Saffron Dreams (Academic Edition)
Author
Shaila Abdullah
Publisher
Modern History Press
4 Review Copies Left
Saffron Dreams is a tale of love, tragedy, and redemption from the award-winning author of Beyond the Cayenne Wall...
You don't know you're a misfit until you are marked as an outcast.
From the darkest hour of American history emerges a mesmerizing tale of tender love, a life interrupted, and faith recovered. Arissa Illahi, a Muslim artist and writer, discovers in a single moment that no matter how carefully you map your life, it is life itself that chooses your destiny. After her husband's death in the collapse of the World Trade Center, the discovery of his manuscript marks Arissa's reconnection to life. Her unborn son and the unfinished novel fuse in her mind into one life-defining project that becomes, at once, the struggle for her emotional survival and the redemption of her race. Saffron Dreams is a novel about our ever evolving identities and the events and places that shape them. It reminds us that in the midst of tragedy, our dreams can become a lasting legacy.
The Academic edition of Saffron Dreams includes an Instructor's Manual containing discussion topics and questions for each chapter. Educators can use this manual in their classrooms to stimulate critical thinking, explore key themes of the novel, and brainstorm decisions and actions of the characters at various points. This edition also contains a suggested reading list, glossary, and recipes of dishes mentioned in the novel
About the Author
Shaila Abdullah is a Pakistani-American author and designer based in Austin, Texas. Her first book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is an award-winning collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society. For more information, please visit www.ShailaAbdullah.com.
Saffron Dreams is Book #5 of the Reflections of America Series from Modern History Press and is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats
www.ModernHistoryPress.com
EDU020000 Education : Multicultural Education
SOC048000 Social Science : Islamic Studies
FIC027020 Fiction : Romance - Contemporary
Reviews
In the eloquently written novel Saffron Dreams, Shaila Abdullah tells the painfully moving story of Arissa, a Pakistani-Muslim living in New York City. Arissa is left a mourning, pregnant widow after her husband tragically loses his life during the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Delve into the emotional turmoil that haunts Arissa following the loss of her husband and the onset of Islamophobia in America, causing Arissa to feel like an outcast in her own home, unsure of where she falls in the cultural make-up of our society. Saffron Dreams chronicles her evolving existence after the tragic loss of her husband as she struggles to move forward as a widow, a single mother, an American, a Muslim, all the while trying to rectify her place in society with these new titles and nuances thrust upon her.
Saffron Dreams is a poignant story that enables the reader to embrace a fresh, personal understanding of Muslim-Americans living in a post-9/11 world. The academic edition provides the reader with thought-provoking questions and both theme and chapter-specific talking points in order to stir discussions on racism, fundamentalism, feminist issues, and an understanding of Islam, separate from prejudices or preconceived notions. Perfect for course discussion starters, reading groups, or for your own benefit in pushing the limits of your intellectual bounds, challenging you to delve deeper into the meaningful issues this book brings to the surface.
Abdullah’s greatest success through this narrative is her ability to tug at her reader’s heartstrings and draw them into the shattered existence of her main character. You will be hanging on her every expressively written word as you join Arissa on her journey of mourning, healing, and pursuit of rebuilding an identity and existence for herself while creating a living legacy for the husband she has lost.
This telling tale is a must-read I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring an American identity story often under-expressed but important to grasp in today’s world.
Reviewed on 04/26/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Adela Ghadimi
