Morgana Gallaway

Wow. I loved this book. It occurs during the present day Iraqi war. Readers are introduced to Leila, a young woman living in Mosul who has high hopes and dreams for herself. She strives to become educated and pursue a career as a doctor. However, her parents are trying desperately to marry her off to her repulsive cousin. Her father is a terrorist and after getting a job on an American military base as a medical assistant and a translator, Leila is torn between two worlds. Her father encourages her to spy on the Americans and the Americans want her to turn in her father. Either decision she makes betrays someone, either her father who is randomly killing and full of hate or her new American friends and co workers who do not understand her country or religion, not to mention the handsome American Major she is falling in love with. The last couple of chapters are very fast paced and full of action as Leila's father commits a horrifying crime, making her an accomplice to terrorism. Will the choice she makes in the end be the right one? I sense a sequel here also.… (mehr)

I thought this book was very well written. The voice of the main character, Leila, who was a 23 year-old Iraqi woman, was so real to the thoughts and feelings of an independent woman wanting to mark her own path in life, but hampered by cultural roadblocks. The information given in this book about the war in Iraq was very informative and I find myself understanding more references to the war now that I have read this book. I also enjoyed the love story between Leila and her man and appreciated the fact that the author kept this romance very clean and innocent...such a refreshing break from today's literature. My book club group of ladies aging from late twenties to early thirties found this book to be a great read and would definitely recommend it to others.… (mehr)