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Carregando... West of the Jordan: A Novel (Bluestreak)de Laila Halaby
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Registre-se no LibraryThing tpara descobrir se gostará deste livro. Ainda não há conversas na Discussão sobre este livro. Lyrical and beautifully told coming-of-age tale that explores themes of identity and tradition through the stories of four female cousins-Mawal, in the West Bank village of Nawara; Hala, in Arizona; and Khadija and Soraya, in California. Contemplative and lush, these tales resonate with the unique challenges posed on the first generation in a new homeland. sem resenhas | adicionar uma resenha
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This is a brilliant and revelatory first novel by a woman who is both an Arab and an American, who speaks with both voices and understands both worlds. Through the narratives of four cousins at the brink of maturity, Laila Halaby immerses her readers in the lives, friendships, and loves of girls struggling with national, ethnic, and sexual identities. Mawal is the stable one, living steeped in the security of Palestinian traditions in the West Bank. Hala is torn between two worlds-in love in Jordan, drawn back to the world she has come to love in Arizona. Khadija is terrified by the sexual freedom of her American friends, but scarred, both literally and figuratively, by her father's abusive behavior. Soraya is lost in trying to forge an acceptable life in a foreign yet familiar land, in love with her own uncle, and unable to navigate the fast culture of California youth. Interweaving their stories, allowing us to see each cousin from multiple points of view, Halaby creates a compelling and entirely original story, a window into the rich and complicated Arab world. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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Google Books — Carregando... GênerosClassificação decimal de Dewey (CDD)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos E.U.A. (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia:
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This is an interesting look at the feelings and emotions of four Jordanian female cousins with Palestinian roots. They all live an expatriated life, in Jordan or USA and relate in different ways to their Arab heritage.
I initially found the book rather confusing and I wished I'd kept a who's who from the start. It felt like a cast of thousands and I had a job remembering how each of the cousins was connected. The chronology was also non-linear, which caused more confusion.
However, it was the beautiful use of words that redeemed this book for me.
"The sky is light blue and the water where it meets is dark blue. "Can we swim out there to where the two blues meet?" (P124)
"Television in our house is like a loud monkey: it never shuts up when it's awake , and it always holds everyone's attention no matter how silly its behaviour" (P18)
And I loved Walid's response when a bartender asked if he could call him Willy; "I learned your language, you can learn my name."
Laila Halaby has a Jordanian father and an American mother and writes from the heart with this collection of stories that reveal the complexity of trying to operate in two diverse cultures at the same time. It's not so much a narrative as a diary and seems to be lacking a definitive ending, but it certainly is an eye-opener it terms of a behind the scenes understanding of the complex Arab situation. ( )