Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait

by Yvonne Wakefield

From the back cover:
Artist and arts educator Yvonne Wakefield leaves a secure career and home life in the Pacific Northwest, so opposite to the climate and landscape she finds when she moves to the little desert state of Kuwait. For six years she will teach art there, to university aged Muslim women, and negotiate tribal and misogynistic land mines set by detractors who are threatened by anyone, especially a spirited American woman, who encourages freedom of expression. More than a good read, Suitcase Filled with Nails is filled with insights on working, living, and coping in a culture that transcends prevalent Middle East stereotypes.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, International

271 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2011

About the author

At age eighteen in 1974, Yvonne Pepin set out to build a home from trees on eighty acres she bought on an Oregon mountainside. Almost five decades later, the cabin and Yvonne have weathered the years, and both continue to stand seasoned and proud. Babe in the Woods: Building a Life One Log at a Time is the first in a three-book series about this time in the wilderness. Babe in the Woods: Self Portrait and Babe in the the Woods: Path of Totality continue the story about her life in this wilderness cabin.
Between making and marketing art and piecing together a living as a freelance writer and arts educator, Yvonne spends weeks and months alone at the log cabin. She leaves behind overpopulated landscapes branching out of glass, metal, and electricity. Here time is measured by the juniper’s lengthening shadows, the ever-rushing creek, the changing seasons, and finding the prize of one’s self between the spaces.
Yvonne Wakefield, also known as Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield, is a Pacific Northwest artist and author of Suitcase Filled with Nails: Lessons Learned from Teaching Art in Kuwait. Visit her website at yvonnepepinwakefield.com and on Facebook at Babe in the Woods: Building a Life One Log at a Time, and Yvonne’s Art Studio, on Instagram at @yvonne.pepinwakefield.

Reviews

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a whiny read. I would think that someone who chose to live abroad and teach in a foreign land would at least have some inkling of the cultural obstacles she might face. Of course, life is unpredictable, especially when living and working outside one's comfort zone. I applaud Wakefield for doing a tough job and (by her accounts) doing it well; however, I would expect that someone going to live and teach in Kuwait would understand two things: that women are not granted the same rights as men, and that the tribal influence on society at large is still quite evident. In spite of my sometime annoyance, I kept turning the pages.

[Jean Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire the author's courage and determination to press on for her students and to fulfill her commitment. It was difficult not to feel frustrated simply reading about the treacherous behavior of her superiors and "colleagues". 'Suitcase Filled with Nails' gave me a glimpse into a culture I know little about, and it reminded me again that our similarities far outweigh our differences. I loved learning that beneath some of the student's abayas and hijabs were designer fashions. Wakefield keeps the story moving with humor, solid descriptive text, and a touch of cynicism. It would be interesting to learn more about the art classes and her animal rescue efforts, but I suppose that's a lot to ask from one book.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I find it odd that an author would rate their own book on Goodreads-such as this author did.

However, it doesn't take away from my 4 star rating.

I think it's important for people to open their eyes/minds to a religion, ethnicity, culture that is not like their own. That is what I sought out in this book (and others like it).

We are here in America and we only see what is shown on the news, on television, and even on social media. We have a mindset of what it's like on the other side of the world (and visa versa, they only know what is shown on tv).

Other reviewers view Wakefield as "whiny". I do not necessarily see this but this is neither here nor there. In one aspect, if someone doesn't enjoy their time-why would they choose to go back not once or twice but upwards of six times. But in another aspect I can "get it"-those handfuls that you touch while being over there-could be worth the negative. I think Wakefield had a lot more positive experiences than that of the "rules" of the university.

There are repeats and points where it can drag on but the overall message is still there. It's a fact that there are misconceptions on America's part of the Islamic culture, just as there are misconceptions from the Middle East as to what America thinks/feels.

This, of course, is not the end all-be all to "see" or understand Islam, it is just a stepping stone on another culture. I think it's important that we open our eyes and realize that we're not the only ones "here".

[Emilie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, insightful view of women's rights in Kuwait. A must read along with the princess Sultana series. Courageous woman!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I LOVED it.”
-Susan Jane Gilman, NYT best selling author

Yvonne Wakefield naively leaves behind a secure life in the lush Pacific Northwest to teach art in the desert state of Kuwait. For six years, she will instruct university aged Muslim women, earn their trust, and learn the consequences of freedom of expression, taken for granted in one culture but not granted in another.

Told from the unique perspective of an artist, Suitcase Filled with Nails is a riveting, colorful, true and timely tale about living in a culture which transcends Middle East stereotypes.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m surprised by all that I read, and then to realize that after all she went through she continued to go back year after year. I feel I got a better look into life in Kuwait, even if it was told just from her side of it. I believe there is more than one perspective to any story, and this is hers told from her experiences.One thing I admire is that no matter what happened she continued to fight for those she taught. I know, even though I am an educator, I would not have the guts to go where she went and do what she do. I believe that not only did she enrich their lives but they enriched hers.

I received a copy to help facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspect the author went to Kuwait (from the Pacific Northwest) to teach art to veiled young (very spoiled, at least most of them) women in a college - for the $$$$.
She planned to teach 9 mos/year for 1-2 years and ended up returning 7+ times - because she felt she owed it to the women and had become devoted to several of them.
She faced unbelievable conditions:
Blatant sexist discrimination
Lies
Cheating students
Betrayal
Heat.
Poor living conditions
Promised not kept.
Undercutting of authority.
And she returned, time and time again.
This ended up being a much better book, as I continued reading, than I thought it would be when I began reading.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A liberating, sometimes frightening, life-transforming cultural exchange for both the author and her students. What an incredible journey Yvonne Wakefield, both artist and educator, embarked upon into the world and lives of the Muslim women she was blessed to meet and teach. Against seemingly insurmountable opposition and unjust treatment, it's with extraordinary hope and tenacity to overcome, Yvonne pressed on to be an advocate and an inspiration to her students during her six years in Kuwait, which continues on in the lives of everyone touched by her life and her story.

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story interesting and I wanted to know what would happen. I felt concern for the character. I reminded myself she was home and safe, as she wrote the book. The story is about an American woman teaching art in Kuwait. She has run ins and difficulty with the university administration. She also gets to know and makes connections with the young woman she teaches. The details of the country and culture were intersting. The women and their views were especially interesting. I reccommend the book.

[Deborah Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. A college professor leaves the US to teach in Kuwait post 9/11, the book shares what she learned about the Arab part of the world she lived in and interacted with. I found this very readable.

[Joan Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good accounting of a visiting professor's life in Kuwait.

[Bonnie]

Loved this book!

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Sometimes it felt like the author was complaining to much but I think she had reason to.