{"id":210,"date":"2021-05-06T04:19:13","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T04:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/book-groups\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T14:00:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T12:00:51","slug":"book-club","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/book-club\/","title":{"rendered":"The Markaz Book Club"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Welcome to the Markaz Review Book Club, moderated by Rana Asfour,<br \/>\nwe meet online every month to discuss the latest title.<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/678a7a53.sibforms.com\/serve\/MUIFAGHqAYMhTAujLZVwJQvRvcEUAWtde3Y3No0ZZKMQrNyLuZqVAC38_z2X9FIeOYjddy1t5EbGOpbJOjoGx64-03WbFW4veLcJgerw9RmRyfykpu15koOiipKGsWP3-duo1thKdfH9z_zeXRs02czgwDiftn-PM6_A4wR8TZy6LRDMAcm-eiS5pg0onJ4ywVvPGQD9_94YG7mr\" width=\"540\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The September 2025 selection is <a href=\"https:\/\/coffeehousepress.org\/products\/sand-catcher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Sand-Catcher<\/em><\/a> by Omar Khalifah, translated by Barbara Romaine<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong data-wp-editing=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coffeehousepress.org\/products\/sand-catcher\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36630\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Sand-Catcher_1024x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Sand-Catcher_1024x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Sand-Catcher_1024x1024-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Sand-Catcher_1024x1024-600x900.webp 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><\/a>We will meet to discuss the book online on Sunday, September 28th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET. <a href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/frMViDbvSGOnvaMiaNJI1Q\">Sign up here to participate in the discussion<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A sardonic, thrilling fable about collective memory and the many ways it can be saved or subverted. Omar Khalifa&#8217;s debut novel <em>Sand-Catcher<\/em> is at once a polyphonic satire and a tightly plotted tale of suspense. Walking the line between gallows humor, rage, and depthless heartbreak, it is a unique reflection of contemporary Palestinian identity in all its facets.<\/p>\n<p>Four young, Palestinian journalists at a Jordanian newspaper are tasked, on account of their heritage, with profiling one of the last living witnesses of the Nakba, the violent expulsion of native Palestinians by the nascent state of Israel in 1948. Confident that the old man will be all too happy to go on record, the reporters are nonplussed when they are repeatedly, and obscenely, rebuffed. This living witness to history, this secular saint, has no desire to be interviewed, no desire for his memories to be preserved, no desire to serve as an inspiration for the youth of tomorrow. What he wants is to be left alone.<\/p>\n<p>As threats from the team&#8217;s editor-in-chief put more and more pressure on the journalists, they must decide just how far they&#8217;re willing to go to get the old man on the record. After all, what possible weight can one stubborn demand for privacy have when balanced against the imperative to bear witness?<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the author &amp; translator:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Omar Khalifah<\/strong> (author) is a novelist and short story writer in Arabic. His book, Nasser in the Egyptian Imaginary, was published in English by Edinburgh University Press in 2017. His collection Ka\u2019annani Ana (As If I Were Myself) was published in Amman, Jordan in 2010, and his novel Qabid al-Raml (Sand-Catcher) was published in 2020. His articles have appeared in Middle East Critique and Journal of World Literature. A Fulbright scholar, Khalifah is assistant professor of Arabic Literature and Culture at Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Barbara Romaine<\/strong> is an academic and literary translator. She has published translations of five novels, most recently Waiting for the Past (Syracuse University Press, 2022), by the Iraqi novelist Hadiya Hussein. She has held two NEA fellowships in translation, one of which was for her work on Radwa Ashour&amp;#39;s Spectres (Interlink Books, 2011). Spectres went on to place second in the 2011 Saif Ghobash-Banipal international translation competition. Romaine\u2019s translations of essays, short stories, and classical poetry have appeared in a variety of literary periodicals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Published by Coffee House Press, 2024. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/frMViDbvSGOnvaMiaNJI1Q\">Sign up here to participate in the discussion<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The October 2025 selection is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/us\/harraga-9781620402269\/\"><em>Harraga<\/em><\/a> by Boualem Sansal, translated by Frank Wynne<\/h4>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/us\/harraga-9781620402269\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36631\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/9781620402269.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/9781620402269.jpg 540w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/9781620402269-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong data-wp-editing=\"1\">We will meet to discuss the book online on Sunday, October 26th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harraga<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The term means &#8220;to burn,&#8221; and it refers to those Algerians in exile, who burn their identity papers to seek asylum in Europe. But for Boualem Sansal, whose novels are banned in his own country, there is a kind of internal exile even for those who stay; and for no one is it worse than for the country&#8217;s women.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lamia is thirty-five years old and a doctor. Having lost most of her family, she is accustomed to living alone, unmarried, and contentedly independent when a teenage girl, Ch\u00e9rifa, arrives on her doorstep. Ch\u00e9rifa is pregnant by Lamia&#8217;s brother in exile &#8212; Lamia&#8217;s first indication since he left that he is alive and she&#8217;ll surely be killed if she returns to her parents. Lamia grudgingly offers her hospitality; Ch\u00e9rifa ungratefully accepts it. But she is restless and obstinate, and before long she runs away, out into the hostile streets leaving Lamia to track her, fearing for the life of the girl she has come, improbably, to love as family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boualem Sansal creates, in Lamia, an incredible narrator: cultured, caustic, and compassionate, with an ironic contempt for the government, she is utterly convincing. With his deceptively simple story, Sansal delivers a brave indictment of fundamentalism that is also warm and wonderfully humane.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About the author &amp; the translator:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Boualem Sansal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was born in Algiers, Algeria, in 1949. Trained as an engineer with a doctorate in economics, he began writing novels at the age of 50 after retiring from his job as a high-ranking official in the Algerian government. The assassination of President Boudiaf in 1992 and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Algeria inspired him to write about his country. Sansal writes in French, and his work has won top literary awards in France, among them the Prix du Premier Roman in 1999. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/algeria-author-arrest-criticism-cf1233b3d3f9d7fd79a57f1f256761bf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Politicians, writers and activists have called for the release of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, whose arrest in Algeria in December 2024 is seen as the latest instance of the stifling of creative expression in the military-dominated North African country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Frank Wynne<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a literary translator. Born in Ireland, he\u00a0 moved to France\u00a0 in 1984. He began translating literature in the late 1990s, and in 2001 decided to devote himself to this full time. He has translated works by, among others, Michel Houellebecq, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Beigbeder, Ahmadou Kourouma, Boualem Sansal, Claude Lanzmann, T\u00f3mas Eloy Mart\u00ednez and Almudena Grandes.\u00a0 His work has earned him\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.terribleman.com\/awards-and-nominations\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a number of awards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including the\u00a0 Scott Moncrieff Prize\u00a0 and the Premio Valle Incl\u00e1n. Most recently, his translation of Vernon Subutex was shortlisted for the Man Booker International 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Published by Bloomsbury, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The November 2025 selection is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afsanapress.uk\/product\/whispering-walls\/\"><em>Whispering Walls<\/em><\/a> by Choman Hardi<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong data-wp-editing=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.afsanapress.uk\/product\/whispering-walls\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36632\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/988854443.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"255\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/988854443.jpg 400w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/988854443-191x300.jpg 191w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><\/a>We will meet to discuss the book online on Sunday, November 30th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The U.S. invasion of Iraq is looming. Three siblings \u2013 two in London, one in Slemany \u2013 recall their troubled past. Stories of war, displacement, and coming to terms with the tragedies of a Kurdish family, all told from their different perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torn between two countries and various life stories, the siblings find themselves dealing with complex life choices and the mystery of their sister\u2019s suicide 22 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whispering Walls\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a story of love, relationships, affection, and hope, with a cautious view of the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About the author:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Choman Hardi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an educator, poet, and scholar whose work is informed by an intersectional approach to inequality. She is renowned for her pioneering work on issues of gender and education. She returned home after twenty-six years of displacement, to teach English and initiate gender studies at the American University of Iraq- Sulaimani (AUIS). She founded\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/auis.edu.krd\/CGDS\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Center for Gender and Development Studies\u00a0<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(CGDS) there. She is the author of critically acclaimed books in the fields of poetry, academia, and translation. Her translation of Sherko Bekas\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Butterfly Valley<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ARC Publishing) won a PEN Translates Award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Published by Afsana Press, 2023.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Past Events :<\/h4>\n<h4>The July 2025 selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/redhen.org\/book\/the-burning-heart-of-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Burning Heart of the World<\/em><\/a> by Nancy Kricorian<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong data-wp-editing=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/redhen.org\/book\/the-burning-heart-of-the-world\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36629\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1-640x1024.jpg 640w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1-768x1229.jpg 768w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1-960x1536.jpg 960w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The-Burning-Heart-of-the-World-CVR-300dpi-RGB-1-600x960.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, July 27th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In vivid, poetic prose, Nancy Kricorian\u2019s <em>The Burning Heart of the World<\/em> tells the story of a Beirut Armenian family before, during, and after the Lebanese Civil War. Returning to the fabular tone of Zabelle, her popular first novel, Kricorian conjures up the lost worlds and intergenerational traumas that haunt a family in permanent exile. Leavened with humor and imbued with the timelessness of a folktale, <em>The Burning Heart of the World<\/em> is a sweeping saga that takes readers on an epic journey from the mountains of Cilicia to contemporary New York City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the author:<\/strong><br \/>\nNancy Kricorian is the author of the novels <em>Zabelle<\/em>, <em>Dreams of Bread and Fire<\/em>, and <em>All The Light There Was<\/em>, focused on post-genocide Armenian diaspora life. She has taught at Barnard, Columbia, Yale, and New York University, as well as with Teacher &amp; Writers Collaborative in the New York City Public Schools and for the Palestine Writing Workshop in Birzeit. She has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Gold Medal from the Writers Union of Armenia, and the Anahid Literary Award. She lives in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Published by Red Hen Press, 2025.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The June 2025 selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.selkieshouse.com\/the-guardian-of-surfaces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Guardian of Surfaces<\/em><\/a> (UK) (<a href=\"https:\/\/restlessbooks.org\/bookstore\/thebookcensorslibrary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Book Censor\u2019s Library<\/em><\/a> -US) by Bothayna Al Essa, translated by Sawad Hussain &amp; Ranya Abdelrahman<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/restlessbooks.org\/bookstore\/thebookcensorslibrary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36528\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/TheBookCensorsLibraryPaperback_coverfinal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/TheBookCensorsLibraryPaperback_coverfinal.jpg 500w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/TheBookCensorsLibraryPaperback_coverfinal-208x300.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, June 29th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A national book award finalist, the novel is a reckoning with the global threat to free speech and the bleak future it all but guarantees. Bothayna Al-Essa marries the steely dystopia of Orwell&#8217;s 1984 with the madcap absurdity of Carroll&#8217;s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alice in Wonderland<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, resulting in a dreadful twist worthy of Kafka.\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Guardian of Surfaces\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a warning call and a love letter to stories and the delicious act of losing oneself in them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new book censor has not slept soundly in weeks. By day, he combs through manuscripts at a government office, looking for anything that would make a book unfit to publish-allusions to queerness, unapproved religions, any mention of life before the Revolution. By night, pilfered novels pile up in the house he shares with his wife and daughter, and the characters of literary classics crowd his dreams. As the siren song of forbidden reading continues to beckon, he descends into a netherworld of resistance fighters, undercover booksellers, and outlaw librarians trying to save their history and culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About the author &amp; the translators:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Bothayna Al-Essa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (author) is the bestselling Kuwaiti author of nearly a dozen novels and additional children\u2019s books. She is also the founder of Takween, a bookshop and publisher of critically acclaimed works. Her most recent book,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Book Censor\u2019s Library<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, won the Sharjah Award for Creativity in the novel category in 2021 and is her third novel to appear in English, after\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lost in Mecca<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All That I Want to Forget<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Al-Essa was author-in-residence at the British Centre for Literary Translation for the summer of 2023, and the recipient of Kuwait\u2019s Nation Encouragement Award for her fiction in 2003 and 2012. She has written books on writing and led writing workshops throughout the Arab world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Sawad Hussain<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u202fis a translator from Arabic whose work in 2023 was shortlisted for The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation and the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, and longlisted for The Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing. She is a judge for the Palestine Book Awards and the Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation (2024 cycle). Her most recent translations include\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edo\u2019s Souls<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0by Stella Gaitano (Dedalus Books),<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Djinn\u2019s Apple<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u202fby Djamila Morani (Neem Tree Press).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ranya Abdelrahman<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is a translator of Arabic literature into English. After working for more than 16 years in the information technology industry, she changed careers to pursue her interest in books, promoting reading and translation. Abdelrahman has published translations in\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ArabLit Quarterly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Markaz Review<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Common<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and is the translator of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of Time<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a short story collection by Palestinian author Samira Azzam.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The May 2025 selection is <a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/9781649033901\/honey-hunger\/\"><i>Honey Hunger<\/i>\u00a0<\/a>by Zahran Alqasmi, translated by Marilyn Booth<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/9781649033901\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-36527\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9781649033901.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9781649033901.avif 298w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/9781649033901-191x300.avif 191w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, May 25th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A novel of longing, uncertainty, and ultimately of hope, written by an International Prize for Arabic Fiction-winning author and an International Booker-prize winning translator.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Azzan is a beekeeper in a rural community in Oman. Devoted to tending his bees and searching for wild hives, he encounters Thamna, a lone shepherd woman, on a mountain slope and is captivated by her and her honey-colored eyes.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across the vistas of Oman\u2019s remote mountains and plains, Azzan\u2019s troubled past and present unfold. A disappointment to his family, he turns to drink, and ultimately discovers the healing power of his beekeeping, before an accident in which he loses all.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zahran Alqasmi\u2019s masterful novel thrums forward with a subtle momentum. His lucid, poetic writing conveys a visceral sense of time and place, of the fragile ecologies inhabited by both bees and humans alike, in this intense and compelling novel of loss and hope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by Hoopoe, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><b>About the author &amp; translator:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Zahran Alqasmi\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Author) is an Omani poet and novelist, born in the Sultanate of Oman in 1974.\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Honey<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hunger\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was his third of four published novels, and in 2023 he won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Water Diviner.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He has also published ten poetry collections and a collection of short stories.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><b>Marilyn Booth\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Translated by) is professor emerita, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Magdalen College, Oxford University. She has translated many works of Arabic fiction into English. Her translations of Omani author Jokha Alharthi include\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bitter Orange Tree\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Celestial Bodies<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which was awarded the International Booker Prize. She has also translated Hoda Barakat, Hassan Daoud, Elias Khoury, Latifa al-Zayyat, and Nawal al-Saadawi. Her research publications focus on Arabophone women\u2019s writing and the ideology of gender debates in the nineteenth century, most recently\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Career and Communities of Zaynab Fawwaz: Feminist Thinking in\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fin-de-si\u00e8cle\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Egypt.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The April 2025 selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.graywolfpress.org\/books\/dissenters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Dissenters<\/em><\/a> by Youssef Rakha<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.graywolfpress.org\/books\/dissenters\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-35562\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/9781644453193.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/9781644453193.jpg 703w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/9781644453193-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/9781644453193-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/9781644453193-600x900.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, April 27th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Hallucinatory, erotic, and stylish,\u00a0<em>The Dissenters<\/em>\u00a0is a transcendent portrait of a woman and an era that explodes our ideas of faith, gender roles, freedom, and political agency.<\/p>\n<p>Amna, Nimo, Mouna\u2014these are all names for a single Egyptian woman whose life has mirrored that of her country. After her death in 2015, her son, Nour, ascends to the attic of their house where he glimpses her in a series of ever more immersive visions: Amna as a young woman forced into an arranged marriage in the 1950s, a coquettish student of French known to her confidants as Nimo, a self-made divorcee and a lover, a \u201cpious mama\u201d donning her hijab, and, finally, a feminist activist during the Arab Spring. Charged and renewed by these visions of a woman he has always known as Mouna, Nour begins a series of fevered letters to his sister\u2014who has been estranged from Mouna and from Egypt for many years\u2014in an attempt to reconcile what both siblings know about this mercurial woman, their country, and the possibility for true revolution after so much has failed.<\/p>\n<p>Published by Graywolf Press, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Youssef Rakha<\/strong> is an Egyptian novelist, poet and critic working in both Arabic and English. His short story collection,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/youssef-rakha-practices-literary-deception-in-emissaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Emissaries<\/em><\/a>, is out from Barakunan. His first novel <em>The Dissenters<\/em>, is his first novel. He lives with his family in Cairo.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The March 2025 selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sevenstories.com\/books\/4653-sumud?srsltid=AfmBOoqMThv0amJ0R8l3-Z7k9zDY8mA9H68qAJ_LMTflpomcyF_2plBV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Sum\u016bd: A New Palestinian Reader<\/em><\/a> edited by TMR editors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sevenstories.com\/authors\/672-malu-halasa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malu Halasa<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sevenstories.com\/authors\/673-jordan-elgrably\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jordan Elgrably<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sevenstories.com\/books\/4653-sumud?srsltid=AfmBOoqMThv0amJ0R8l3-Z7k9zDY8mA9H68qAJ_LMTflpomcyF_2plBV\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-35348\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Sumud-pre-sales-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"273\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Sumud-pre-sales-image.jpg 644w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Sumud-pre-sales-image-205x300.jpg 205w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Sumud-pre-sales-image-600x878.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 273px) 100vw, 273px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, March 30th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>When governments around the world enable the genocide of a people and the dilapidation of a sacred homeland, the Palestinian people stand fast and resist. The fifty-eight contributions in this collection remind readers that just as love perseveres, so do the Palestinians, and their struggles and triumphs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sumud<\/em> stands for a rich riposte to those who would denigrate Palestinians\u2019 aspirations for a homeland. It also serves as a timely reminder of culture\u2019s power and importance during occupation and war. This anthology\u00a0spans the 20th and 21st centuries\u00a0of Palestinian cultural history, and highlights writing from 2021\u20132024. It also includes twenty-five black-and-white illustrations by Palestinian artists.<\/p>\n<p>Published by Seven Stories Press, 2025.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The February 2025 selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Too-Soon\/Betty-Shamieh\/9781668046548\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Too Soon: A novel<\/em><\/a> by Betty Shamieh<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Too-Soon\/Betty-Shamieh\/9781668046548\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-35561\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-675x1024.jpg 675w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-768x1166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-1012x1536.jpg 1012w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-1349x2048.jpg 1349w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/too-soon-9781668046548_hr-600x911.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online with the author on Sunday, February 23rd at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>For readers of <em>Pachinko and Queenie<\/em>, a funny, sexy, and heart-wrenching literary debut that explores exile, ambition, and hope across three generations of Palestinian American women, Arabella, Zoya, and Naya.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty-five-year-old Arabella, a New York theatre director whose dating and career prospects are drying up, is offered an opportunity to direct a risqu\u00e9 cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare classic\u2014that might garner international attention\u2014in the West Bank. Her mother, Naya, and grandmother, Zoya, hatch a plot to match her with Aziz, a Palestinian American doctor volunteering in Gaza. Arabella agrees to meet Aziz, since her growing feelings for Yoav, a celebrated Israeli American theatre designer, seem destined for disaster&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>With biting hilarity, <em>Too Soon<\/em> introduces us to a trio of bold and unforgettable voices. This dramatic saga follows one family\u2019s epic journey fleeing war-torn Jaffa in 1948, chasing the American Dream in Detroit and San Francisco in the sixties and seventies, hustling in the New York theatre scene post-9\/11, and daring to stage a show in Palestine in 2012. Upon learning one of them is living on borrowed time, the three women fight to live, make art, and love on their own terms. A funny, sexy, and heart-wrenching literary debut, <em>Too Soon<\/em> illuminates our shared history and asks, how can we set ourselves free?<\/p>\n<p>Published by Simon &amp; Schuster, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Betty Shamieh<\/strong> is a Palestinian American writer and the author of fifteen plays. She is the playwright-in-residence at the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Her six New York play premieres include the sold-out off-Broadway runs of\u00a0<em>Roar<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Malvolio<\/em>, a sequel to\u00a0<em>Twelfth Night<\/em>, which were both\u00a0<em>New York Times\u00a0<\/em>Critic\u2019s Picks. Shamieh was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and named a UNESCO Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue. She is a founding artistic director of The Semitic Root, a collective that supports innovative theatre co-created by Arab and Jewish Americans. A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, she lives with her family in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The January 2025 novel was <a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/9781649033765\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Granada: the complete trilogy<\/em><\/a> by Radwa Ashour<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/9781649033765\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-35559 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/81E6iBzX4L._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-e1733399459680.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a>We met to discuss the book online with translator Kay Heikkinen on Sunday, January 26th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Named a top literary work of the 20th century by the Arab Writers\u2019 Union, this multigenerational epic\u00a0is set at the collapse of Muslim rule in Medieval Spain, available now for the first time in a new, complete translation.<\/p>\n<p>Set in 1492, <em>Granada<\/em> is about an ordinary Muslim family who must survive the Christian conquest of Arabic Spain. As the Castilian forces enter Granada, Muslims are slowly stripped of their rights: confiscations, forced conversions, and expulsions.<\/p>\n<p>As the triumphant new masters of Granada burn books, Abu Jaafar, a bookseller by trade, quietly moves his rich library out of town, while preparing for the marriage of his granddaughter Saleema to his apprentice Saad. The tangled lives of Abu Jaafar\u2019s family, his descendants, and his community bear witness to the vanquishing of Muslim life.<\/p>\n<p>Radwa Ashour\u2019s sweeping trilogy, set over one hundred years against the backdrop of the great historical events of 16<sup>th<\/sup> century Europe, tells the story of those who remained in Andalusia, of the individuals who struggled to maintain faith and hope for a possible future. It narrates a community\u2019s effort to comprehend what has happened to them, of their valiant but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to resist the destruction of their identity.<\/p>\n<p>Published by Hoopoe, translated by Kay Heikkinen, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the author and translator:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Radwa Ashour<\/strong>\u00a0(1946\u20132014) is a highly acclaimed Egyptian writer and scholar. She is the author of more than fifteen works of fiction, memoir, and criticism, including\u00a0<em>Granada<\/em>\u00a0(AUC Press, 2008) and\u00a0<em>The Woman from Tantoura<\/em>\u00a0(AUC Press, 2014), and was a recipient of the Constantine Cavafy Prize for Literature and the prestigious Owais Prize for Fiction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kay Heikkinen<\/strong>\u00a0is a translator and academic who holds a PhD from Harvard University. She was previously Ibn Rushd Lecturer of Arabic at the University of Chicago. Among other books, she has translated Naguib Mahfouz\u2019s\u00a0<em>In the Time of Love,\u00a0<\/em>Radwa Ashour\u2019s\u00a0<em>The Woman From Tantoura<\/em>, and Huzama Habayeb&#8217;s\u00a0<em>Velvet<\/em>, for which she was awarded the 2020 Saif-Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation. She lives in Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The November novel was <em>Selamlik<\/em> by Khaled Alesmael<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33312 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781642861488-188x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781642861488-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781642861488.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><strong>We met to discuss the book online with the author on Sunday, November 24th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An unflinching story about Arab masculinity and homoeroticism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furat, a Syrian in his early 20s, visits Sibki Park in Damascus, one of the city&#8217;s most popular cruising areas. There he learns about the hammams, secret meeting places for gay men located throughout the old city. Inside these public baths, the air is thick with the scent of bay laurel soap, and naked men hide in the steam. Furat faces sometimes violent disapproval from all levels of society, religion, and the man in the street&#8211;and yet he manages to find the love he&#8217;s been seeking just before his world collapses and he&#8217;s forced to flee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selamlik<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is the story of Furat&#8217;s journey, along with that of other refugees. It&#8217;s a journey in which they face physical and economic hardship, draconian migration laws, and the unwelcome grief, shame, and hatred they&#8217;ve carried with them from their ever more distant pasts. Despite everything, Furat remains steadfast in his pursuit of passion, pleasure, and love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by World Editions, translated by Leri Price, 2024 (pages 240).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The October novel was <em>The Jinn Daughter<\/em> by Rania Hanna<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33311 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781649033635-191x300.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781649033635-191x300.avif 191w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/9781649033635.avif 298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><strong>We met to discuss the book online with author Rania Hanna on Sunday, October 27th at 1 pm Eastern.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nadine is a jinn tasked with one job: telling the stories of the dead. She rises every morning to gather pomegranate seeds\u2014the souls of the dead\u2014that have fallen during the night. With her daughter Layala at her side, she eats the seeds and tells their stories. Only then can the departed pass through the final gate of death.<\/p>\n<p>But when the seeds stop falling, Nadine knows something is terribly wrong. All her worst fears are confirmed when she is visited by Kamuna, Death herself and ruler of the underworld, who reveals her desire for someone to replace her: it is Layala she wants.<\/p>\n<p>Nadine will do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, but Kamuna has little patience and a ruthless drive to get what she has come for. Layala\u2019s fate, meanwhile, hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n<p>Rooted in Middle Eastern mythology, Rania Hanna deftly weaves subtle, yet breathtaking, magic through this vivid and compelling story that has at its heart the universal human desire to, somehow, outmaneuver death.<\/p>\n<p>Published by AUC Press (Hoopoe), 274 pages.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The September novel was <em>Stories from the Center of the World: New Middle East Fiction<\/em>, edited by Jordan Elgrably<\/h4>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33310 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/6JkIJrbCIKi1ROvuaXeCj5FDYt4US2sSCa1Xb2lKbZJC9y2HEUD4UyJnVQXXRgSpKd3clrguxxVxMsize640-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/6JkIJrbCIKi1ROvuaXeCj5FDYt4US2sSCa1Xb2lKbZJC9y2HEUD4UyJnVQXXRgSpKd3clrguxxVxMsize640-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/6JkIJrbCIKi1ROvuaXeCj5FDYt4US2sSCa1Xb2lKbZJC9y2HEUD4UyJnVQXXRgSpKd3clrguxxVxMsize640.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, September 29th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>One of\u00a0<i>The Millions<\/i>\u00a0Most Anticipated Books for Spring!<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Featured in\u00a0<i>Alta Magazine\u2019s<\/i>\u00a0New Books for May!<br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Short stories from 25 emerging and established writers of Middle Eastern and North African origins, a unique collection of voices and viewpoints that illuminate life in the global Arab\/Muslim world.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u201cProvocative and subtle, nuanced and surprising, these stories demonstrate how this complicated and rich region might best be approached\u2013through the power of literature.\u201d\u2013<strong>Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of<em>\u00a0The Committed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>Stories from the Center of the World<\/i>\u00a0gathers new writing from the greater Middle East (or SWANA), a vast region that stretches from Southwest Asia, through the Middle East and Turkey, and across Northern Africa. The 25 authors included here come from a wide range of cultures and countries, including Palestine, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco, to name some.<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cAsha and Haaji,\u201d\u00a0<b>Hanif Kureishi<\/b>\u00a0takes up the cause of outsiders who become uprooted when war or disaster strikes and they flee for safe haven. In\u00a0<b>Nektaria Anastasiadou<\/b>\u2018s \u201cThe Location of the Soul According to Benyamin Alhadeff,\u201d two students in Istanbul from different classes \u2014 and religions that have often been at odds with one another \u2014 believe they can overcome all obstacles.\u00a0<b>MK Harb<\/b>\u2018s story, \u201cCounter Strike,\u201d is about queer love among Beiruti adolescents; and\u00a0<b>Salar Abdoh<\/b>\u2018s \u201cThe Long Walk of the Martyrs\u201d invites us into the world of former militants, fighters who fought ISIS or Daesh in Iraq and Syria, who are having a hard time readjusting to civilian life. In \u201cEleazar,\u201d\u00a0<b>Karim Kattan<\/b>\u00a0tells an unexpected Palestinian story in which the usual antagonists \u2014 Israeli occupation forces \u2014 are mostly absent, while another malevolent force seems to overtake an unsuspecting family.\u00a0<b>Omar El Akkad<\/b>\u2018s \u201cThe Icarist\u201d is a coming-of-age story about the underworld in which illegal immigrants are forced to live, and what happens when one dares to break away.<\/p>\n<p><b>Contributors include:\u00a0<\/b><b>Salar Abdoh, Leila Aboulela, Farah Ahamed, Omar El Akkad, Sarah AlKahly-Mills, Nektaria Anastasiadou, Amany Kamal Eldin, Jordan Elgrably, Omar Foda, May Haddad,\u00a0<\/b><b>Danial Haghighi,\u00a0<\/b><b>Malu Halasa, MK Harb, Alireza Iranmehr,\u00a0<\/b><b>Karim Kattan,\u00a0<\/b><b>Hanif Kureishi, Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, Diary Marif, Tariq Mehmood, Sahar Mustafah, Mohammed Al-Naas, Ahmed Naji, Mai Al-Nakib, Abdellah Taia, and Natasha Tynes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Published by CityLights Books, 2024 (342 pages).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The July novel was <em>The Oud Player of Cairo <\/em>by Jasmin Attia (Sunday, July 28th)<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33309 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-662x1024.jpg 662w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-768x1187.jpg 768w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-994x1536.jpg 994w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1-600x928.jpg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Oud-Player-of-Cairo-1325x2048-1.jpg 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><strong>We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, July 28th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrantly descriptive and evocative of the waning colonial world in Egypt during the mid-20th century, this debut historical novel by Jasmin Attia is the compelling story of a young Egyptian woman, Laila, who defies the restrictive traditional roles set for women of that time, and instead follows the path inspired by her musician father, a much-beloved oud player, to become a singer and performer In her own right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After extricating herself from an abusive marriage, Laila struggles to maintain her independence as a singer in Cairo&#8217;s chic international nightclubs, and embarks on an affair that puts her in grave danger, forcing her to make a decision that will forever alter the course of her life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by Schaffner Press, 360 pages.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The June 2024 novel was <em>On t<\/em><em>he Isle of Antioch <\/em>by Amin Maalouf, translated by Natasha Lehrer<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-31871\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-194x300.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-194x300.webp 194w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-663x1024.webp 663w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-768x1185.webp 768w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-995x1536.webp 995w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1-600x926.webp 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/MAALOUF-scaled-1.webp 1244w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this dystopian novel about total collapse by internationally renowned author Amin Maalouf, a complete blackout hits a small island with only two solitary inhabitants, who suddenly have to depend on each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alec, a press artist with an impressive track record, settles on a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean. He has little contact with his neighbor, a solitary woman who wrote a cult book years ago, before withdrawing from public life. That is, until a gigantic power failure cuts them off from the rest of the world, and all of a sudden they find themselves dependent on each other. The world appears to be on the brink of nuclear war and the collapse of civilization seems imminent. Just who are the mysterious friends of Empedocles, the gang of otherworldly protectors who came swooping in to interfere with the US presidency and cure all illness? Should we trust them?\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the Isle of Antioch<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is a suspenseful novel with mythological roots, written in the dreamy language of the classics, by internationally renowned scholar Amin Maalouf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by World Editions. We met to talk about the book online on Sunday, June 30th at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<p><b>About the author:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>AMIN MAALOUF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was born in Beirut and lived there until the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. He settled in Paris in 1976 and published his first book, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, in 1983. In 1993, The Rock of Tanios, his fifth novel, won the Goncourt Prize, the most prestigious literary award in France. Maalouf is a member of the Acad\u00e9mie Fran\u00e7aise and in 2010 was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature for his entire oeuvre. In 2021 he was voted one of 12 International Writers by the Royal Society of Literature, an initiative celebrating the power of literature to transcend borders and bring people together. He was awarded both the Terzani Prize and the Malaparte Prize for Adrift, also published in English by World Editions. His work has been translated into 50 languages and his most recent bestselling novel available in English is The Disoriented.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>About the translator:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>NATASHA LEHRER<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a prizewinning writer, translator, and editor. Her long-form journalism and book reviews have appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Times Literary Supplement, the Nation, Haaretz, and Fantastic Man, among others, and she is literary editor of the Jewish Quarterly. She has contributed to several books, including a chapter on France in Looking for an Enemy: 8 Essays on Antisemitism, edited by Jo Glanville. The writers she has translated include Nathalie L\u00e9ger, Chantal Thomas, Vanessa Springora, Victor Segalen, Robert Desnos, and Georges Bataille.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See book club questions <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldeditions.org\/product\/on-the-isle-of-antioch\/\"><b>HERE<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The May 2024 novel was <em>Where the Wind Calls Home\u00a0<\/em>by Samar Yazbek, translated by Leri Price<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-31870\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/123950862-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/123950862-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/123950862.jpg 324w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this new novel by Syria&#8217;s most prominent writer of the National Book Award Finalist\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planet of Clay<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a wounded nineteen-year-old soldier in the Syrian Army remembers his life lived in the traditional Alawite way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ali, a nineteen-year-old soldier in the Syrian army, lies on the ground beneath a tree. He sees a body being lowered into a hole&#8211;is this his funeral? There was that sudden explosion, wasn&#8217;t there &#8230; While trying to understand the extend of the damage, Ali works his way closer to the tree. His ultimate desire is to fly up to one of its branches, to safety. Through rich vignettes of Ali&#8217;s memories, we uncover the hardships of his traditional Syrian Alawite village, but also the richness and beauty of its cultural and religious heritage. Yazbek here explores the secrets of the Alawite faith and its relationship to nature and the elements in a tight poetic novel dense with life and hope and love.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/worldeditions.org\/product\/where-the-wind-calls-home\/\">World Editions<\/a>. We met to discuss the book together online on <strong>Wednesday, May 29th<\/strong> at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<p><b>About the author:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Samar Yazbek<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a Syrian writer, novelist, and journalist. She was born in Jableh in 1970 and studied literature before beginning her career as a journalist and a scriptwriter for Syrian television and film. Her novel\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planet of Clay<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also published by World Editions, was a finalist for the National Book Award and longlisted for the Warwick Women in Translation Prize. Her accounts of the Syrian conflict include\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Woman in the Crossfire: Diaries of the Syrian Revolution<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Yazbek\u2019s work has been translated into multiple languages and has been recognized with numerous awards\u2014notably, the French Best Foreign Book Award and the PEN-Oxfam Novib, PEN Tucholsky, and PEN Pinter awards. She was recently selected to be part of the International Writers Program with the Royal Society of Literature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About the translator:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Leri Price<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an award-winning literary translator of contemporary Arabic fiction. She has twice been a Finalist for the National Book Award for Translated Literature, in 2021 for her translations of Samar Yazbek\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Planet of Clay<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and in 2019 for Khaled Khalifa\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death is Hard Work<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Her translation of Khalifa\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death is Hard Work<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0also won the 2020 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See book club questions <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldeditions.org\/product\/where-the-wind-calls-home\/\"><b>HERE<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read an excerpt of the book <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/arablit.org\/2024\/02\/14\/an-excerpt-from-samar-yazbeks-where-the-wind-calls-home\/\"><b>HERE<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The April 2024 novel was <em>A Nearby Country Called Love: A Novel\u00a0<\/em>by Salar Abdoh<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-31869\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/51C4feCt-jL-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/51C4feCt-jL-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/51C4feCt-jL.jpg 331w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sweeping, propulsive novel about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves, in which a man struggles to find his place in an Iran on the brink of combusting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amid the alleyways of the Zamzam neighborhood of Tehran, a woman lights herself on fire in a desperate act of defiance, setting off a chain reaction of violence and protest. Haunted by the woman\u2019s death, Issa is forced to confront the contradictions of his own family history, throughout which his late brother\u00a0Hashem, a prominent queer artist in Tehran\u2019s underground, defied their\u00a0father, a skilled martial artist bound to traditional notions of honor and masculinity.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issa soon finds himself thrown into a circle of people living on the margins of society, negotiating a razor-like code of conduct that rewards loyalty and encourages aggression and intolerance in equal measure. As the city explodes around him, Issa realizes that it is the little acts of kindness that matter most, the everyday humanity of individuals finding love and doing right by one another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vibrant and evocative, intimate and intelligent,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Nearby Country Called Love\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is both a captivating window into contemporary Iran and a\u00a0portrait of the parallel fates of a man and his country\u2014a man who acknowledges the sullen and rumbling baggage of history but then chooses to step past its violent inheritance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/722131\/a-nearby-country-called-love-by-salar-abdoh\/\">Viking<\/a>. We met to talk about the book online on <strong>Wednesday, April 24th<\/strong> at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<p><b>About the author:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Salar Abdoh\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was born in Iran and splits his time between Tehran and New York City. He is the author of the novels\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tehran at Twilight<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Poet Game<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opium<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of Mesopotamia<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and the editor of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tehran Noir<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He teaches in the MFA program at the City College of New York.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to a sample of the book <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/722131\/a-nearby-country-called-love-by-salar-abdoh\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HERE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read an excerpt of the novel <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/electricliterature.com\/a-nearby-country-called-love-by-salar-abdoh\/#article-main-255953\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HERE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The March 2024 novel was <em>The Applicant <\/em>by Nazli Koca<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-31868\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/71HMJDyzfoL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-192x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/71HMJDyzfoL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/71HMJDyzfoL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_-600x938.jpg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/71HMJDyzfoL._AC_UF10001000_QL80_.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s 2017 and Leyla, a Turkish twenty-something living in Berlin is scrubbing toilets at an Alice in Wonderland-themed hostel after failing her thesis, losing her student visa, and suing her German university in a Kafkaesque attempt to reverse her failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasingly distant from what used to be at arm\u2019s reach\u2014writerly ambitions, tight knit friendships, a place to call home\u2014Leyla attempts to find solace in the techno beats of Berlin\u2019s nightlife, with little success. Right as the clock winds down on the hold on her visa, Leyla meets a conservative Swedish tourist and\u2014against her political convictions and better judgment\u2014begins to fall in love, or something like it. Will she accept an IKEA life with the Volvo salesman and relinquish her creative dreams, or return to Turkey to her mother and sister, codependent and enmeshed, her father\u2019s ghost still haunting their lives?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While she waits for the German court\u2019s verdict on her future, in the pages of her diary, Leyla begins to parse her unresolved past and untenable present. An indelible character at once precocious and imperiled, Leyla gives voice to the working-class and immigrant struggle to find safety, self-expression, and happiness.\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Applicant<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is an extraordinary dissection of a liminal life between borders and identities, an original and darkly funny debut.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/groveatlantic.com\/book\/the-applicant\/\">Grove Atlantic<\/a>. We met to discuss the book online on Sunday, Mar. 31st at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<p><b>About the author:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Nazl\u0131 Koca<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a writer and poet from Turkey who now lives in the US. Her writing has appeared in the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Threepenny Review<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bookforum<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second Factory,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">among other outlets.\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Applicant\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is her first novel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out the reading group guide <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/groveatlantic.com\/book\/the-applicant\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HERE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The February &#8217;24 book was <em>Woman Life Freedom: Voices and Art from the Women&#8217;s Protest in Iran<\/em>, edited by Malu Halasa<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/saqibooks.com\/books\/saqi\/woman-life-freedom\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-28384\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/woman-life-freedom-cover-malu-halasa-9780863569722-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/woman-life-freedom-cover-malu-halasa-9780863569722-1.jpg 753w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/woman-life-freedom-cover-malu-halasa-9780863569722-1-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/woman-life-freedom-cover-malu-halasa-9780863569722-1-676x1024.jpg 676w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/woman-life-freedom-cover-malu-halasa-9780863569722-1-600x908.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>We are on the one-year anniversary of the women&#8217;s freedom marches in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Jina Mahsa Amini&#8217;s death at the hands of Iran&#8217;s Morality Police on 16th of September, 2022 sparked widespread protests across the country. Women took to the streets, uncovering their hair, burning headscarves and chanting &#8220;Woman Life Freedom&#8217; \u2014 <em>&#8216;Zan Zendegi Azadi&#8221;<\/em> in Persian and &#8220;<em>Jin J\u00eeyan Azad\u00ee&#8221;<\/em> in Kurdish \u2014 in mass demonstrations. An explosion of creative resistance followed as art and photography shared online went viral and people around the world saw what was really going on in Iran.<\/p>\n<p><em>Woman Life Freedom<\/em> captures this historic moment in artwork and first-person accounts. This striking collection goes behind the scenes at forbidden fashion shows; records the sound of dissent in Iran where it is illegal for women to sing unaccompanied in public; and walks the streets of Tehran with &#8216;The Smarties&#8217; \u2014 Gen Z women who colour and show their hair in defiance of the authorities, despite the potentially devastating consequences. Extolling the power of art, writing and body politics \u2014 both female and queer \u2014 this collection is a universal rallying call and a celebration of the women the regime has tried and failed to silence.<\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/saqibooks.com\/books\/saqi\/woman-life-freedom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saqi Books<\/a>, London. We met the editor, Malu Halasa, to talk about the book online, on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The January &#8217;24 book was <em>Traces of Enayat<\/em>, by Iman Mersal<\/h4>\n<blockquote><p><i>Traces of Enayat<\/i> is an extraordinary, beautiful book&#8230;<br \/>\nSelma Dabbagh, <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/the-mystery-of-enayat-al-zayyat-in-iman-mersals-tour-de-force\/\">The Markaz Review<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28392\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28392\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.andotherstories.org\/traces-of-enayat\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-28392\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Traces-of-Enayat-cover-by-eman-mersal-the-markaz-review.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Traces-of-Enayat-cover-by-eman-mersal-the-markaz-review.jpg 500w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Traces-of-Enayat-cover-by-eman-mersal-the-markaz-review-196x300.jpg 196w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Traces of Enayat<\/em> is published by And Other Stories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cairo, 1963: Enayat al-Zayyat&#8217;s suicide becomes a byword for talent tragically cut down, even as <i>Love and Silence<\/i>, her only novel, languishes unpublished. Four years after al-Zayyat&#8217;s death, the novel will be brought out, adapted for film and radio, praised, and then, cursorily, forgotten. For the next three decades it&#8217;s as if al-Zayyat never existed.<\/p>\n<p>Yet when poet Iman Mersal stumbles across<i> Love and Silence<\/i> in the nineties, she is immediately hooked. Who was Enayat? Did the thought of her novel&#8217;s rejection really lead to her suicide? Where did this startling voice come from? And why did <i>Love and Silence<\/i> disappear from literary history? To answer these questions, Mersal traces Enayat&#8217;s life, interviews family members and friends, reconstructs the afterlife of Enayat in the media, and tracks down the flats, schools, archaeological institutes, and sanatoriums among which Enayat divided her days. Touching on everything from dubious antidepressants to domestic abuse and divorce law, from rubbish-strewn squats in the City of the Dead to the glamour of golden-age Egyptian cinema, this wide-ranging, unclassifiable masterpiece gives us a remarkable portrait of a woman artist striving to live on her own terms.<\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.andotherstories.org\/traces-of-enayat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">And Other Stories<\/a> in the UK. We met to discuss the book on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The November &#8217;23 book was <em>Palestine +100: stories from a century after the Nakba<\/em><\/h4>\n<p class=\"gmail-links\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/basma-ghalayini\">Basma Ghalayini<\/a>. Featuring: <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/talal-abu-shawish\">Talal Abu Shawish<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/anwar-hamed\">Anwar Hamed<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/tasnim-abutabikh\">Tasnim Abutabikh<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/selma-dabbagh\">Selma Dabbagh<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/emad-el-din-aysha\">Emad El-Din Aysha<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/samir-el-youssef\">Samir El-Youssef<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/saleem-haddad\">Saleem Haddad<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/majd-kayyal\">Majd Kayyal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/mazen-maarouf\">Mazen Maarouf<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/abdalmuti-maqboul\">Abdalmuti Maqboul<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/ahmed-masoud\">Ahmed Masoud<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/authors\/rawan-yaghi\">Rawan Yaghi<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25200\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25200\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/books\/palestine-100\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25200\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/palestine-100-cover.jpg\" alt=\"palestine +100 short stories\" width=\"250\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/palestine-100-cover.jpg 321w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/palestine-100-cover-193x300.jpg 193w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25200\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/books\/palestine-100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Palestine + 100<\/em><\/a>, a short story anthology, edited by Basma Ghalayini, a translator and scholar from Gaza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><i>Palestine + 100: stories from a century after the Nakba<\/i> poses a question to 12 Palestinian writers: what might your country look like in the year 2048 \u2014 a century after the tragedies and trauma of what has come to be called the Nakba. How might this event \u2014 which, in 1948, saw the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes \u2014 reach across a century of occupation, oppression, and political isolation, to shape the country and its people? Will a lasting peace finally have been reached, or will future technology only amplify the suffering and mistreatment of Palestinians?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Covering a range of approaches \u2014 from sci-fi noir, to nightmarish dystopia, to high-tech farce \u2014 these stories use the blank canvas of the future to reimagine the Palestinian experience today. Along the way, we encounter drone swarms, digital uprisings, time-bending VR, peace treaties that span parallel universes, and even a Palestinian superhero, in probably the first anthology of science fiction from Palestine ever.<\/p>\n<p>Translated from the Arabic by Raph Cormack, Mohamed Ghalaieny, Andrew Leber, Thoraya El-Rayyes, Yasmine Seale and Jonathan Wright. Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/commapress.co.uk\/books\/palestine-100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comma Press<\/a> in the UK. We met to discuss the book with host Rana Asfour and special guest writers on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The Oct &#8217;23 selection was the novel <em>No One Prayed Over Their Graves<\/em> by Khaled Khalifa<\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.faber.co.uk\/product\/9780571364640-no-one-prayed-over-their-graves\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-28437\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/No-One-Prayed-Over-Their-Graves-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/No-One-Prayed-Over-Their-Graves-cover.jpg 624w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/No-One-Prayed-Over-Their-Graves-cover-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/No-One-Prayed-Over-Their-Graves-cover-600x962.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px\" \/><\/a>LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR TRANSLATED FICTION<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\n\u201cGorgeous . . . Lush, elegiac [and] M\u00e1rquezian . . . A novel of abundance and generosity.\u201d \u2014Sarah Cypher, <em>The Washington Post<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\n\u201cRichly embroidered . . . [Khalifa&#8217;s] galloping narration restores life and soul to a city that has become a byword for devastation.\u201d \u2014<em>The Economist<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nFrom the National Book Award finalist Khaled Khalifa, the story of two friends whose lives are altered by a flood that devastates their Syrian village.<br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\nOn a December morning in 1907, two close friends, Hanna and Zakariya, return to their village near Aleppo after a night of drunken carousing in the city, only to discover that there has been a massive flood. Their neighbors, families, children\u2014nearly all of them are dead. Their homes, shops, and places of worship are leveled. Their lives will never be the same.<\/p>\n<p>Hanna was once a wealthy libertine, a landowner who built a famed citadel devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and excess. But with the loss of his home, wife, and community, he transforms, becoming an ascetic mystic obsessed with death and the meaning of life. In <em>No One Prayed Over Their Graves<\/em>, we follow Hanna&#8217;s life before and after the flood, tracing friendships, loves and lusts, family and business, until he is just one thread in the rich tapestry of Aleppo.<\/p>\n<p>Khaled Khalifa weaves a sweeping tale of life and death in the hubbub of Aleppine society at the turn of the twentieth century. <em>No One Prayed Over Their Graves<\/em> is a portrait of a people on the verge of great change\u2014from provincial villages to the burgeoning modernity of the city, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews live and work together, united in their love for Aleppo and their dreams for the future.<\/p>\n<p>Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/books\/9780374601935\/nooneprayedovertheirgraves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MacMillan<\/a> in the US and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.faber.co.uk\/product\/9780571364640-no-one-prayed-over-their-graves\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Faber<\/a> in the UK. We met to discuss the book on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The September 2023 novel was <em>River Spirit <\/em>by Leila Aboulela<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/saqibooks.com\/books\/saqi\/river-spirit\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-25417\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/river-spirit-leila-aboulela-9780863569173-the-markaz-review.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/river-spirit-leila-aboulela-9780863569173-the-markaz-review.jpg 522w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/river-spirit-leila-aboulela-9780863569173-the-markaz-review-187x300.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/07\/books\/review\/leila-aboulela-river-spirit.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rave review<\/a> in the New York Times) &#8220;In 19th-century Sudan, with the Ottoman Empire fading and Britain gaining influence in the region, a religious leader proclaims himself the Mahdi, or the redeemer. He aims to correct the wrongs \u2014 excessive taxation, for one \u2014 of the foreign rulers. But as the revolution gains strength, and the Mahdi collects followers, his greed for power tarnishes the movement&#8217;s ideological purity. Leila Aboulela&#8217;s dazzling new novel, <em>River Spirit<\/em>, follows the course of that revolution as it turns into a new instrument of oppression.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>River Spirit <\/em>is the unforgettable story of a people who, against the odds and for a brief time, gained independence from foreign rule. This is a powerful tale of corruption and unshakeable devotion \u2014 to a cause, to one&#8217;s faith and to the people who become family.<\/p>\n<p>We met to talk about the book on the last Sunday in Sept., the 24th, at 1 pm Eastern\/19:00 CET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The August 2023 novel was <em>A Stranger in Baghdad <\/em>by Elizabeth Loudon<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/product\/a-stranger-in-baghdad\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-27268\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/a-stranger-in-baghdad-elizabeth-loudon-9781649032850-3-sm.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/a-stranger-in-baghdad-elizabeth-loudon-9781649032850-3-sm.jpg 363w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/a-stranger-in-baghdad-elizabeth-loudon-9781649032850-3-sm-197x300.jpg 197w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>In beautifully rendered prose, a mother and a daughter struggle as outsiders in Baghdad and London in this intergenerational drama set against a background of political tension and intrigue<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho would be charmed by tales of life in the beautiful old house on the banks of the Tigris\u2014looted now no doubt, its shutters torn and the courtyard strewn with mattresses?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One night in 2003, Anglo-Iraqi psychiatrist Mona Haddad has a surprise visitor to her London office, an old acquaintance Duncan Claybourne. But why has he come? Will his confession finally lay bare what happened to her family before they escaped Iraq?<\/p>\n<p>Their stories begin in 1937, when Mona&#8217;s mother Diane, a lively Englishwoman newly married to Ibrahim, an ambitious Iraqi doctor, meets Duncan by chance. Diane is working as a nanny for the Iraqi royal family. Duncan is a young British Embassy officer in Baghdad. When the king dies in a mysterious accident, Ibrahim and his family suspect Diane of colluding with Duncan and the British.<\/p>\n<p>Summoning up the vanished world of mid-twentieth-century Baghdad, Elizabeth Loudon&#8217;s richly evocative story of one family calls into question British attitudes and policies in Iraq and offers up a penetrating reflection on cross-cultural marriage and the lives of women caught between different worlds.<\/p>\n<p>To read an excerpt, <a href=\"https:\/\/aucpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/A_StrangerInBaghdad_9781649032881.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We met to talk about the book and discuss it with Elizabeth Louden on Sunday August 27th, 2023.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The July 2023 reading selection was <em>Emissaries<\/em>, short stories by Youssef Rakha<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26842\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26842\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/youssef-rakha-practices-literary-deception-in-emissaries\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26842\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/https-barakunan.comen-usproductsemissaries-and-other-short-stories-cover-by-youssef-rakha-217x300.jpg\" alt=\"emissaries-and-other-short-stories cover by youssef rakha\" width=\"250\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/https-barakunan.comen-usproductsemissaries-and-other-short-stories-cover-by-youssef-rakha-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/https-barakunan.comen-usproductsemissaries-and-other-short-stories-cover-by-youssef-rakha.jpg 363w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26842\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Emissaries<\/em> is published by <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/youssef-rakha-practices-literary-deception-in-emissaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barakunan<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Emissarie<\/em>s is the new collection of short stories by renowned Egyptian author Youssef Rakha. Many of the stories have appeared previously in journals from the UK, US and the Middle East region. In these Cairo-focused stories written at the height of the Arab Spring, in its wake and its ruins, the reader is led by a colorful cast of characters through a hypnagogic urbanscape pulsating with the specters of post-political Islam and failed revolution.<\/p>\n<p>Writes TMR reviewer Zein El-Amine, &#8220;I have not read many works by Arab American writers writing in English, but Rakha&#8217;s collection is original, irreverent, and provocative. What engages one most in reading his stories is the language he employs. Even though he is referencing Western pop culture and writers throughout the book, his voice is original. In wielding such prose, Rakha is a pied piper leading the reader into his rabbit holes. The consistency in that voice and the recurring motifs in the book make for a solid read.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/youssef-rakha-practices-literary-deception-in-emissaries\/\">Read the review<\/a>. Get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/emissaries-youssef-rakha\/1143039121\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">audio book<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/barakunan.com\/en-us\/products\/emissaries-and-other-short-stories\">Print<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We met to discuss these stories with Youssef Rakha on Sunday, July 2nd, 2023.<\/p>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-26378\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/isasbella-hammad-Enter-Ghost-cover-the-markaz-review-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/isasbella-hammad-Enter-Ghost-cover-the-markaz-review-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/isasbella-hammad-Enter-Ghost-cover-the-markaz-review-600x893.jpg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/isasbella-hammad-Enter-Ghost-cover-the-markaz-review.jpg 605w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>The June 2023 BookGroup Selection was <em>Enter Ghost<\/em>, a novel by Isabella Hammad<\/h4>\n<p><b><i>Enter Ghost<\/i> follows actress Sonia as she returns to Palestine and takes a role in a West Bank production of <i>Hamlet<\/i>.<\/b> After years away from her family&#8217;s homeland, and reeling from a disastrous love affair, Sonia Nasir returns to Haifa to visit her older sister Haneen. This is her first trip back since the second intifada and the deaths of their grandparents: while Haneen made a life here commuting to Tel Aviv to teach at the university, Sonia remained in London to focus on her acting career and now dissolute marriage. On her return, she finds her relationship to Palestine is fragile, both bone-deep and new.<\/p>\n<p>At Haneen&#8217;s, Sonia meets the charismatic and candid Mariam, a local director, and finds herself roped into a production of <i>Hamlet<\/i> in the West Bank. Sonia is soon rehearsing Gertude&#8217;s lines in Classical Arabic and spending more time in Ramallah than Haifa, along with a dedicated group of men from all over historic Palestine who, in spite of competing egos and priorities, each want to bring Shakespeare to that side of the wall. As opening night draws closer it becomes clear just how many violent obstacles stand before a troupe of Palestinian actors. Amidst it all, the life Sonia once knew starts to give way to the daunting, exhilarating possibility of finding a new self in her ancestral home.<\/p>\n<p>A stunning rendering of present-day Palestine, <i>Enter Ghost<\/i> is a story of diaspora, displacement, and the connection to be found in family and shared resistance. Timely, thoughtful, and passionate, Isabella Hammad&#8217;s highly anticipated second novel is an exquisite feat, an unforgettable story of artistry under occupation.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/article>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/press.syr.edu\/supressbooks\/5170\/waiting-for-the-past\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-25641\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/waiting-for-the-past-cover-hadiya-hussein-9780815611516-the-markaz-review.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/waiting-for-the-past-cover-hadiya-hussein-9780815611516-the-markaz-review.jpg 475w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/waiting-for-the-past-cover-hadiya-hussein-9780815611516-the-markaz-review-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a>April 2023 Book Club Selection was <em>Waiting for the Past<\/em>, a novel by Hadiya Hussein, translated from the Arabic by Barbara Romaine<\/h4>\n<p>Hadiya Hussein&#8217;s poignant novel plunges readers into a haunting and powerful story of resilience. Set at the end of Saddam Hussein&#8217;s brutal reign, the novel follows Narjis, a young Iraqi woman, on her quest to discover what has become of the man she loves. Yusef, suspected by the regime of being a dissident, has disappeared&#8211;presumably either imprisoned or executed. On her journey, Narjis receives shelter from a Kurdish family who welcome her into their home where she meets Umm Hani, an older woman who is searching for her long-lost son. Together they form a bond, and Narjis comes to understand the depth of loss and grief of those around her. At the same time, she is introduced to the warm hospitality of the Kurdish community, settling into their everyday lives, and embracing their customs. Barbara Romaine&#8217;s translation skillfully renders this complex, layered story, giving readers a stark yet beautiful portrait of contemporary Iraq.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/the-girl-who-fell-to-earth-sophia-al-maria?variant=32205730676770\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-25250 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-girl-who-fell-to-earth-a-memoir-sophia-al-maria-9780061999758-the-markaz-review-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-girl-who-fell-to-earth-a-memoir-sophia-al-maria-9780061999758-the-markaz-review-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/the-girl-who-fell-to-earth-a-memoir-sophia-al-maria-9780061999758-the-markaz-review.jpg 348w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a>March 2023 Selection was <em>The Girl Who Fell to Earth<\/em>, a memoir by Sophia Al-Maria (discussing the book on Sunday, March 26, 12 ET\/18:00 CET).<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Award-winning filmmaker and writer Sophia Al-Maria&#8217;s <em>The Girl Who Fell to Earth<\/em> is a funny and wry coming-of-age memoir about growing up in between American and Gulf Arab cultures. Part family saga and part personal quest, <em>The Girl Who Fell to Earth<\/em> traces Al-Maria&#8217;s journey to make a place for herself in two different worlds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Sophia Al-Maria&#8217;s mother sends her away from rainy Washington State to stay with her husband&#8217;s desert-dwelling Bedouin family in Qatar, she intends it to be a sort of teenage cultural boot camp. What her mother doesn&#8217;t know is that there are some things about growing up that are universal. In Qatar, Sophia is faced with a new world she&#8217;d only imagined as a child. She sets out to find her freedom, even in the most unlikely of places.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Girl Who Fell to Earth<\/em> takes readers from the green valleys of the Pacific Northwest to the dunes of the Arabian Gulf and on to the sprawling chaos of Cairo. Struggling to adapt to her nomadic lifestyle, Sophia is haunted by the feeling that she is perpetually in exile: hovering somewhere between two families, two cultures, and two worlds. She must make a place for herself\u2014a complex journey that includes finding young love in the Arabian Gulf, rebellion in Cairo, and, finally, self-discovery in the mountains of Sinai.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Girl Who Fell to Earth<\/em> heralds the arrival of an electric new talent and takes us on the most personal of quests: the voyage home.<\/p>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<h4><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-24765\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/disoriental-cover-by-negar-djavadi-700.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/disoriental-cover-by-negar-djavadi-700.jpg 448w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/disoriental-cover-by-negar-djavadi-700-192x300.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/>February 2023 Selection was <em>Disoriental<\/em>, the novel by N\u00e9gar Djavadi.<\/h4>\n<p>The story of a young girl and her family, at the core of an exploration of Iranian history.<\/p>\n<p>Kimi\u00e2 Sadr fled Iran at the age of ten in the company of her mother and sisters to join her father in France. Now twenty-five, with a new life and the prospect of a child, Kimi\u00e2 is inundated by her own memories and the stories of her ancestors, which reach her in unstoppable, uncontainable waves. In the waiting room of a Parisian fertility clinic, generations of flamboyant Sadrs return to her, including her formidable great-grandfather Montazemolmolk, with his harem of fifty-two wives, and her parents, Darius and Sara, stalwart opponents of each regime that befalls them.<\/p>\n<p>In this high-spirited, kaleidoscopic story, key moments of Iranian history, politics, and culture punctuate stories of family drama and triumph. Yet it is Kimi\u00e2 herself\u2014punk-rock aficionado, storyteller extraordinaire, a Scheherazade of our time, and above all a modern woman divided between family traditions and her own \u201cdisorientalization\u201d\u2014who forms the heart of this bestselling and beloved novel.<\/p>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4>January 2023 Book Club Selection was the novel <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/isis-and-the-absurdity-of-war-in-the-age-of-twitter\/\"><em>Out of Mesopotamia<\/em><\/a>, by Salar Abdoh<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-21249\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/OutofMesopotamia-1-509x800-cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/OutofMesopotamia-1-509x800-cover.jpg 509w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/OutofMesopotamia-1-509x800-cover-191x300.jpg 191w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Imagine getting into Iraq and Syria as an observer of the war on ISIS, and yet very soon after you&#8217;ve been close enough to RPGs to smell the explosion and feel the ground shake, you find yourself back in your old life, giving literary readings at swank bookstores in cities at peace, or attending highbrow academic conferences where nobody&#8217;s dying, except perhaps bored audience members. Juxtaposing the two realities \u2014 one savage and ridiculous, the other sane and predictable \u2014 is what the author is after in <em>Out of Mesopotamia<\/em>.&#8221; \u2014<span style=\"color: #179e8f;\"><a style=\"color: #179e8f;\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/isis-and-the-absurdity-of-war-in-the-age-of-twitter\/\">Jessica Proett<\/a><\/span>, The Markaz Review<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<hr \/>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<h4>Nov 2022 Book Club Selection was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/44422074-i-will-never-see-the-world-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>I Will Never See the World Again<\/em><\/a>, by Ahmet Altan<\/h4>\n<p><i>The destiny I put down in my novel has become mine. I am now under arrest like the hero I created years ago. I await the decision that will determine my future, just as he awaited his. I am unaware of my destiny, which has perhaps already been decided, just as he was unaware of his. I suffer the pathetic torment of profound helplessness, just as he did.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/44422074-i-will-never-see-the-world-again\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11076\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/i-will-never-see-the-world-again-cover-with-altan-the-markaz-review.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"404\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/i-will-never-see-the-world-again-cover-with-altan-the-markaz-review.jpg 660w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/i-will-never-see-the-world-again-cover-with-altan-the-markaz-review-600x455.jpg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/i-will-never-see-the-world-again-cover-with-altan-the-markaz-review-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" \/><\/a>Like a cursed oracle, I foresaw my future years ago not knowing that it was my own.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Confined in a cell four meters long, imprisoned on absurd, Kafkaesque charges, novelist Ahmet Altan is one of many writers persecuted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#8217;s oppressive regime. In this extraordinary memoir, written from his prison cell, Altan reflects upon his sentence, on a life whittled down to a courtyard covered by bars, and on the hope and solace a writer&#8217;s mind can provide, even in the darkest places. Turkey in the last several years has become one of the greatest oppressors of writers, academics and intellectuals, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/earshot\/you-are-not-alone---turkey\/13567452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/earshot\/you-are-not-alone---turkey\/13567452&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1666936566178000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1AcCvZAYHMMDJ1L-YOCJgC\">largest prison population of political detainees in continental Europe<\/a>. Erdo\u011fan, consolidating his power, has fired over 5,000 academics and 50,000 schoolteachers, whose progressive politics or Kurdish heritage he disliked, or who as journalists\/editors\/publishers have been too outspoken, such as widely translated novelist and newspaper editor Ahmet Altan, 72. The author of such internationally admired works as the novels in his Ottoman Quartet, Altan was sentenced to life in prison in 2016. He spent four years behind bars but was unexpectedly released last year. He said recently, \u201cPrison didn&#8217;t extinguish my desire to write.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Find it on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/44422074-i-will-never-see-the-world-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goodreads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Nov. 27th.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Oct 2022 Selection was <em>The Last White Man<\/em>, by Mohsin Hamid<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/changing-colors-reflections-on-the-last-white-man\/\">Read our review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9670\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9670\" style=\"width: 199px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9670\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/the-last-white-man-mohsin-hamid-the-markaz-review-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/the-last-white-man-mohsin-hamid-the-markaz-review-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/the-last-white-man-mohsin-hamid-the-markaz-review.jpg 331w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohsin Hamid&#8217;s last novel was<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Guardian calls Mohsin Hamid&#8217;s new novel &#8220;a hypnotic race fable,&#8221; in which &#8220;as white people suddenly awake in brown skin, they are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about power and identity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8769\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 277px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8769\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8769\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-139bh9t\"><span class=\"dcr-139bh9t\">&#8220;One morning Anders, a white man, woke up to find he had turned a deep and undeniable brown.\u201d So begins Mohsin Hamid&#8217;s inventive new novel, <em>The Last White Man.<\/em> Anders, as it turns out, is not an isolated case. More people in an unnamed town begin to change, including Oona, a yoga instructor and a friend of Anders. Violence inevitably erupts around them. White vigilante gangs terrorize the transformed, while some doggedly refuse to accept an end to whiteness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-139bh9t\">At its heart, this is a novel about seeing, being seen, loss and letting go. The loss of privilege that comes from being perceived as white, and no longer being able to view the world from within whiteness, are some of the anxieties examined here.<\/p>\n<p>(From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2022\/aug\/03\/the-last-white-man-by-mohsin-hamid-review-a-hypnotic-race-fable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guardian review<\/a> by Guy Gunaratne.)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Oct. 30th.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><span style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">Sept 2022 Book Club Selection was <\/span><em style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">The Unlasting Home<\/em><span style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">, by Mai Al-Nakib<\/span><\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<p class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">When you live in a conservative society, you run the risk of censure. How far should a philosophy professor stick her neck out to make a point? Would <em>you <\/em>put it all on the line in the pursuit of truth or justice, or whatever informs your intent?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8769\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 277px;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8769\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_8769\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8769\" style=\"width: 202px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/an-unlasting-home-mai-al-nakib?variant=39422038081570\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled wp-image-8769\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/an-unlasting-home-cover-large-the-markaz-review.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/an-unlasting-home-cover-large-the-markaz-review.jpg 659w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/an-unlasting-home-cover-large-the-markaz-review-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/an-unlasting-home-cover-large-the-markaz-review-600x910.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"307\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8769\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Available from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollins.com\/products\/an-unlasting-home-mai-al-nakib?variant=39422038081570\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harper Collins\/Mariner Books<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8769\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>An Unlasting Home<\/em>, by award-winning short story writer Mai Al-Nakib, opens in the summer of 2013. Sara Tarek Al-Ameed, a professor of philosophy at the Kuwait University for eleven years, is in the midst of preparing a paper arguing the importance of supplementing the religious curriculum with an early introduction to philosophy at the level of primary public school education in Kuwait. However, a phone recording by one of the munaqaba girls in her intro to philosophy class (in which she is heard arguing that \u201cGod is dead\u201d) has been passed on to the most conservative member of the Kuwaiti Parliament \u2014 a Salafi, who has filed a complaint. Sara is arrested at her home and charged with blasphemy, a capital crime that comes with the threat of execution, under the newly amended Kuwaiti penal code. In the author&#8217;s note, Al-Nakib explains that although such an amendment did in fact come to pass by a wide majority of the elected parliament in 2013, the Emir of Kuwait, who holds authority over all amendments of laws, rejected it. This work of fiction, explains the author, imagines otherwise. (From the <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/leaving-ones-country-in-mai-al-nakibs-an-unlasting-home\/\">review<\/a> by Rana Asfour.)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Sept. 25, with novelist Mai Al-Nakib.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<hr \/>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><span style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">August 2022 Selection was <\/span><em style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">The Handsome Jew<\/em><span style=\"font-family: var(--heading--font-family); font-size: var(--heading--font-size-h4); font-weight: var(--heading--font-weight-strong); letter-spacing: var(--heading--letter-spacing-h4); color: var(--global--color-primary);\">, by Ali Al-Muqri, translated by Mbarek Sryfi<\/span><\/h4>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_9639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9639\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9639\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ali-al-muqri-the-handsome-jew-trans-mbarek-sryfi-the-markaz-review.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ali-al-muqri-the-handsome-jew-trans-mbarek-sryfi-the-markaz-review.jpg 285w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ali-al-muqri-the-handsome-jew-trans-mbarek-sryfi-the-markaz-review-192x300.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The Handsome Jew<\/em> is available in print and Kindle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>The Handsome Jew<\/em> is a challenging and provocative novel that urges\/ invites Muslims and Jews to contemplate themselves and the way they see the other through a doomed love story. This powerful novel tells the tragic saga of two lovers, Salem, a Jew, and Fatima, a Muslim, who fall in a forbidden, intense, and passionate love against all circumstances designed to divide them in a society bound by religion. This boundary-crossing love story epitomises the doomed relationship between Jews and Muslims in Yemen, sheds light on how each community sees the other, interrogates religious and social barriers, and proves that, against all odds, love can conquer all &#8211; OR till death do the fated couple part. (Goodreads).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">July 2022 Book Club selection was <em>The Best Place on Earth<\/em>, by Ayelet Tsabari<\/h4>\n<\/section>\n<p>On Sunday, July 31st, we talked about the short stories of Ayelet Tsabari in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/532643\/the-best-place-on-earth-by-ayelet-tsabari\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Best Place on Earth<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">Confident, original and humane, the stories in <em>The Best Place on Earth<\/em> are peopled with characters at the crossroads of nationalities, religions and communities: expatriates, travellers, immigrants and locals.In the powerfully affecting opening story, \u201cTikkun,\u201d a chance meeting between a man and his former lover carries them through near tragedy and into unexpected peace. In \u201cCasualties,\u201d Tsabari takes us into the military\u2014a world every Israeli knows all too well\u2014with a brusque, sexy young female soldier who forges medical leave forms to make ends meet. Poets, soldiers, siblings and dissenters, the protagonists here are mostly Israelis of Mizrahi background (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent), whose stories have rarely been told in literature. In illustrating the lives of those whose identities swing from fiercely patriotic to powerfully global, <em>The Best Place on Earth<\/em> explores Israeli history as it illuminates the tenuous connections\u2014forged, frayed and occasionally destroyed\u2014between cultures, between generations and across the gulf of transformation and loss. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/17495285-the-best-place-on-earth?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=hDtTvckFyw&amp;rank=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goodreads<\/a>]<\/section>\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<section data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><\/section>\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">June 2022 Selection were the short stories in TMR 22<\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9092\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"404\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TMR-22-Stories-banner-800-pixels-2-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" \/><\/h4>\n<p>The Markaz Review runs an international book club that meets on Zoom every last Sunday of the month. Readers from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi share thoughts and insights on the month&#8217;s selection. Frequently, the author (and sometimes their translator) joins the group during the second half of the hour. Our bookgroup always meets the last Sunday at 1 pm Eastern.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, June 26th, we talked about the short stories included in <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/category\/tmr-22-stories\/\">TMR 22 \u2022 STORIES<\/a>, by such writers as Hanif Kureishi, Joumana Haddad, Karim Kattan, Ahmed Naji, Mai Al-Nakib, Nektaria Anastasiadou, Sarah Kahly-Mills and others.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The May 2022 Book Club selection was <em>The Go-Between<\/em>, a memoir by Osman Yousefzada<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7229\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7229\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7229\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/the_go-between-hardback-cover-9781786893529.600x0-189x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/the_go-between-hardback-cover-9781786893529.600x0-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/the_go-between-hardback-cover-9781786893529.600x0.jpg 377w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/canongate.co.uk\/books\/2495-the-go-between-a-portrait-of-growing-up-between-different-worlds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canongate<\/a> in the UK.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;A beautifully observed and funny book&#8221; <em>Guardian<\/em> &#8220;Compelling and humane&#8221; Sathnam Sanghera<\/p>\n<p>A coming-of-age story set in Birmingham in the 1980s and 1990s, <em>The Go-Between<\/em> opens a window into a closed migrant community living in a red-light district on the wrong side of the tracks.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The adult world is seen through Osman&#8217;s eyes as a child: his own devout Pashtun patriarchal community, with its divide between the world of men and women, living cheek-by-jowl with parallel migrant communities. The orthodox attend a mosque down the road from the prostitutes and pimps. Children balance Western school teachings with cultural traditions.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Book Review: \u201cThe Go-Between\u201d by Osman Yousefzada<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4>The April 2022 selection was <em>The Monotonous Chaos of Existence<\/em>, stories by Hisham Bustani<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7228\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7228\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/monotonous-chaos-of-existence-cover-hisham-bustani-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/monotonous-chaos-of-existence-cover-hisham-bustani-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/monotonous-chaos-of-existence-cover-hisham-bustani.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Published by <a href=\"http:\/\/masonjarpress.com\/chapbooks-1\/monotonous-chaos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mason Jar Press<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The stories within Hisham Bustani&#8217;s <em>The Monotonous Chaos of Existence<\/em> explore the turbulent transformation in contemporary Arab societies. With a deft and poetic touch, Bustani examines the interpersonal with a global lens, connects the seemingly contradictory, and delves into the ways that international conflict can tear open the individuals that populate his world\u2014all while pushing the narrative form into new and unexpected terrain.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These stories recall the rhythms of poetry, offer up the intimacy of memoir, and often feel more like films than fiction. <em>The Monotonous Chaos of Existence<\/em> got me thinking about similarly semi-surreal and ecstatic truth tellers Denis Johnson and Chester Himes, a comparison that will have to do for now because I&#8217;m still dizzy and not exactly thinking straight after reading these interrogations of the cruelty and absurdity of occupation and so-called post-colonialism. Clear-eyed personal\/political storytelling that is exciting, askew, and challenging.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014Brandon Soderberg, coauthor, <em>I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America&#8217;s Most Corrupt Police Squad<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">March 2022 Book Club selection was <em>Something Strange, Like Hunger, Short Stories<\/em> by Malika Moustadraf<\/h4>\n<div id=\":e0x\" class=\"Ar Au Ao\">\n<div id=\":e2a\" class=\"Am Al editable LW-avf tS-tW tS-tY\" tabindex=\"1\" role=\"textbox\" contenteditable=\"true\" spellcheck=\"false\" aria-label=\"Message Body\" aria-multiline=\"true\">\n<p data-wp-editing=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6881\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Something-Strange_cover-.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Something-Strange_cover-.jpeg 744w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Something-Strange_cover--600x919.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Something-Strange_cover--196x300.jpeg 196w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Something-Strange_cover--668x1024.jpeg 668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-wp-editing=\"1\">Malika Moustadraf (1969\u20142006) is a feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature, celebrated for her stark interrogation of gender and sexuality in North Africa. <em><a href=\"https:\/\/saqibooks.com\/books\/saqi\/haunting-visceral-short-stories-by-a-master-of-the-genre\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Something Strange, Like Hunger<\/a><\/em>* is the complete collection of Moustadraf&#8217;s published short fiction: haunting, visceral stories by a master of the genre. A teenage girl suffers through a dystopian rite of passage, a man with kidney disease makes desperate attempts to secure treatment, and a mother schemes to ensure her daughter passes a virginity test. Delighting in vibrant sensory detail and rich slang, Moustadraf takes an unflinching look at the gendered body, social class, illness, double standards, and desire, as lived by a diverse cast of characters. Blood Feast is a sharp provocation to patriarchal power and a celebration of the life and genius of one of Morocco&#8217;s preeminent writers.<\/p>\n<p>* The U.S. title is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.feministpress.org\/books-a-m\/blood-feast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Blood Feast<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top\" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\">February 2022 selection was <em>The Fortune Men<\/em>, by Nadifa Mohamed<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/55592200-the-fortune-men\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6181\" src=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-fortune-men-nadifa-mohmed-cover.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-fortune-men-nadifa-mohmed-cover.jpg 572w, https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-fortune-men-nadifa-mohmed-cover-191x300.jpg 191w\" alt=\"\" width=\"257\" height=\"405\" \/><\/a>A Booker Prize finalist, Nadifa Mohamed&#8217;s novel <em>The Fortune Men<\/em> is based on a true event, the story of a murder, a miscarriage of justice, and a man too innocent for his times \u2014 \u201ca blues song cut straight from the heart \u2026 brought alive with subtle artistry and heartbreaking humanity\u201d (Walter Mosley, best-selling author of <i>Devil in a Blue Dress<\/i>). In Cardiff, Wales in 1952, Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor, is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki, a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay. At first, Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief, but he is no murderer. He is a father of three, secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice. But as the trial draws closer, his prospect for freedom dwindles. Now, Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life, with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation, an inhumane legal system, and, most evidently, pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step. Under the shadow of the hangman&#8217;s noose, Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him. A haunting tale of miscarried justice, this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div id=\":e0x\" class=\"Ar Au Ao\">\n<div id=\":e2a\" class=\"Am Al editable LW-avf tS-tW tS-tY\" tabindex=\"1\" role=\"textbox\" contenteditable=\"true\" spellcheck=\"false\" aria-label=\"Message Body\" aria-multiline=\"true\">\n<h4>Past Titles Read by TMR&#8217;s Bookgroup Include:<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\">Ayad Akhtar&#8217;s novel <a style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/magazine\/ayad-akhtar-on-the-decline-of-the-american-empire?rq=ayad%20akhtar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Homeland Elegies<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Malu Halasa&#8217;s novel <\/span><a style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/34595071-mother-of-all-pigs?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=d0h86ic6mm&amp;rank=1\"><em>Mother of All Pigs<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Laila Lalami&#8217;s<\/span><em style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\"> Conditional Citizens<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Hassan Blasim&#8217;s short novel <\/span><em style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">God 99<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Dima Alzayat&#8217;s <\/span><em style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Alligator and Other Stories<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Sahar Mustafah&#8217;s novel <\/span><em style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">The Beauty in Your Face<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Tobie Nathan&#8217;s <em style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary);\">A Land Like You<\/em><span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary);\"> (reviewed in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/tmr-weekly\/egypt-abandoned-but-not-forgotten\">TMR here<\/a><span style=\"color: var(--global--color-primary);\">)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Susan Abulhawa&#8217;s <\/span><em style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor;\">Against the Loveless World <\/em>(reviewed in TMR<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/the-triumph-of-love-and-the-palestinian-revolution\/\">here<\/a>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Hoda Barakat&#8217;s <em>Voices of the Lost<\/em> (reviewed in TMR <a href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/our-countries-orphaned-children\/\">here<\/a>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Sinan Antoon&#8217;s <em>I&#8217;jaam<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Omar El Akkad&#8217;s <em>What Strange Paradise<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"image-inset content-fit\" data-animation-role=\"image\"><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Abdulrazak Gurnah&#8217;s<em> Paradise<\/em><strong style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor; text-align: center; font-family: merriweather, serif;\"><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><strong style=\"white-space: pre-wrap; color: currentcolor; text-align: center; font-family: merriweather, serif;\">The group is captained by Rana Asfour, TMR&#8217;s Managing Editor.<br \/>\nTo join The Markaz Review Book Club (free, all welcome) please fill out this form.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"sections\" class=\"sections\" data-page-sections=\"5f67dfc69c2b2577e3ba0041\">\n<section class=\"page-section layout-engine-section background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--medium horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--top \" data-test=\"page-section\" data-section-theme=\"\" data-section-id=\"5f67fbf49c2b2577e3bd11f1\" data-controller=\"SectionWrapperController, MagicPaddingController\" data-current-styles=\"{ &quot;imageOverlayOpacity&quot;: 0.15, &quot;backgroundWidth&quot;: &quot;background-width--full-bleed&quot;, &quot;sectionHeight&quot;: &quot;section-height--small&quot;, &quot;horizontalAlignment&quot;: &quot;horizontal-alignment--center&quot;, &quot;verticalAlignment&quot;: &quot;vertical-alignment--top&quot;, &quot;contentWidth&quot;: &quot;content-width--medium&quot;, &quot;sectionTheme&quot;: &quot;&quot;, &quot;sectionAnimation&quot;: &quot;none&quot;, &quot;backgroundMode&quot;: &quot;image&quot; }\" data-animation=\"none\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/678a7a53.sibforms.com\/serve\/MUIFAGHqAYMhTAujLZVwJQvRvcEUAWtde3Y3No0ZZKMQrNyLuZqVAC38_z2X9FIeOYjddy1t5EbGOpbJOjoGx64-03WbFW4veLcJgerw9RmRyfykpu15koOiipKGsWP3-duo1thKdfH9z_zeXRs02czgwDiftn-PM6_A4wR8TZy6LRDMAcm-eiS5pg0onJ4ywVvPGQD9_94YG7mr\" width=\"540\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n<\/article>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the Markaz Review Book Club, moderated by Rana Asfour, we meet online every month to discuss the latest title. &nbsp; The September 2025 selection is Sand-Catcher by Omar&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/book-club\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Markaz Book Club<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"coauthors":[2165],"class_list":["post-210","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Markaz Book Club - The Markaz Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/book-club\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Markaz Book Club\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Welcome to the Markaz Review Book Club, moderated by Rana Asfour, we meet online every month to discuss the latest title. &nbsp; 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