Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Im thinking about the children separated from their parents at the Mexico US boarder. What is the title of the novel (can’t remember which war, which country) about a child taken from his parents during a war who later finds out the people he thought were enemies are really his real family? Thanks Nan

Kate wrote: "Ewa, I would also like to read it. I found it on Amazon and the Table of Contents looked very interesting. Maybe you can suggest it as a book to group read.

I just checked my local library and we ..."
I have got the audio book. It looks promising. Let's read/listen to it and tell the others

Ewa, Okay, I have picked it up from the library and will probably start tonight.

What book?

Thanks. I’d also like to read the book. What is the title? Nan

The book I am thinking about is Confessions, Rabee Jaber. Nan

Carol, I think we're crossing conversations! Ewa and I were talking about "Excellent daughters" by Katherine Zoepf, and Nan was looking for a title of a book that she'd read (am I right? I'm not seeing the whole thread) which she answered above: "Confessions". I'm going to read "Excellent daughters" now, but I would like to read Confessions, too.

Thanks! I was so confused. Confessions is quite a short read, too. Maybe 130 pages.

So many thoughts, feelings, and questions come from reading so few pages. Nan

Thanks for the recommendations :)

Without a Country
Confessions
Exit West

Were added to group bookshelves

Finished The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer. I know it got some mixed reviews, but I loved it. It's about an affluent white South African woman who finds home and family in an Arab village. Just beautifully done.

My five star review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Tamara - I've added it to my to-read list :)

I had trouble finding A History of Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani at my libraries so I purchased a copy from World of Books Australia. I could not be happier with prices and services and I’m looking forward to reading it right now I’ve got to get cracking on Bird Without Wings because I’ve only got three days to go on my loan.

Enjoy - The Hourani book is a great reference

Steve wrote: "I had trouble finding A History of Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani at my libraries so I purchased a copy from World of Books Australia. I could not be happier with prices and services and I’m lookin..."

I am looking forward reading and discussing "A History of Arab Peoples " :)
for "Bird Without Wings" , I thought you may like to check our group discussion of the book in here :
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
it was not a long one but may be you can find what intrests you :)

Tamara wrote: "Finished The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer. I know it got some mixed reviews, but I loved it. It's about an affluent white South African woman who finds home and family in a..."
Thanks for the recommendation
I did not know where to shelf it so I made a new one " East and west " :)

Niledaughter wrote: "I did not know where to shelf it so I made a new one " East and west " :) ..."

Great! Thanks.

I just requested A History of Arab Peoples from the library. I can’t believe we’re already that far into the year!

Tamara wrote: "Great! Thanks."

You are welcome !

Sue wrote: "I just requested A History of Arab Peoples from the library. I can’t believe we’re already that far into the year!"

True ! time is flying by .
looking forward the discussion :)

I don't know if any of you are interested in portrayals of women in religious texts. If so, you might be interested in a book I just finished reading: Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives by Phyllis Trible.

Phyllis Trible has written some brilliant feminist critiques of women in the Bible. This short book combines textual analysis with a feminist critique of the passages in the Bible that focus on four women in ancient Israel: Hagar, Tamar, an unnamed woman, and the daughter of Jephthah. I thought it was brilliant and recommend it to anyone interested in the portrayal of women in religious texts.

It was fascinating for me to see how Hagar's story is narrated in the OT compared to her story as told in the Islamic Hadeeth.

My review of Professor Trible's book in case any of you want to know more about it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

(My apologies if this subject is of no interest to the group. But I thought I'd share it because I find the subject of how women are portrayed in various religious texts to be fascinating--especially if it is the same women but portrayed differently in the different texts. I am thinking particularly of Hawwa/Eve and Maryam/the Virgin Mary.)

Thanks for the recommendation, Tamara. You might like the novel Miss Garnet's Angel, combining a retelling of a text from the Biblical apocrypha with a contemporary story. If you like women's studies, art history, and spirituality, then you might like this book too. Note: This is not a book by a MENA-originating author.

Melanie wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation, Tamara. You might like the novel Miss Garnet's Angel, combining a retelling of a text from the Biblical apocrypha with a contemporary story. If you like..."

It sounds intriguing. Thanks for the tip. I'll look for it.

Tamara wrote: "I don't know if any of you are interested in portrayals of women in religious texts. If so, you might be interested in a book I just finished reading: Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readi..."</i>


It’s quite interesting. You’ve reminded me of [book:The Red Tent — the revelation that it was and that I’ve never read anything like it before or since. That’s on me for not looking more diligently. Thanks for your links and for raising the topic.

I'd heard of The Red Tent but never really looked into it. The description sounds like it's just my cup of tea. So I've put a hold on it at the library. Thanks for mentioning it, Carol.

Tamara wrote: "I'd heard of The Red Tent but never really looked into it. The description sounds like it's just my cup of tea. So I've put a hold on it at the library. Thanks for mentioning it, Carol."

@Tamara, it’s truly one of the ten books that most influenced my thinking. And I’ve been unsuccessful in getting into other Diamant novels. I think she caught lightening with RT.

Tamara wrote: "I don't know if any of you are interested in portrayals of women in religious texts. If so, you might be interested in a book I just finished reading: [book:Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readi..."

Hi Tamara,
I sent your review to my 90 year old feminist nun friend by way of gifting her the book. She said: "I know the work of Phyllis Trible and admire here greatly. I used her material often when I was giving presentations about women in the Bible. I particularly was taken with the story of Hagar. If you would be willing to send me the book I would be so grateful."

Amazing that from where ever you are, I can get your review in Australia, share it with her in the US and gift her a Kindle copy-- all in an hour or two.

Steve wrote: "Amazing that from where ever you are, I can get your review in Australia, share it with her in the US and gift her a Kindle copy-- all in an hour or two...."

Steve, that is amazing! The wonders of technology!

I used to teach an undergraduate course on Women in Religion and can recommend several other books on women in the Bible if you and/or your friend would like. Send me a personal message if you're interested and I can send you the list.

BTW--I'm in Kansas--closer to your friend than you are :)

I just received an email from Dr. Susan de-Gaia, the editor of the two volume Encyclopedia of Women in World Religions. It was a mammoth project, taking a couple of years to complete.

The link will take you to the Amazon page. If you click on it and go to the Look Inside feature, you can check out the contents where you'll see there are a lot of entries about women in Islam.

I wrote the entries for Hawwa and Maryam. Because I'm a contributor, I'll have access to the e-book when it comes out. So I'll be able to look things up for us on women in religion. I'm excited about it. I think it will be a great resource.

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-W...

I finished Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff and highly recommend it.

Schiff's research is impressive. Sometimes it gets to be a bit overwhelming with all the names and Ptolemies who intermarry. But she pieces together a portrait of a fascinating woman.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks Tamara. I have wondered about that book.

Sue wrote: "Thanks Tamara. I have wondered about that book."

You're welcome.

Hi everyone!

I really enjoyed Syrian Brides by Anna Halabi. It's an entertaining collection of short stories about women in Aleppo, Syria. Funny but socially critical.

Happy Reading!
Gretchen

Tamara wrote: "I finished Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff and highly recommend it.

Schiff's research is impressive. Sometimes it gets to be a bit overwhelming with all the names a..."

I have the book and I would really want to read it this year :)

I thought I had it on my kindle but I just checked and I don’t. Maybe it will be a sale special at some point. It does interest me too.

I read The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. I thought it was well done. It's about an Armenian and a Turkish family whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. It was stronger than Shafak's Three Daughters of Eve and probably as good as her The Architect's Apprentice.

My four star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished reading a book that might be of interest to some of you: What Makes Civilization? The Ancient Near East and the Future of the West by David Wengrow

Among other things, Wengrow argues that civilization does not consist solely of ancient structures and that past civilizations interacted and cross fertilized in spite of their geographical distances. He focuses specifically on Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. He is also critical of Western views on what constitutes civilization. Some of his examples got a little too technical for me, but I appreciated his fresh outlook on the topic.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank you Tamara for all what you do :)

Niledaughter wrote: "Thank you Tamara for all what you do :)"

You're more than welcome.

I posted this yesterday in the thread on the 2019 challenge. But since it's also a book some of you might enjoy, I'm posting it here.

I finished The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century by Ross E. Dunn. It recounts the 24-year journey of a 14th Century globe trotter as he traveled to the far reaches of the Islamic world. Professor Dunn situates each location in its historical and cultural context.

One aspect I really enjoyed about it is the Islamic hospitality--the presence of a global Islamic community that could be relied on to welcome a visitor with free food and lodging, to treat him with respect, and to send him on his merry way laden with gifts. Ibn Battuta felt at home in virtually every place he went even if it were a non-Arabic speaking country. It must have been a wonderful experience because it diminished one's sense of alienation and cultivated a genuine sense of belonging to a larger community.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Naguib Mahfouz: Three Novels of Ancient Egypt
I only read two novels of them long time ago Khufu's Wisdom (which is Mahfouz debut novel) and Rhadopis of Nubia , I remember enjoying them , I think I need to re-read them with Thebes at War.

Mahfouz and writings on ancient Egypt
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/19228...

Carol wrote: "Tamara wrote: "I'd heard of The Red Tent but never really looked into it. The description sounds like it's just my cup of tea. So I've put a hold on it at the library. Thanks for mentio..."

I'm another huge fan of the Red Tent. I was just going through my bookshelf today (trying in vain to find room for more books!) and stopped to pick this one up again. I haven;t read it in over a decade, but I still remember it as one of the great reads.

Tamara wrote: "I read The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. I thought it was well done. It's about an Armenian and a Turkish family whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. It wa..."

I should reread The Bastard of Istanbul. I am a big Rumi fan, so I was thrilled recently to get my hands on a copy of Shafak's novel The Forty Rules of Love. The parts with Rumi were great - but then there were chapters shoehorned in between from the point of view of a mopey Massachusetts housewife, which just fell flat for me. I wonder if those chapters were the author's idea, or if they idea came from her US publisher...You can see my full review here

I finished Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz. Akhenaten is the Egyptian pharaoh credited with being the first monotheist. The book is an easy, quick read with an interesting structure. It illustrates how people's prejudices and predilections influence their perceptions.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi from Oman. It was short listed for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. I just read in the Guardian that she won the prize. It's the first time an Arabic book has won. This is so exciting. I'll let you know what I think of the book :)

Here's the article:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

I’ll be interested in your thoughts on this one, Tamara.

Tamara wrote: "I am reading Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi from Oman. It was short listed for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. I just read in the Guardian that she wo..."


That looks really good! I read Girls of Riyadh for a Khaliji book in the challenge. It was quite silly. I wish I'd known about this one!
In any case I am still going to try and read it!

Jalilah wrote: "Tamara wrote: "I am reading Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi from Oman. It was short listed for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. I just read in the Guard..."

Sue wrote: "I’ll be interested in your thoughts on this one, Tamara."

I just started Celestial Bodies. Thanks for the link to the Guardian article.

Tamara wrote: "I finished Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz. Akhenaten is the Egyptian pharaoh credited with being the first monotheist. The book is an easy, quick read wi..."

Tamara wrote: "I am reading Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi from Oman. It was short listed for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize. I just read in the Guardian that she wo..."

Thanks I will add it to the book shelves :)

I finished Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi.

My 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Folks, I just finished an amazing novel that I highly recommend: The Book of Collateral Damage by Sinan Antoon about the Iraq war and occupation.

Interspersed throughout the narrator's story are short vignettes of objects, plants, and animals speaking in the first person to describe all they have lost. The two narrative threads reinforce each other to emphasize the trauma of a nation in a powerful evocation of the collateral damage caused by a war.

My 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...