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Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Wrong End Of The Table by Ayser Salman




Though described as a  "mostly comic memoir" it is also a very factual account of immigrant life and how someone will cope in modern America.

Considering the "Muslim" question post 9/11 Ayser had a tough time as it is to assimilate and be part of the crowd from the time she was a little girl. She was just different and she had a tough time beginning with her name. Her parents were highly educated, modern and forward thinking but they still carried with them different ideas re women and their behaviour and this carried out in their way of thinking towards their daughters. It did change by the end of the book, but it seemed hard and this seems to be quite the form and commonplace for most immigrant daughters Muslim or not!

Taking place across Iraq their place of origin which they got out in the nick of time, then crossing over to Kentucky and then back again to Saudi Arabia in which Ayser fit in surprisingly well and then back to the States where Ayser grew up and lived her adult life. Trying to find love, life and a balance between pleasing everyone else and then finally beginning to please herself.

This memoir, bit of travel guide and biography was tongue in cheek humor and factual as well.
Enjoyable read.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing.

5 comments:

  1. This sounds like a book I would love.

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  2. Sounds like an interesting memoir, thanks for sharing your thoughts

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  3. And especially important considering the news from this weekend! So awful!

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  4. I've been thinking about you and your family in Sri Lanka with those deadly attacks; how awful. I hope you and your loved ones are far enough away.

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  5. What a great review! It would be great if you would share this with everyone over at Books You Loved: May edition. Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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