by Natasha Tynes | Sep 18, 2007 | Books, Jordan, my nation, Media watch
Here is a link to a book review I wrote for The Jordan Times. The book, Live from Jordan: Letters home from my journey through the Middle East, was written by Benjamin Orbach who was based in Jordan for almost a year. As a Jordanian and fan of travel writing, I enjoyed this book and recommend it. Here is my conclusion:
It is no secret that Orbach’s book is intended primarily for Western readers. It is written with the aim of giving the Western audience a glimpse of life in the Middle East. The Western reader is given a fairly accurate accounting of life in modern Amman and some neighbouring Arab cities. To Jordanians, though, the book offers a chance to reflect back on pre- and post-Iraq invasion sentiments, and is a dissection of the lifestyle of modern Amman with all its complexities and the social and economic disparities of its residents. While the Western reader will have a great deal of material to digest, for Jordanians, the book primarily serves as an avenue for contemplation and critical self-examination.
Read the whole review here.
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 11, 2007 | Books, Media watch
I was very pleased to stumble upon the website of my former colleague Rana Husseini, who is currently working on a book on honor crimes. I really can’t wait to put my hands on this intensive piece of work. According to her site, the book:
… will provide people with a credible source based on real-life experience tackling a sensitive issue which is often susceptible to misconception. The book is entitled Murder in the name of honour and is expected to be published in the next few months.
It should be good. I can’t wait!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 20, 2007 | Books
A new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is coming out this summer. Sweet! Also, the highly-anticipated finale to the book series will also be available next month. This, of course, is making the summer even more exciting, at least for me. Last week, my husband confessed that he had pre-ordered Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows for me some months ago, which I thought was very thoughtful and sweet. However, the minute he mentioned this, I felt intense pressure. I’m behind, I thought to myself. I still need to read The Order of the Phoenix before the movie comes out and there is still another book to finish before I can put my hands on the finale.
Ahh! Too much to read, too little time. Yes, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan but I have not been doing my homework lately. I’m leaving everything until the last minute. I just started The Order of the Phoenix and so far it is as expected: charming and magical.
It is worth noting that I’m reading this while the region that I’m so attached to seems to be deteriorating even further. From Gaza to Iraq to Lebanon, things are moving from bad to worse. While all this is happening, I choose to lose myself in a world of witchery and wizards. It is a world so mesmerizing that it makes you lose sight – at least for a moment — of the dramatic real-life events around you. Yes, it’s true. I’m sick and tired of the Muggle world. Take me to Hogwarts.
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 11, 2007 | Books
Everywhere I go in DC these days, I see people carrying around Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns. Washingtonians are reading it everywhere: the train, the park, the bus, you name it. According to the Washington Post’s "Book World" section, the hardcover edition of the book is the top seller in the Washington DC Metro area. It is really quite fascinating for me to see a bestseller at work.
I, too, am among those Washingtonians carrying around this novel. Like everyone else, I’m reading it while commuting back and forth to work. I’m nearly done with it and so far I’m unimpressed. It’s a real disappointment for me, as I was so enchanted by The Kite Runner that I could not wait to put my hands on Husseini’s next work.
But this novel doesn’t really present anything new. It is filled with clichés and it’s quite obvious that Hosseini had Western audiences in mind when he wrote it. I felt he was writing to please an audience and not merely to exorcise his deep-rooted feelings. I was also disappointed with the prose. It felt so dull and it dragged until eternity. I also felt he had trouble portraying the female point-of-view. His Kite Runner protagonist, Amir, was so well-developed and complex. That is not the case with the two protagonists here: Mariam and Laila. Too bad!
But then again, this is only humble opinion. I’m sure there are many out there that will disagree.
by Natasha Tynes | Feb 3, 2007 | Books, Jordan, my nation, Political mayhem
Last week, The Guardian newspaper ran a profile of Jordanian-Palestinian
novelist/poet Ibrahim Nasrallah. Of course I was thrilled to see a fellow
countryman profiled in such a highly
acclaimed publication. However, it ailed to realize that the focus of the article
was on the constant harassment he was/is receiving from the notorious Jordanian censorship
department. It really is a shame what intellectuals have to go through in our part of
the world for simply speaking up. Here are some excerpts of the article:
Last June, a journalist phoned Ibrahim Nasrallah and asked
him how it felt to face a host of charges concerning national security. It was
the Jordanian-Palestinian writer’s first warning that he was facing prosecution … The charges related to his fourth collection of poetry,
Nu’man Yastariddu Lawnahu (Anemone Regains Its Colour). These highly figurative
poems, first published in 1984, were suddenly banned, while the poet himself
faced charges of insulting the state, inciting dissension and reporting
inaccurate information to future generations.
… The authorities raided the offices of his Lebanese
publisher in the Jordanian capital, Amman, confiscating copies of the banned collection. Protests from the Jordanian Writers’ Association and the Arab Writers’ Union were soon joined by support from the press in Jordan and the rest of the Arab world, while an internet campaign mobilised support from further afield. After almost four weeks which Nasrallah remembers being "haunted by these threats", the case was dropped on July 9 2006.
You can read the whole article here. I have to admit, I have never read anything by Nasrallah. Shame
on me I know. Anyone out there willing to loan one of his books (In Arabic
please)? Now after reading this article, I’m really intrigued. Here are two of his of poems translated
by Ibrahim Muhawi.
|
Battles
They’ll wake up in the morning
And they will fight
That which you saw last night was my dream
The other will answer: no, it was my dream
They will gently retrieve two pistols
From the sides of the same pillow
And at the same moment
They will fire
|
Bewildered
In the beginning
The horses said, we need plains
The eagles said, we need summits
The snakes said, we need lairs
But the humans remained bewildered
|
by Natasha Tynes | Dec 15, 2006 | Books, Everyday me!
One of the things that I enjoy about where we currently live is the easy access to our local library. I have no idea why it took over a year since our exodus from the Middle East for me to join the library. I guess it is because I am used to buying books without thinking twice, as I’m one of those that feels like a kid in a candy store when surrounded by books. I used to buy and buy, then I end up hating most of the books I own and eventually I give them away.
Lately, things have changed. Thanks to the encouragement of Rob and Jenny, I finally managed to drag myself down to the closest library, which turned out to be less than a mile away, and I got myself a free membership. Life was no longer the same after joining the library.
I’m hooked! I go there every other day. I check out books and DVDs like there is no tomorrow. The most fascinating thing for me about our local library is the on-line catalog. I was blown away when I realized that I could browse an on-line catalog of all the libraries in our county, put books on hold, and pick them up from our local branch! It’s that simple! During the past two days I’ve checked out: The Namesake, The Haunted, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Let It be Morning, The Edukadors, Lucia Lucia, among others. When it comes to due dates, I really like having a deadline. It makes my reading more focused and more efficient. And if I ever fail to meet my deadline, I simply go on-line and click the "renew" button.
I never thought of checking out books from the library when I was in Jordan. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because there was only one major library back then and it did not have many of the books I wanted. So I gave up and started spending a big chunk of my money on books. Today, I only buy the books that I really want to own.
I hope that Jordan can one day establish top-notch local libraries. I know many in Jordan who crave good books but cannot afford them or can never find them. Having access to a local library would make many Jordanians happy!
Here is a link to a book review I wrote for The Jordan Times. The book, Live from Jordan: Letters home from my journey through the Middle East, was written by Benjamin Orbach who was based in Jordan for almost a year. As a Jordanian and fan of travel writing, I enjoyed this book and recommend it. Here is my conclusion:
I was very pleased to stumble upon 
