Books

As 20th Century Begins, British ‘Orientalism’ a Tool of Colonialism

By 
D.W. Aossey
 
Long writes the book in a scholarly manner, but redeems it with a depth of insight and information on these fascinating personalities at a very important time in Middle Eastern history. Certainly, most will find “Reading Arabia” worth a look.
 
Reading Arabia: British Orientalism in the Age of Mass Publication 1880–1930
By Andrew C. Long
Syracuse University Press, 2014
 
The Hollywood epic, “Lawrence of Arabia,” immortalized the familiar story of T.E. Lawrence.

Countering the Paradigm of Arab Othering Through Art

Rebecca Joubin
 
Technology has played the muse for a new generation of Arab artists who came of age during a time of vast expansion in the Internet, satellite television, and digital technology. The exciting new book, “Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art: View from Inside” showcases the diverse talents of 49 of the leading artists from thirteen different Arab countries. The book gives voice to individuals who otherwise might not be heard in the Western World. 

Orientalism’s Children: 'Voices from the Threshold'

By 
Angele Ellis
 
Nearly 11 years ago, an automobile accident on a dusty Jordanian road cut Susan Atefat-Peckham’s life and work short. The Iranian American poet, memoirist and Full bright Scholar now takes her rightful place among the likes of Gregorgy Orfalea and Sharif Elmusa with her “Talking Through the Door.” The anthology transports readers to various eras and exotic locales, going back to Ibn Hazm’s 10th-century Cordoba, the Lebanon of World War I, pre-revolutionary Iran as well as 1950s and 60s Ohio. “Readers will find that these works carry with them a power and promise so life-affirming that Lisa Suhair Majaj describes them as ‘sustenance.’”
 
Talking Through the Door: An Anthology of Contemporary Middle Eastern American Writing
Edited by Susan Atefat-Peckham
Foreword by Lisa Suhair Majaj
Syracuse University Press, 2014
 
It has been nearly eleven years since an automobile accident cut Susan Atefat-Peckham’s work and life short while she pursued a Fulbright Scholarship in

Round Rumps, Clapping Feet and Other Polite Profanities

By Lynne Rogers
 
Leg Over Leg, Volume One & Volume Two
By Ahmad Faris Al-Shidyaq, edited and translated by Humphrey Davies
New York University Press, 2013
 
If you happen to have an Arab literary scholar, a linguist or an Arab comedian on your gift list this year, I suggest Humphrey Davies’ bilingual translation of “Leg Over Leg or Turtle in the Tree concerning the Fariyaq What ma
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Books

Evelyn Shakir: Memoirs of an Arab-American Writer, Teacher, and Humanist

By 
By Lynne Rogers

 The World lost a great writer, teacher, scholar, and humanist when Arab-American Evelyn Shakir finally succumbed to breast cancer in 2010. Fortunately, Shakir bequeathed a rich literary legacy to her students, family, and admirers, one that reached its pinnacle with the publication of her final book, "Teaching Arabs, Writing Self, Memoirs of an Arab-American Woman," which is reviewed by Lynne Rogers for Al Jadid. The work documents her experiences growing up as a Lebanese American, as well as her adventures teaching abroad in Lebanon, Bahrain, and Damascus. Interesting characters, observations, and experiences, all related in her gentle, humorous, and often ironic style, make this book one readers will not want to miss. Shakir avoids the pitfalls of being overly didactic through the simple but profound expediency of revealing the social history and politics of each particular moment through a wealth of human interaction.

Teaching Arabs, Writing Self, Memoirs of an Arab-American Woman
By Evelyn Shakir
Olive Branch Press. 2014. 170 pp.  

Living with Voices: Magical Realism in War-Torn Iran

Lynne Rogers
 
This riveting story will hold the reader spellbound as Ravanipur employs magical realism to illuminate the searing realities of life in war-torn Iran. Afsaneh Sarboland can remember little about her reasons for fleeing her home and husband in the middle of the night, and must deal with the unjust assumptions and indictments of Iranian patriarchy. Driven to the point of madness by abuse and the devastating Iran-Iraq War, the embattled woman must also come to terms with her personal demons, who have taken on internal lives and personalities of their own. In a world gone mad, Ravanipur skillfully leads her readers to the startling conclusion that Afsaneh’s internal dialogs represent a peculiar form of sanity, appropriate to the realities of her family and country. 

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