Description
Set against the backdrop of the early American presence in Iran under the Shah, and the burgeoning years of Kuwait's early oil boom, Dancing into the Light is Kathryn Abdul-Baki's memoir of growing up within both the expatriate Western communities and the larger Middle Eastern society of Kuwait and Jerusalem. Hers is a story of belonging to two vastly different cultures and finding her place within both, and the search to find the inherent harmony in worlds at odds with each other. She is already caught in both the joys of and the struggle to be both Arab and American, yet not fully either, when her young life of promise is disrupted by tragedy. But instead of derailing her life, her mother's death opens the door to deeper love and support from other places within Kathryn's family.
Dancing into the Light is a story of love, loss, and renewal, and of overcoming devastating early trauma through music, dancing, and the love and devotion of strong American and Arab women.
Will be hiring a publicist.
About the Author
Kathryn K. Abdul-baki was born in Washington DC to an Arab father and an American mother. She grew up in Iran, Kuwait, Beirut, and Jerusalem, where she attended Arabic, British, and American schools. She attended the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, has a BA in journalism from George Washington University in Washington DC, and an MA in creative writing from George Mason University, Virginia. She has published five books of fiction, some of which have been taught at universities in multicultural literature, women's studies, and Arab studies departments. She is recipient of the Mary Roberts Rinehart award for short fiction. Abdul-baki has three grown children and currently resides with her husband in McLean, Virginia.
Reviews
PAST PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:
For A MARRIAGE IN FOUR SEASONS:
"An often beautifully written work that lays its characters low with grief and lifts them high with the bliss of travel."
- Kirkus Reviews
"The drama, serene Spain setting, and complicated family relations make A Marriage in Four Seasons a must-read."
-Bookbub
For FIELDS OF FIG AND OLIVE:
"It is difficult to heap enough praise on this author for her astonishingly vivid depictions of landscape and her ability to evoke spirit of place."
-Seattle Times
"The skillful and realistic presentation of characters...along with other narrative techniques, contributes to making her collection one of the most successful of its kind."
-World Literature Today
"She has been blessed with the ability to make foreignness familiar."
-Chicago Sun Times
"Her politics are feminist, her theme is human ethics, and her writing is finely honed."
-Ms. Magazine
"She challenges Western ways of thinking about the nature and behavior of Arab women and men."
-The Trenton Times
For TOWER OF DREAMS:
Book Information
ISBN 9781647425371
Author Kathryn Abdul-Baki
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint She Writes Press
Publisher She Writes Press
Dancing into the Light is a story of love, loss, and renewal, and of overcoming devastating early trauma through music, dancing, and the love and devotion of strong American and Arab women.
Will be hiring a publicist.
About the Author
Kathryn K. Abdul-baki was born in Washington DC to an Arab father and an American mother. She grew up in Iran, Kuwait, Beirut, and Jerusalem, where she attended Arabic, British, and American schools. She attended the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, has a BA in journalism from George Washington University in Washington DC, and an MA in creative writing from George Mason University, Virginia. She has published five books of fiction, some of which have been taught at universities in multicultural literature, women's studies, and Arab studies departments. She is recipient of the Mary Roberts Rinehart award for short fiction. Abdul-baki has three grown children and currently resides with her husband in McLean, Virginia.
Reviews
PAST PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:
For A MARRIAGE IN FOUR SEASONS:
"An often beautifully written work that lays its characters low with grief and lifts them high with the bliss of travel."
- Kirkus Reviews
"The drama, serene Spain setting, and complicated family relations make A Marriage in Four Seasons a must-read."
-Bookbub
For FIELDS OF FIG AND OLIVE:
"It is difficult to heap enough praise on this author for her astonishingly vivid depictions of landscape and her ability to evoke spirit of place."
-Seattle Times
"The skillful and realistic presentation of characters...along with other narrative techniques, contributes to making her collection one of the most successful of its kind."
-World Literature Today
"She has been blessed with the ability to make foreignness familiar."
-Chicago Sun Times
"Her politics are feminist, her theme is human ethics, and her writing is finely honed."
-Ms. Magazine
"She challenges Western ways of thinking about the nature and behavior of Arab women and men."
-The Trenton Times
For TOWER OF DREAMS:
"She shines in her ability to penetrate the psyche of young Arab women."
-Seattle Times
For GHOST SONGS:
"A tranquil and beautiful novel."
-Philadelphia City Paper
"She presents Arab culture in narratives of exquisite technique, deep insights, and beautiful English. It bids fair to establish her as an Arab-American fiction writer worthy of wide recognition."
-World Literature Today
Book Information
ISBN 9781647425371
Author Kathryn Abdul-Baki
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint She Writes Press
Publisher She Writes Press
