The Scent of Jasmine: Coming of Age in Jerusalem and Damascus

by Anan Ameri

Journey to a world little known to western readers. Palestinian sociologist and activist Anan Ameri weaves her sometimes poignant, sometimes funny personal experiences with the historical, political, and social changes that dominated the region in which she lived during the first thirty years of her life. This memoir comprises twenty-three stories that take place in various Arab cities. It starts with a few vignettes about the displacement of Anans family during the 1948 Nakba (Disaster) and her constant movement from West Jerusalem, to Damascus, to East Jerusalem, to finally settling in Amman, Jordan. The book contrasts the instability of moving from place to place with the security, fun, and luxury offered by her mothers large, wealthy Damascene family. It also takes the reader into the life of an elegant Damascene home, with all its elitist traditions, powerful women, as well as the intrigue of its many secrets and rumors. The later stories focus on the authors gradual coming of age during 1950s and 1960san era of Arab nationalism and international solidarity. Readers will venture with Anan to Amman, the capital of Jordan; to Cairo, the political and cultural capital of the Arab world; and finally to Beirut, the new home to the Palestinian Liberation movement. Anan Ameris experiences reflect the evolving of post-colonial Arab societies of her time, and the contradictory world around her. The result is a compelling and unforgettable memoir.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2017

Reviews

[Sherry Dhillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always wanted to travel to the Middle East & this book solidifies that even more now.

[Shelley Schanfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anan Ameri is a prominent member of the Arab American community and one of the founders of the Arab American Museum in Dearborn. Her father was a prominent intellectual and activist of Palestinian descent; her beautiful and spirited mother was born into a wealthy Syrian family. Anan's memoir, told with warmth and humor, provides a window into a vanished way of life and gives an intimate view of the conflict that besets the region.

Her family flees Jerusalem at the birth of the state of Israel and heads to Damascus. There her mother's family occupies a prominent place in the community and a beautiful home filled with the scent of jasmine. (The family home is still owned by a cousin and is a well-known Damascene restaurant. You can find pictures of it here: www.jabrihouse.com.) It provides a backdrop to many vivid scenes of an Arab girlhood. It may surprise some readers that Anan's parents did not just encourage their daughters to be educated but demanded it, and this was not an unusual thing at the time for those with means. She attended university in Beirut, Amman, and Cairo. Her mother, a successful business woman, encouraged her independence.

While the book describes the tragic unrest and upheaval that shaped Anan, it offers hope in the form of Anan herself, who became a tireless advocate for the causes of justice and peace both in her homeland and in the U.S. The next installment of her memoir will talk about her American years, and it promises to be just as filled with clear and loving observation as this volume. I know because I've seen a few chapters. Full disclosure: Anan is a member of the Ann Arbor Area Writers Group, which I also attend, and where I heard much of her first book.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the time I have spent in the Middle-East, and my affinity for the people there, particularly the Palestinian people, I really enjoyed reading this memoir of a Palestinian/Syrian woman who grew up in the same era as I did - and yet whose life was affected (albeit not as deeply as many) by the 1948 "Nakba" and the 1967 war in that part of the world. The child of a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Anan spent a privileged childhood - first in Jerusalem until her family was expelled in 1948 and then in Amman, Jordan - with summers and holidays spent in her maternal grandfather's luxurious home in Damascus, where she was surrounded by loving cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. When we read of these places today, it is stories of war and terror, yet in the 50s and 60s, they were places of childhood joy and lush gardens. Anan's stories capture that time and those places with love and clarity.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories about growing up in the Middle East during the 50s and 60s. The author was from a well-educated mostly secular family. She became politicized early because of her family circumstances, being Palestinian/Syrian. The writing is overly dramatic and relies too heavily on dialogue in some cases. The stories are a bit repetitive in conveying family relations, which is the most interesting part. She is very one-sided in her politics, which is pretty understandable, given the events her family experienced.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Scent of Jasmine: Coming of Age in Jerusalem and Damascus" is a compelling memoir by Dr. Anan Ameri, who is an activist, scholar and the founder of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Written in plain but lively language, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, Ameri weaves together much of the history of the Middle East with her own interesting family history, reminding us of how much we are nourished and sustained by the love in our lives and also the conflict.

[Dina]

I don’t rate memoirs but this one was very moving and easy to read. definitely recommend!

[Maya Mehrotra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most creative writing but nevertheless enjoyable!