Gate of the Sun - Elias Khoury

Title: Gate of the Sun

Author: Elias Khoury (translated by Humphrey Davies)

Year: 1998

Country: Lebanon

Pages: 531

Rating: 4 out of 5

First sentence: Umm Hassan is dead.

It is not too often in the Western world that you come across an epic tale about the Palestinian experience. Gate of the Sun, by Lebanese author Elias Khoury, is such a book. 

The story largely takes place in the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. Khalil, a "temporary doctor, in a temporary hospital, in a temporary country", keeps vigil by the bedside of Yunes, an elderly Palestinian freedom fighter who lies in a coma. In an effort to keep Yunes in this world, Kahlil begins retelling stories of their life of exile in Lebanon, and particularly Yunes' secret visits to his wife, who remained in Israel.

Yunes was a member of the fedayeen, the early Palestinian resistance movement, and much of the story recounts the flight of Palestinians during the late 1940's. However, the heart of the story is not political; it is the story of Yunes' love for his wife Nahilah, and his dangerous border crossings to visit her. It is a story of the mythical, magical world they created in his refuge, the cave Bab al-Shams (Gate of the Sun).

The novel was first published in Arabic in 1998, on the 50th anniversary of The War of Independence, referred to by Palestinians as Al Nakbah (the catastrophe). Mirroring the Arab-Israeli conflict, the story continuously digresses, is retold, and circles back on itself in dizzying fragments. A book about Palestinians, one would assume is also a book about Israelis. However, most of the history portrayed throughout the story traces the meshed history of Lebanon, Palestine, and the way in which Palestinian refugees outside of Israel are treated and viewed by other Arabs. Fortunately, this is not a novel of "us" versus "them", and Khoury humanizes all sides of the struggle that continues to encompass the Middle East.

For those who are regular visitors to my blog, you will notice that my end review is considerably more favorable than my other recent comments on this book. It is a slow, dizzying read. It helps to have a firm knowledge of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and of the Lebanese civil war. Part One of the novel did not capture my attention in the way that the second Part did. In the end, though, I come away highly recommending this novel.

Favorite passages:

"Palestine isn't a cause. Well, all right, in some sense it is, but it isn't really, because the land doesn't move from its place. That land will remain, and the question isn't who will hold it, because it's an illusion to think that land can be held. No one can hold land when he's going to end up buried in it. It's the land that holds men and pulls them back toward it. I didn't fight, my dear friend, for the land or for history. I fought for the sake of a woman I loved. "(p.21)

"Before Umm Hassan could open her mouth to ask a thing, the Israeli woman said, 'It's your house, isn't it?'

'How did you know?' asked Umm Hassan.

'I've been waiting for you for a long time. Welcome.'" (p.104)

"Evil has no meaning, and we were just its tools." (p.271)

"We invent stories of our misery and then believe them. We'll believe anything so as not to see. We cover our eyes and set off, and then we bump into each other." (p. 383)

"It takes another culture to let us discover that half the things that seem obvious are simply our own stupidities." (p.432)

The Translator - Daoud Hari

Title: The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
Author: Daoud Hari (as told to Dennis Burke and Megan McKenna)
Country: Sudan/USA
Year: 2008
Pages: 200
Rating: 5 out of 5

In 2003, fighting broke out in Darfur as a result of the government's systematic campaign to move non-Arab Sudanese in Darfur off of the oil-rich land. Sudanese government forces and armed militia (known as "Janjaweed") began attacking civilians who are members of the same ethnic groups as the rebels. Countless villages have been destroyed. The rape of women and young girls is used as a tool of war. Hundreds of thousands have died, and over two million people have fled to refugee or IDP (internally-displaced) camps.

Much to my delight, I recently received an ARC of The Translator--a memoir by Daoud Hari, a Sudanese refugee--from one of the marketing managers at Random House.

Daoud Hari, a Zaghawa tribesmen from Darfur, had recently returned to his village after living abroad when his village was attacked by the Janjaweed. He lost his beloved brother, Ahmed, in the attack, but helped his family and many of his relatives and fellow villager cross the desert to reach the relative safety of a border refugee camp.

Daoud Hari is not a person to stand around and do nothing. Despite the danger, he felt compelled to put his English skills to use as a translator for genocide investigators and reporters, in an attempt to get the word out about the genocide, to bring the ethnic cleansing of his people into your living room, so their voices could be heard. His memoir largely follows his work from 2003 until 2006, when he received protection as a refugee in the United States. It is a remarkable story of one man's determination to help his people, risking his life over and over again to fight the injustice that he has witnessed.

Daoud's story is the story of his people. It is also the story of millions of refugees living in border refugee camps around the world. They encounter many of the same problems that Hari witnesses: inadequate shelter, women and girls raped when they have to leave the camp to gather firewood for fuel, and people unable to earn any income when their host country forbids them from working. It is a story that must be read, and that needs to be heard. I believe one of Hari's goals in writing this memoir is to encourage people to take action. It is a lesson I took to heart. Since leaving my work in the refugee field to become a stay-at-home parent, I have wondered how to fill that void. Reading Hari's memoir gave me the impetus I needed to seek out volunteer work with the Stop Genocide Now organization. Thank you, Daoud.

The Darfur genocide is still taking place today. It may come and go in the news, on the whim of large media outlets, but it has not gone away. Ineffective peace agreements often make the situation worse. As Hari points out, as long as the Sudanese government attacks villages or provokes others to do so, there will be more people that join the rebel groups and fight back. In recent months, as predicted, is threatening to create a broader regional instability. In the beginning of this month, fighting broke out on the border regions of Chad and Sudan, threatening refugee camps, as well as the city N'Djamena.

Darfur links:

• Sudan: The Passion of the Present Blog
• Stop Genocide Now
  
• Save Darfur

Recent news:

• A letter from the world's Nobel Laureates to China: You must act on Darfur (Feb 14)
  

• Chad: Bombing close to Sudanese border forces UNHCR to withdraw for the day (Feb 19)

• Sudan: Government must end attacks on civilians (Feb 10)
  

Child Soldiers

Maggie recently posted a powerful and moving interview with Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier and author of A Long Way Gone. I've mooched it from her.



Rehabilitating and repatriating child soldiers is a long, difficult process for everyone involved. The viciousness of the type of recent armed conflict that exists in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other parts of West Africa (as well as Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sri Lanka) is something few of us have witnessed, and therefore is little understood by the Western world. Many people don't realize that child soldiers are drugged and have their lives threatened in the indoctrination into rebel groups. Many children forcefully recruited are orphaned, others kidnapped from their families.

I am sure it took a lot of courage for Ishmael Beah to publish a book about his experiences, and it is heartwarming and empowering to see that he was able to move on from that part of his life and now works to raise awareness of the atrocities that occurred in Sierra Leone and other parts of West Africa. I look forward to reading this book in the near future.


For those who have read A Long Way Gone and developed an interest in the subject, another non-fiction book I would recommend (although a bit more dense), is The Impact of War on Children by Graca Machel. Included is a chapter on child soldiers. I read this book while completing my Master's thesis in 2002, yet one quote has haunted me ever since, a description of a group of child soldiers leading an attack after they had been drugged:

"There were a lot of boys rushing into the field, screaming like banshees. It seemed like they were immortal, or impervious or something, because we shot at them but they just kept coming." (p.13)

Human Cargo - Caroline Moorehead

Title: Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees
Author: Caroline Moorehead
Country: UK
Year: 2005
Rating: A
Pages: 397 pgs.

First sentence: One day a man in a country in Africa was arrested and accused of belonging to an illegal opposition group.

This is my last selection for the Non-fiction Five Challenge hosted by Joy at Thoughts of Joy!

It is a rarity to see a book published about refugees, and even fewer are geared towards the general public. Ever since I first heard about Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees, I couldn't wait to see what it held. What I found is a book interesting to both individuals who know very little about the immigration system, and those who work in the refugee field.

Although many personal accounts are included in the narrative, much of the book is an examination of the refugee protection system in various countries around the world. A large focus is on the process of being declared a refugee (although a refugee is always a refugee, it only becomes official when the UNHCR or country providing protection declares you as one), and the stories are of asylum seekers in the midst of this process (asylum seekers, or asylees in America, is the term used to describe a person whose application for protection is currently being determined). Caroline Moorehead presents facts that are concise and well-researched, while gently reminding the reader that we are talking about real people who are being treated inhumanely.

I was delighted to find a book largely about asylum seekers, since I have worked with many people in this stage of the refugee application process; it's about time their experiences after fleeing persecution are brought to light. Her argument mirrors the same stand that I took in my master's thesis on forced migration (and our sources also largely overlap, as we were apparently researching the same topic around the same time): that there is a lot of gray area in regards to the issues that cause people to flee their home, and there is not a clear-cut distinction between economic migrants and refugees. 'For him, the distinction between economic migrant and asylum seeker has little meaning, when people are driven to the margins by need: "Do people have to die in order to work? Something has to be wrong."' (p. 86)

The 1951 Refugee Convention, which gives the world its definition of a refugee, is outdated and needs to be changed. Moorehead also backs up my belief that came about through my work experience that the Australian government has introduced one of the most exclusionary immigration policies of any democracy (p.119). However, I was saddened, but not surprised, to see that many of the problems I witnessed in Australia and America (asylum seekers denied the right to work and support themselves, huge backlogs, difficulties with providing evidence and accessing interpreters, general feelings of aimlessness and depression) are found throughout the world, as countries make somewhat irrational distinctions between "good" refugees--those from communist countries, or those who wait in a fictional queue in a refugee camp--and "bad" refugees: asylum seekers.

The Other Lost Boys: Liberians living in limbo in Cairo:

"What these lost boys had seen and been forced to do is not something others cared to hear about." (p.10)

"What is happening in Cairo today is happening all over the world; as the funds are cut and the number of asylum seekers keeps on growing, as the West becomes more fearful and more isolated, those who man the gates in Cairo are under pressure to search ever more keenly for lies and inconsistencies, while refugees despair." (p.12)

One asylum seekers' despair:

"But who is to say what is credible when you have been shot at by rebels, when you have seen your mother raped and your brothers and sisters burnt to death in your house, when your father has disappeared and you are now alone in the world? When you are ashamed to describe to the young woman sitting across the desk from you with her tapping pencil and inquisitive eyes what the soldiers did to you and how you are afraid that you may have AIDS from being raped by the guards and how you ache for news of your family whom you really know perfectly well that you will never see again?"(p.23)

OT: World Refugee Day 2007

Today seems to be the day for my political side to come out.

As some of you know, my career has been working with refugees and asylum seekers, so I always try to take time out in June to participate in a World Refugee Day event. Unfortunately, the events in Baltimore occurred last week, while I was away. Therefore, my small contribution to the day will be this post.

I'd like to share a poem written by an asylum seeker in Australia that was turned into a song for the Scattered People choir. As a member of the choir along with numerous refugees, it is a song that continues to bring tears to my eyes. You can hear a sample of the song here. And if you would by chance be interested in buying the Scattered People CD, just let me know. :)

If you feel so inclined, check out a book about refugees. Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead comes highly recommended; That State of the World's Refugees published by the UNHCR; or The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community by Mary Pipher. The website of the UNHCR has lots of accessible information.

You can also check out this article about Iraqi refugees on CNN. It's the first I have seen an American media outlet highlight Iraqi refugees. America is also finally starting to accept some Iraqi refugees for resettlement. Progress is being made.

Don't forget, that a refugees journey does not end when if they are resettled in another country. Resettlement non-profit organizations are always in need of help and assistance in their struggle to meet the needs of refugees. Find one in your community today!

Hometown
We belong
Never lonely we belong
Safe and warm this is our hometown
We belong

My hometown
How I love the summer
Lotus plants and buffalo
We are fishing, swimming
This is life
In my hometown

My hometown
Working with my hands
And I feel proud of what I do
I support my family
This is life In my hometown

We belong
Never lonely we belong
Safe and warm this is our hometown
We belong

My hometown
Work the land till harvest
Feel the sweat then celebrate
Let the seasons turn
For this life in my hometown

My hometown
How I yearn to be there
Lotus plants and buffalo
Lay me down there someday
Let me sleep
In my hometown

I, Rigoberta Menchu

Title: I, Rigoberta Menchu
Author: as told to Elizabeth Burgos-Debray
Year: 1983
Country: Guatemala
Pages: 251pgs
Rating: A- Book From: Personal collection (obtained from Freecycle)

I read I, Rigoberta Menchu for a few challenges. Technically, I have read this book before. Some may consider that cheating, but I don't, and here's why. I first read about Rigoberta Menchu for a South American anthropology class when I was 18 and a freshman undergrad. I read the story at a time when I couldn't really concentrate on it, as my father was critically ill in the hospital, and he was not expected to survive (he did, and he's still going strong). Her story struck me at the time, and I meant to come back to it someday when I could give it the attention that it deserves. Ten years later, I am a completely different person than that 18 year old, with more life experiences. Although I have not yet been to Guatemala, I have travelled to both Central and South America. I have worked with refugees, asylum seekers, including many political and human rights activists that have been persecuted. I have a much firmer grasp on the turmoil of Central America in light of the Cold War and American foreign policy during that time. And now, I have delved into Rigoberta's story once more.

When I first read about her in 1997, the controversy over fabrications in her story had not yet broke. Although I am aware of the controversy, it is not worth the time to delve into that here. Yes, she admits that she included the stories of other peasants in her own life story. But that does not detract from her goal of highlighting the struggle of the Guatemala resistance movement. As the subtitle says, her story is truly one about An Indian Woman in Guatemala. It is ironic and powerful to note that most of David Stoll's research into Rigoberta's life validated all of the main parts of her story.

I, Rigoberta Menchu, told orally to Elizabeth Burgos-Debray, tells the story of Rigoberta's childhood and early adulthood, in which her family divided their time between working in the fincas (plantations) as peons, and harvesting maize, beans, and other plants in their village in the Altiplano (highlands area in which the residents are mainly from indigenous ethnic groups). Rigoberta grew up during Guatemala's civil war, which spanned from 1960-1996, with the story largely taking place from the 60's-early 80's. Interspersed with chapters about indigenous traditions: marriage ceremonies, coming of age rites, village life, and subsistence farming; is a harrowing story of the persecution and oppression of hundreds of thousands of people. Some of the most explicit and terrible torture scenes I have ever read or heard about occur to her family members. Yet, in this tale of brutal repression, stems a story of hope and survival, a demonstration of the power of unity and working together to make a difference. Some of the most poignant parts of her story show the comraderie of the people in her village.

On preserving her culture and preventing cultural exploitation:
This is part of the reserve that we've maintained to defend our customs and our culture. Indians have been very careful not to disclose any details of their communities, and the community does not allow them to talk about Indian things. I too must abide by this. This is because many religious people have come among us and drawn a false impression of the Indian world.
-and-
This is what hurts Indians most. It means that, yes, they think our costumes are beautiful because it brings in money, but it's as if the person wearing it doesn't exist.

Life working in the finca:
After my first day picking cotton, I woke up at midnight and lit a candle. I saw the faces of my brothers and sisters covered with mosquitos. I touched my own face, and I was covered too. They were everywhere; in people's mouths and everywhere. That was our world. I felt that it would always be the same. It hadn't ever changed.
-and-
When my parents came back from work, they were very tired...Even more so with the noise of all those people living together, thousands of people we don't know all living together. So it's a very difficult atmosphere to live in and children are often not looked after very well. Mothers are very tired and just can't do it. This is where you see the situation of women in Guatemala very clearly.

A girl's marriage vows:
The girl says: "I will bea mother, I will suffer, my children will suffer, many of my children will die young because of the circumstances created for us by white men. It will be hard for me to accept my children's death but I will bear it because our ancestors bore it without giving up. We will not give up either." This is the girl's promise.

Living under oppression:
What do they know about hunger when they suck the blood of our people every day?
-and-
I didn't know then the same system which tries to isolate us Indians also puts up barriers between Indians and ladinos. I knew that all ladinos rejected us but I didn't know why. Soon afterwards, I was with the nuns and we went to a village in Uspantan where mostly ladinos live. The nun asked a little boy if they were poor and he said: 'Yes, we're poor but we're not Indians.' That stayed with me.

Rigoberta Menchu announced in February 2007 that she plans to stand as a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections. If elected, she will be the first Guatemalan indigenous president.

Half of a Yellow Sun

Title: Half of A Yellow Sun
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Year: 2006
Rating: A-
Country: Nigeria
Pages: 435 pgs. Book From: Public Library

I read Half of A Yellow Sun for my Reading Across Borders challenge. Travelling on from Austria, I hop across the Strait of Gibraltar, trekking across the Sahara to eventually arrive in Nigeria. I arrive in 1960's Nsukka, a small university town in the southeastern, largely Igbo region. Once there, I meet Odenigbo, a Nigerian professor; Olanna, his mistress who is from an elite Nigerian family; and Ugwu, a village boy that is employed as a houseboy in Odenigbo's home.

1960's Nigeria is one of turmoil. This epic story follows the plight of Odenigbo, Olanna, and Ugwu, as they are caught in the middle of the Biafran War. Following discrimination and massacres against Igbo in northern Nigeria, the south-eastern provinces of Nigeria seceeded to form their own nation of Biafra. What follows, both in history and this novel, is a brutal civil war in which hundreds of thousands lose their homes, are forced to flee numerous times, and ultimately face starvation and disease.

As Caribousmom has said, this is not a feel good novel. It is a novel about the realities of a post-colonial nation burdened by distinctions of class, race, and ethnicity. It is a novel about the horrors of war. It is a novel about death and destruction. That Chimamanda portrays such devestating topics with such depth, clarity, and compassion, is a sign of a masterpiece. And ultimately, in many ways, it is a story about love and survival.

On the creation of Biafra and secession from Nigeria:
"Olanna watched them and realized with a sweet surge that they all felt what she felt, what Odenigbo felt, as though it were liquid steel instead of blood that flowed through their veins, as though they could stand barefoot over red-hot embers."
The moment when regular people become refugees:
"Evacuate now! The federals have entered Nsukka! We are evacuating now! Right now! I am going to all the houses occupied. Evacuate now!"... "Gini? What things?" Olanna asked "What will I take?" Baby started to cry. There was the sound again, boom-boom-boom, closer and louder. "It won't be long, we'll be back soon. Just take a few things, clothes." Master gestured vaguely before he grabbed the car keys from the shelf.

On class distinction:
She hoped Professor Achara had found them accommodation close to other university people so that Baby would have the right kind of children to play with.

On war:
He writes about the world that remained silent while Biafrans died...In the United States, Biafra was "under Britain's sphere of interest." In Canada, the prime minister quipped, "Where is Biafra?" The Soviet Union sent technicians and planes to Nigeria, thrilled at the chance to influence Africa without offending America or Britain. And from their white-supremacist positions, South Africa and Rhodesia gloated at further proof that black-run governments were doomed to failure.
-and-
"The world has to know the truth of what is happening, because they simply cannot remain silent while we die."

Aman: The Story of A Somali Girl

Title: Aman: The Story of A Somali Girl
Author: As told to Virginia Lee Barnes and Jance Boddy
Year: 1994
Rating: B
Pages: 349 pgs. Book From: Public Library

"Somalia has been without a central government since its last president, dictator Mohamed Siyaad Barre, fled the country in 1991. To date, there have been 14 efforts at national reconciliation."
-U.S. Bureau for African Affairs, Feb. 2007

"Around four or five in the morning we heard a big noise I had never heard before, like an earthquake. The whole house was shaking. It was the noise of the military tanks going by outside to arrest the ministers. In the middle of the night, Siyaad Barre, a young man who was in the military, had taken over the country...I know the military were very bad. Even the police were bad. Ever since that policeman had grabbed me off the street and thrown me in jail, I hated the police. I knew what they were like, and the military was worse than the police."
- Aman

As a human rights and refugee activist, one of my ongoing frustrations is the lack of attention paid to the political vacuum that is currently Somalia. Not only is it ignored by the vast majority of news outlets and government bodies, it is ignored by various human rights organizations as well [searching Human Rights Watch's website for reports on Somalia only brings up a handful, the most recent in 2004; only 5 reports dated after 1995, nothing from 1995-2000]. Considering myself somewhat knowledgeable and aware of Somali current events, I never quite understood the history behind what has happened in recent history, or what it was like for those who grew up in Somalia prior to the 1980's.

Then I met Aman. Figuratively, that is. Her story is one of a woman growing up in Somalia in the 1950's and 60's. It is one story, and should not be taken as the norm for Somali women of her generation. It should also not be seen as particularly unusual circumstances. Many events in her young life are reflected in the lives of others. Her story is told in the way of her culture, through oral storytelling to Virginia Lee Barnes, and later, Janice Boddy.

Owing to the rich oral storytelling tradition in Somalia, and Aman's raw talent, she relates the details of her childhood in amazingly detailed and believeable accounts. Aman struggles from an early age with the norms of her culture. Although willingly undergoing an infibulation circumcision, she balks at most other gender-scripted tasks required of her. In many ways, she behaves in a similar manner to teenage girls the world over: she rebels, runs away, sulks, throws tantrums, and does everything else in her power to get her way. Unlike many teens however, what she is rebelling from is astounding: at age 11 she is forbidden from an innocent relationship with an Italian boy; at 13 she is given away in arranged marriage to a man more than four times her age. Aman survives on her wits in Mogadishu, using her sexuality as a rebellion against many of the expectations and social norms of traditional Somali culture. She finally flees Somalia after the military coup makes life in the city even more treacherous.

Aman's story is all the more poignant for her unabashed straightforwardness. She does not apologize for her actions that were selfish, but through her story presents a clear reminder of the victimization and oppression of women around the world.

One of the more shocking descriptions for me was Aman's defense of female circumsion (what I refer to as female genital mutilation).

"You know, Rahima, I've heard many Europeans, many white people no matter where they come from, they're trying to educate Africans about circumcision. But would they accept it if I educated them to circumcise? This is my culture, my religion, and I don't believe another nation can take away another nation's culture. If Somali women change, it will be a change done by us, among us. When they order us to stop, tell us what we must do, it is offensive to the black person or the Muslim person who believes in circumcision. To advise is good, but not to order."

Although my opinion about FGM has not changed, thank you Aman for allowing me to view the issue from a different perspective.

And, one more quote:
"Mama and I slept side by side on a wooden bed. There was only one sheet, and she always made sure she covered me with it. It was no problem. But some nights, I thought of the spring bed I had in the hospital. If people had money, they bought those. They could also have tables and more dishes, with maybe a radio, and everything clean. I wanted that. But we didn't have it and it didn't bother me. I was happy with what we had. I knew we were poor."

The Face Behind the Veil - Donna Gehrke-White

Title: The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America
Author: Donna Gehrke-White
Pages: 299
Rating: B

The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America gives us a glimpse of the everyday lives of American Muslim women from all walks of life. The stories of African-Americans, white suburban housemoms, refugees, career-driven professionals, community activists, and others form the basis of this book with a series of 50 essays interviewing 50 different women.

In theory, this is a great book. It celebrates the initiatives many Muslim women (singular: Muslimah) have taken to stay true to their faith, many times in the face of adversity. We learn about women who are working for reform within Islam to allow men and women to pray side by side at the mosque; women that stand strong in their efforts to foster tolerance and understanding between different faiths and cultures; women who found peace and happiness in converting, and women who had the strength to leave everything behind in order to survive. Their stories are touching, and poignant.

Yet, there is a lot I did not like about this book, which I view as mainly a weakness on the author's part. My main criticisms:
1. The author included stories about 50 women in a book that is just under 300 pages. That is an average of 6 pgs/person. I felt that many of the stories were very superficially researched. I believe more justice could have been done to this topic by focusing more intensively and analytically on a smaller number of case studies. Furthermore, this "skimming the surface" approach opens the book up to criticism, especially when so many of the stories involve negative situations.
2. This book is about a celebration of Muslim women. I am confused as to why the author chose to include a chapter on a woman who was Christian, converted to Islam, then became a born-again Christian and a minister. She blamed her domestic violence situation on Islam, and, as a Christian minister, has started a non-profit to help Muslim women. Her story is no less important and valid, but I think it detracts from the purpose of this book.
3. In the section on "The Persecuted", there was only one story of an African Muslim refugee. Yet, the largest numbers of refugees currently admitted to the US are from Africa, and many are Muslim.
4. You are a journalist! You have an editor! Yet, the number of grammatical mistakes I found were astounding, and I wasn't even looking for them!

With all of that said, the profound and inspiring stories of the women interviewed still manage to shine through, which is why I still gave this book a fairly decent rating. It shows the positive power of diversity.

In some ways, this book is similar to a non-fiction book idea I am currently doing some preliminary research on, that of the experiences of refugee women in America. No one yet has turned my specific idea into a book, but I probably better speed up my plan!

In my new habit of tying other aspects of my life into the book that I am reading, I made a favorite recipe of mine, that was given to me by a good friend who is a Muslim woman from Kuwait.

Lebanese Mashed Potatoes with Meat (I don't know the real name for this):
4 lg potatos, boiled
2 T butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt

Filling:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb lamb meat
Lebanese spice mix (Baharat: composed of black pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamon)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small can mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice

Topping:
2 T butter, cut in small pieces
Bread crumbs

Mash potatoes with butter, salt, and milk. Prepare filling. Fry meat with Baharat spice mix. Add onions and fry till golden brown. Add pine nuts and mushrooms, fry well. Spread 1/2 of potato mixture in the bottom of a greased pan. Add in the filling, and cover with the rest of the potato mixure. Dot with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 250F for 25 min. Cut in squares, serve, enjoy!