animals in them. SpeciaIly with no cruelty to animals. I really liked this book. There are chapters narrated by a rat or an ant. But don't be put off, it is very well done and it is done to give you a different view of the humans that are the main narrators of this tale. The book is very well narrated in the sense that you feel for humans and animals alike.You can feel many of the human emotions depicted in this novel and when disaster comes, everyone -humans, rats, snakes, wolves and insects - unite as one, under the same burning sky.
June 7, 2011
Review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 9 reviews