West of the Jordan
By:
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- Synopsis
-
A poignant novel of four Arab women; the first Bluestreak original. 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.
- Copyright:
- 2003
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- ISBN-13:
- 9780807083598
- Publisher:
- Beacon Press, Boston
- Date of Addition:
- 09/24/11
- Copyrighted By:
- Laila Halaby
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Literature and Fiction, Language Arts
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.