Figs and Fate: Stories about Growing Up in the Arab World Today - Hardcover

Marston, Elsa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080761551X ISBN 13: 9780807615515

Publisher: George Braziller, 2005

Synopsis

A collection of five stories portraying Arab life in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, and Iraq today.

About this title

About the Author

Elsa Marston is the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction, including Women of the Middle East: Tradition and Change, The Ugly Goddess, and A Griffin in the Garden. She lived in Lebanon for many years and now resides in Bloomington, Indiana, with her husband.

Reviews

Grade 5-8–An enjoyable and often surprising collection of stories about Arab teenagers living in modern-day Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq. Like Marston's nonfiction title Women in the Middle East: Tradition and Change (Scholastic, 1996), these stories dispel many stereotypes about this part of the world. The young people are facing some specifically Middle Eastern issues such as the U.S. embargo on Iraq and the hardships of life in a Palestinian refugee camp, but they also have concerns that will be familiar to American readers: loyalty to friends, dreams of a future career, and feelings of being torn between divorced parents. The characters are complex and interesting, and the Middle Eastern settings are described in rich detail. Each selection is followed by a note in which the author explains social issues specific to the story that may be unfamiliar to readers. This collection will appeal to those who enjoyed Naomi Shihab Nye's Habibi (S & S, 1997) and would also be a good choice for classes discussing this part of the world or multicultural issues in general.–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ

Gr. 6-9. Marston, the author of Women of the Middle East (2004), has lived in several Arab countries, and the five short stories collected here move far beyond stereotype to personalize the lives of young contemporary teens in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and a Palestinian refugee camp. Vast differences in culture and class, and among generations, are made clear through teen characters' viewpoints. The fiction is purposive, plainly set up to show the facts. Girls defy repressive tradition; they want to choose a husband for themselves after they go to a university and find a job--but only if they are middle class. A wealthy city girl is warned by her mother not to mix with peasants. But readers will recognize the universals of coming-of-age, even as they are drawn into the rich diversity and the desperation of daily life. An author's note following each story provides some explanation and background Hazel Rochman
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Edition details

• Publisher: George Braziller
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080761551X
• ISBN 13: 9780807615515
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 135