Ellen R. Sheeley is the author of Reclaiming Honor in Jordan: A National Public Opinion Survey on "Honor" Killings and a contributor to the anthology Nothing But Red.
I vacillate between Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner" and Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes." I've read both multiple times and relate perhaps too well to Hassan in "The Kite Runner," for I first read that book while in the midst of my own shattering betrayal by a friend for whom I would've taken a bullet.
Favorite Authors
Khaled Hosseini and Frank McCourt, bien sur.
What I'm Reading
For the last couple years, I've been on a serious jag of reading books about the Arab world, Islam, and the Middle East. I've probably blown through over 100 books on these topics.
At the moment, I'm reading Ali A. Allawi's "The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace," though I'm not far enough along to offer an assessment.
My favorite book in this genre is Raphael Patai's "The Arab Mind." It is unavailable (code for banned) in Jordan, making it, of course, that much more attractive. :-) But a Canadian friend sent me a copy while I was living in Amman, and I found it so useful in understanding the culture that I almost immediately re-read it from cover to cover (something I'd never done before). It is a large tome, so that is no small undertaking. In this book, I suppose I was seeking not only to better understand the culture, but also the phenomenon of dishonor killing (although the book does not address that directly) and the reasons for my supposed friend's sudden, explosive, unprovoked betrayal. In it, I found some answers, but questions and mysteries remain. Maybe one day everything will be illuminated.
This morning I awoke to the sound of news and police helicopters overhead. It has become a daily constant over the past week or so. Just a 10-minute walk east of my home is an Israeli consulate
The decomposing body of 38-year-old internist Daniel Kliman, a man I knew socially, was found in the bottom of an elevator shaft on Monday, December 1st, after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend
Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is an Islamic religious festival commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah.
Yesterday I received this e-mail message from Amazon.com. I write nonfiction, but perhaps some of you NaNoWriMo Red Room authors, members, and lurkers might benefit from this announcement.
A 16-year-old Arab-Israeli mother from Ramle, Dalia Abu-Ghanem, is believed by police to have been murdered by her brother, Mohammed. She has been missing for two weeks, having fled her home due
Three years ago today, nearly simultaneous bomb blasts tore through three hotels in Amman, killing more than 60 people, wounding hundreds more, and sending fear through the streets of a normally tr
Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the month of Shawwal, begins today in Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the
Depending on location, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan either began yesterday or begins today or tomorrow. It depends on the sighting of the new moon during the ninth month of the Islamic calen
As I write, the people of Jordan are celebrating the annual two- to three-week-long Jordan Festival, until this year known as the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts. It was founded in 1981 by th
In my daily Googling, I came upon these two commentaries about Senator Barack Obama, his recent visit to the Middle East, and his supposed frontrunner candidate for Muslim liaison.
For those who may be interested, FOX News will be airing a documentary called "Murder in the Family: Honor Killings in America" at 8 p.m. EDT tonight, July 26th, and 8 and 11 p.m.
The great opera tenor Placido Domingo performed in the ancient Roman city of Jerash, Jordan today. Here is how the state-controlled Jordan News Agency wrote the caption:
