my (late) contribution to the booker prize list roundabout 2006
-> Sternschnuppe28, pustefix, juvi, Mondstina und CaptainCarrot

wonderfully written, gripping story. left me breathless blinking away my tears. having spent a happy childhood and careless youth so close to the iron fence, but on the free side, you become suddenly aware of small things like human rights again. not having to prove bravery or heroism by the simple fact of being born in another country, who''s to judge little suleiman?


on it''s way to sternschnuppe28 (finally)

An amazon-description and review that reflects my images and feelings towards the book quite well:

"It is 1979 and nine-year old Suleiman lives in the brutal police state of Gaddafi's Libya. When the novel opens, a neighbour and his father's close friend, Rashid, has been taken away by the police. Suleiman's father Faraj is in hiding; his febrile mother Najwa is distraught at the way Faraj has endangered himself and his family, and is furious with another friend, the Egyptian Moosa, who has egged on Rashid and Faraj into writing and distributing underground material. The sense of danger is palpable; it haunts Suleiman, and he is tossed about by one emotion after another: a child's love for his parents and for their friends alternates with anger and exasperation; friendship with Rashid's son Kareem alternates with betrayal; understanding and not understanding jostle each other; at times he holds himself in and will not speak, at others he acts impulsively, with fateful consequences; he is haunted by guilt, reinforced by the Islamic teaching he has received about the damnation in store for those who stray from the path of virtue. With his father away, Suleiman has been told he is the man of the house, but he is after all only nine years old. He has to see some terrible things. A few pages from the end of the book, his parents send him to safety in Egypt. With great economy, those pages convey the bleak effects of such a separation.

The Libyan setting - political, cultural and physical - is extremely well evoked. A novel of great power and psychological subtlety."

arrived yesterday, thanks!

just finished it and loved it! an interesting topic that i knew nothing about and I loved the way it was written from a position of semi-understanding.

The book arrived today - thank you! I'm impressed by your JEs and hope to read the book soon.

Übrigens, sind juvi und Mondstina noch dabei? Ich hatte Schwierigkeiten, mein letztes Buch (Testament of Gideon Mack, ist noch unterwegs) loszuwerden, und habe es dann an barnhelm geschickt, die gerade eine Kurz-Epiphanie im Forum hatte. Wo nun dieses nach dem Lesen hinsoll, weiß ich nicht...

It took me a long time to start, but then I read the book in three days.
A terrible and important book. I don't know much about Libya, but some things repeat themselves all over the world. I like the description by pustefix "written from a position of semi-understanding" - often I had to remind me that Suleiman is 9 years old.

The book travels to juvi now - thanks for letting me read it.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Here we are on the way to the post office!

Has arrived here some time ago, thank you!

Before I read this book I didn't remember more about Libya than the hostage-taking of several Bulgarian nurses some years ago and the Lockerbie attack. Now this touching first-person account made me want to know more.
I also had to remind me that Suleiman is still a little boy to understand at least some of the things he does. The responsibility for his mother sometimes seems to take up all his intellectual capabilities, so he is very naive in other situations. In addition, how could he be more careful if his parents don't explain anything to him? What was hard for me to follow is the development of Najwa.

Thanks for letting me join this ring! It will visit Mondstina next.

angekommen, danke fürs Schicken

dort in das Büchertauschregal gestellt