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: Sitti’s Secrets was published in 1994 and given the events of the week, I’d say it is more relevant today than it was when written. And if by some chance the events of the week haven’t affected your children, then the poetry and soul […]
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 […]