
A Sky So Close
Betool Khedairi. Muhayman Jamil, tr
2001, Pantheon, 0-375-42096-7, $23 hb; 2002, Anchor Books, 0-385-72078-5, $13 pb
Original title: Kam Badat al-Sama’ Qareebah!! Khedairi’s unnamed narrator, like the author, is the daughter of an Iraqi father and a Scottish mother; neither can bear to live in the other’s country. The girl discovers that growing up between two cultures means growing up in neither, means being a stranger—however well-disguised—in both houses, and ultimately means making a home in homelessness itself. This is a poignant and honest story of coming of age.
You may also be interested in...
Work Reveals Common Ground Across Massive Desert
The Sahara wasn’t always a desert. Around 9000 BCE it was a bucolic expanse where animals and lush vegetation thrived.The Great British Bake Off Winner Nadiya Hussain Gathers Global Recipes in Culinary Celebration of Ramadan
Nadiya Hussain's diverse recipes highlight the global unity of Muslim cultures and cuisines.