“Daughters of Iraq” by Revital Shiri-Horowitz is a fictional story of three women from the same family. It is a story of emigration seen through the eyes of two of the women and one who is first generation Israeli.
The publisher has made available one (1) copy of “Daughters of Iraq” to be given out– enter at the end of the post.
This is an international contest available in both Hebrew, English and several formats.
Buy Daughters of Iraq from Amazon.com*
More Books by Revital Shiri-Horowitz*
“Daughters of Iraq” by Revital Shiri-Horowitz (website: English | Hebrew | Blog | Twitter) is a well written account of Jewish Iraqi family who is forced to immigrate to Israel from Iraq in the 1950s. While the book was a bit difficult to start, but once I got the rhythm, pacing and jumps in time I started to truly enjoy the story. While the book is billed as fiction/historical fiction it almost reads like a memoir.
The story is presented in several formats. One of the two sisters, Violet, who has passed away after being sick is being remembered through her journal entries. We get to know Violet’s sister, Farida, through her own words and her surroundings. Violet’s daughter, Noa, a university student, goes through a spiritual journey throughout the book dealing with love, loss and looking for some sort of meaning in life.
The book’s theme is love in various ways. Love between parents, siblings, couples, aunts, daughters, sons and even ex-lovers.
I also found it very interesting to read about the extreme change of going from a life of luxury in an upscale neighborhood in Baghdad to a tent in Israel. While the option of living in an Israeli tent is much better than a Baghdadi grave it is still a culture shock, especially for your teenage girls.
I thought the sections which tell the immigration story were fascinating and the sections about Noa, the Israeli born daughter of the immigrants interesting and unique. I don’t think sons and daughters of immigrants realize how much their parents have sacrificed. Giving up everything just to give their children a chance at a better life, leaving everything familiar and going to a foreign place knowing full well you’ll never belong.
So tell me, what’s a good immigration story you have read?
Sisters Farida and Violet’s family was being forced to move from Iraq due to their religion. This event, which occurred in the 1950s, shaped their lives and changed them forever. Noa, Violet’s daughter also feels the effects of this event and the stories of her mother and aunt shape the way she makes decisions in modern day Israel.
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Disclaimer: I got this book for free.
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
Article first published as Book Review: Daughters of Iraq by Revital Shiri-Horowitz on Blogcritics.
BOOK BLOGGERS – Have you read “Daughters of Iraq”? If so link up your review below:
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Have you read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok? It's the story of a mother & daughter who emigrate from Hong Kong. They struggle not only to survive, but to fit in. It is one of my personal favorites.
No I haven't but thanks for the recommendation.
Girl in Translation is pretty good, and I really enjoyed Dreaming in English (Laura Fitzgerald) too! This one sounds really, really interesting.
Thanks for the comment and the recommendation Rivka
I've read some pretty good titles about the stories of immigrants. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah and The Blackberry Bush by David Householder. I forgot to mention above that I'm a new follower on Networked Blogs - Aik Chien.
Thanks for the comment, great suggestions and follow Aik.
You also have a great blog yourself.
I host an Immigrant Stories Challenge over at my blog - check out the review link-up to see which Immigrant Stories the participants have read.
Hottest Dishes of Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky is a good immigrant story.
Wonderful challenge Colleen.
Hmmmm, I haven't read a strictly "immigration" story per se, but the last book that I read that included an immigration storyline was Angela's Ashes. The sequel, 'Tis, is supposed to continue with what took place after he landed in America. I haven't read it yet, but it's waiting on my iPod to listen to.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Girl in Translation and Shanghai Girls are 2 of the best books I read last year.