War and Me: A Memoir
Description
An intimate memoir about coming of age in a tight-knit working-class family during Iraq's seemingly endless series of wars.
Faleeha Hassan became intimately acquainted with loss and fear while growing up in Najaf, Iraq. Now, in a deeply personal account of her life, she remembers those she has loved and lost.
As a young woman, Faleeha hated seeing her father and brother go off to fight, and when she needed to reach them, she broke all the rules by traveling alone to the war's front lines--just one of many shocking and moving examples of her resilient spirit. Later, after building a life in the US, she realizes that she will coexist with war for most of the years of her life and chooses to focus on education for herself and her children. In a world on fire, she finds courage, compassion, and a voice.
A testament to endurance and a window into unique aspects of life in the Middle East, Faleeha's memoir offers an intimate perspective on something wars can't touch--the loving bonds of family.
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About the Author
Faleeha Hassan is a poet, playwright, writer, teacher, and editor who earned her master's degree in Arabic literature and has published twenty-five books. A nominee for both the Pulitzer and Pushcart Prizes, she is the first woman to write poetry for children in Iraq. Her poems have been translated into twenty-one languages, and she has received numerous awards throughout the Middle East. Hassan is a member of the Iraq Literary Women's Association, the Sinonu Association in Denmark, the Society of Poets Beyond Limits, and Poets of the World Community. Born in Iraq, she now resides in the United States.
William Maynard Hutchins has translated many works of Arabic literature into English, including (for Amazon Crossing) Mortada Gzar's memoir, I'm in Seattle, Where Are You?, which was long-listed for the PEN Translation Prize for 2022. Hutchins holds degrees from Yale University and the University of Chicago and has taught in numerous institutions, starting in Sidon, Lebanon. He is now a professor emeritus at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
Reviews
Praise for War and Me
"Hassan renders her harrowing experiences in an authentic, heartfelt manner, offering important testimony of personal and national courage. A beautifully wrought memoir from a pioneering Iraqi author." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Iraqi poet Faleeha Hassan (A Butterfly's Voice) revisits a lifetime defined by war in this devastating and gorgeous work...While a sobering narrative, Hassan's intelligence and resilience combine to yield an incredibly powerful look at the ripple effects of warfare. Her poignant tale of survival is one that readers won't soon forget." --Publishers Weekly
"Reading War and Me often feels like listening to a new friend tell her life story, complete with jokes, dreams, and detours...It's impossible not to want better for Hassan and her family before the first chapters are done." --NPR
"Hassan, now an American citizen, said she did not write this book for accolades. 'Maybe one time, one leader will read my book, and he will change his mind to have another war, ' she said. 'That's my goal.' War and Me is a deeply personal view of what years of wars and international sanctions did to the people Hassan loved." --Philadelphia Inquirer
"The author's poetry is what earned her the reputation as the 'Maya Angelou of Iraq, ' but she proves how apt the comparison is in War and Me, a book highly reminiscent of Angelou's first and most famous memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings...War and Me is a remarkable demonstration of what a woman can do to survive." --Words Without Borders
Praise for Faleeha Hassan
"Faleeha Hassan, 'the Maya Angelou of Iraq, ' wields a mighty pen." --Oprah.com
