“A MAP OF HOME” BY RANDA JARRAR
I am in love with this book! I know I could have finished it in a few days, but I really wanted to read it slowly and enjoy it. I picked this book up at our book sale last year, and I was in the mood for something honest and ripe. Wow, did I find it in this novel. Nidali Ammar is born to an Egyptian mother and Palestinian father in the great city of Boston in the 1970s. The first chapter was hilarious as Nidali’s father is convinced he has sired a son and decides to name the baby “My Struggle,” which is a terrible name for a girl as the mother screams in Arabic throughout the halls of the hospital. Nidali coming from two worlds considers herself ”half-and-half,” which I definitely related to. At an early age, her parents move to Kuwait where Nidali eventually gets a baby brother and experiences the harsh reality of the Gulf War, which begins on her thirteenth birthday. With Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army invading, Nidali’s family must flee to Egypt where Nidali is now looking for a home within her mother’s country. Nidali’s family eventually makes their last move to Texas once she is in high school, and all hell breaks loose with her want to grow up and be her own woman or live the life her overbearing father has planned for her. Let me just say, I lived a completely different life from Nidali, but I resonated with her very much as a character. The story is told as a first-person narrative, so you really grow and love her from the beginning because of her quirks and charm. As mentioned above, I consider myself “half-and-half” although I am half white and half-Asian. I do know what it is like living with an overbearing father who knows everything and a very eccentric mother. In essence, this book could easily be about my family (other than the parts where her Baba (aka father) gets abusive with her). I truly loved her mother’s character because she reminded me so much of my own crazy mother. My favorite parts involve Nidali writing a letter to Saddam Hussein and the story of the wasp while losing her virginity.
A Map of Home is an unusual yet highly entertaining book. I’ve never read anything like it before, and I loved it. I’ve never read a book that takes place in the Middle East, so I really didn’t know what to expect. Nidali’s struggles through childhood to adulthood with forthright language and beautiful imagery make it a book not to miss. I’m not in a book club, but I highly recommend this one. The characters are delightful and real, which make the book a gem.
Also, I learned something that I must share with the world. Nidali talks about Jay-Z’s song “Big Pimpin,” and her father tells her that the song is from a famous Egyptian musician. I always wonder where they stole the hook. Gotta give props to Abdel Haleem. You can hear the original music here.
Jen’s Rating: *****