Reviewed by Stergios Botzakis Review Source: Graphic Novel Resources Book Author: Marjane Satrapi was in elementary school when the Shah was ousted from power in Iran and a conservative Islamic regime took control. Because her family had communist and socialist leanings, as well as a distant familial relationship to the deposed Shah, they had to navigate a perilous political landscape. […]
The Cat Man of Aleppo
Reviewed by Pat Corekin Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Based on the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, The Cat Man of Aleppo provides a poignant account of one man’s struggle to save the lives of cats abandoned in the wake of the Syrian war, which started in 2011 and is still ongoing. […]
A Little Piece of Ground
Reviewed by Edi Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: I first heard about A Little Piece of Ground back in 2006 at a dinner in Jeddah. It’s only fitting that I found out about this book on that trip because it’s when I really began to put a face on Palestine, to understand that real people were affected […]
Code Name: Butterfly
Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: The nameless narrator who gives herself the code name (or nom de guerre) of Butterfly is on the cusp of adolescence, the third of six children in a Muslim Palestinian family. She watches her father come home every night, tired to the bone from his job […]
Sitti’s Secrets
Reviewed by Kirin Review Source: Notes from an Islamic School Librarian Book Author: (Note: This review was posted on February 2, 2017, just days after a gunman opened fire at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City on January 29. Six worshippers were killed and five others were seriously injured.) Sitti’s Secrets was published in 1994 […]
The Compassionate Warrior: Abd El-Kader of Algeria
Reviewed by Edith Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: Marston combines her love of scholarship and of young adult literature as she writes about Emir Abdel Kader. At times, she speaks directly to her audience in a tone that guides them as they learn more, not only about this brilliant and compassionate leader but, also […]