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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.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Janet Griebel
reviewed West of the Jordan: A Novel on August 21, 2007
West of the Jordan: A Novel
This book took a while for me to really get in to. The way it was structured was a little confusing. The book is about four cousins, each chapter has the name of the cousin as the chapter title (they are all girls, there are multiple chapters with the same title). The only thing is--the chapters are from different viewpoints, but about that cousin. The first four chapters are from the cousins' viewpoints, their own narratives. Then the next chapters might be from the viewpoint of the mothers or grandmothers, or back to the cousins. It was confusing.
Once I did get into it, and started to get all the identities correct, I started to really like it. I'm thinking of re-reading this book almost immediately to see what I can get out of it if I read it with a better understanding of what's going on. This would be a good book to read in a class, where you can struggle with the understanding together, and maybe learn about some of the traditions and fables associated with the story. All around, I really liked it.
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Add West of the Jordan: A Novel, 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 t, West of the Jordan: A Novel to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add West of the Jordan: A Novel, 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 t, West of the Jordan: A Novel to your collection on WonderClub |