Tag Archives: Middle East

The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Anonymous

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Thistle

Most of today I’ve been practically an invalid, and have had to leave off reading Vanity Fair because it’s too heavy to carry in one hand. So, I pulled Gilgamesh off the shelf for a short, lighter read while I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Habibi, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Thistle

Did people who committed acts of violence think their victims and their victims’ relatives would just forget? Didn’t people see? How violence went on and on like a terrible wheel? Could you stand in front of a wheel to make … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Thistle

This book is about two women, Miriam and Laila, who are married to the same abusive man, Rasheed, in Kabul. The two women are about twenty years apart in age, and the book explores their lives prior to, during, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

In the Land of Invisible Women, by Qanta A. Ahmed

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Thistle

I hardly know what to say about this book. I’ve been trying to read it for the last two weeks, and though it’s only 437 pages long, I struggled to get through it. I don’t want to say it’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Kabul Beauty School, by Deborah Rodriguez

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Thistle

As opposed to The Bookseller of Kabul, I really enjoyed this book. It is about an American woman who goes to Afghanistan with a relief group. She’s a hairdresser, not a medical professional or any other professional whose skills were … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Thistle

In her introduction, Seierstad states that she met Sultan Khan (the bookseller, whose name has been changed for anonymity) in Kabul, Afghanistan, after spending six months tagging along as a journalist with the military offensive in the country. She was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

[refuge], by multiple authors

Posted on March 21, 2008 by Thistle

In February 2008, I went to Palestine to visit my sister and to be there for her wedding. I met her husband, Rami, who is a Palestinian refugee. Before I left, he gave me a copy of this book, which … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Poetry, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment