If the Oceans Were Ink
An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran
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Narrated by:
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Kate Reading
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By:
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Carla Power
About this listen
Hailed by The Washington Post as "mandatory reading" and praised by Fareed Zakaria as "intelligent, compassionate, and revealing", this powerful journey will help bridge one of the greatest divides shaping our world today.
If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's eye-opening story of how she and her longtime friend, Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities. Their friendship - between a secular American and a madrasa-trained sheikh - had always seemed unlikely, but now they were frustrated and bewildered by the battles being fought in their names. Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace and not mass murder, respect for women and not oppression. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text.
A journalist who grew up in the Midwest and the Middle East, Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafés, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldview, Power and Akram offer eye-opening perspectives, destroy long-held myths, and reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long.
©2015 Carla Power (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Patience with God
- Faith for People Who Don't Like Religion (or Atheism)
- By: Frank Schaeffer
- Narrated by: Frank Schaeffer
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Schaeffer has a problem with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, and the rest of the New Atheists—the self-anointed “Brights.” He also has a problem with the Rick Warrens and Tim LaHayes of the world—the religious fundamentalists. The problem is that he doesn’t see much of a difference between the two camps. As Schaeffer puts it, they “often share the same fallacy: truth claims that reek of false certainties.
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A Very Personal Book
- By Thomas on 09-24-10
By: Frank Schaeffer
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Tales of Wonder
- By: Huston Smith
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Huston Smith, the man who brought the world's religions to the West, was born almost a century ago to missionary parents in China during the perilous rise of the Communist Party. Smith's lifelong spiritual journey brought him face-to-face with many of the people who shaped the 20th century. His extraordinary travels around the globe have taken him to the world's holiest places, where he has practiced religion with many of the great spiritual leaders of our time.
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Takes of wonder for sure, by a wonderful man.
- By Dr. D. Brian Austin on 04-03-19
By: Huston Smith
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Infidel
- By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Narrated by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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This New York Times best-seller is the astonishing life story of award-winning humanitarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A deeply respected advocate for free speech and women's rights, Hirsi Ali also lives under armed protection because of her outspoken criticism of the Islamic faith in which she was raised.
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Tough, Candid Assessment
- By Paul Mullen on 02-18-08
By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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An American Bride in Kabul
- By: Phyllis Chesler PhD
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Few westerners will ever be able to understand Muslim or Afghan society unless they are part of a Muslim family. Twenty years old and in love, Phyllis Chesler, a Jewish-American girl from Brooklyn, embarked on an adventure that has lasted for more than a half-century. Drawing upon her personal diaries, Chesler recounts her ordeal, the nature of gender apartheid - and her longing to explore this beautiful, ancient, and exotic country and culture.
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An Exceptional Book
- By Elaine Fresco on 04-16-19
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Things I've Been Silent About
- By: Azar Nafisi
- Narrated by: Naila Azad
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Azar Nafisi, author of the beloved international best seller Reading Lolita in Tehran, now gives us a stunning personal story of growing up in Iran, memories of her life lived in thrall to a powerful and complex mother, against the background of a country's political revolution.
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Family portrait in the frame of history
- By Galina COS on 07-02-16
By: Azar Nafisi
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Witness
- By: Ariel Burger
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Ariel Burger first met Elie Wiesel at age 15. They studied together and taught together. Witness chronicles the intimate conversations between these two men over decades as Burger sought counsel on matters of intellect, spirituality, and faith while navigating his own personal journey from boyhood to manhood, from student and assistant to rabbi and, in time, teacher. In this profoundly hopeful, thought-provoking, and inspiring audiobook, Burger takes us into Elie Wiesel's classroom, where the art of listening and storytelling conspire to keep memory alive.
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Touching and enlightening
- By Yakira Colish on 03-12-19
By: Ariel Burger
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The Trouble with Islam Today
- A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith
- By: Irshad Manji
- Narrated by: Irshad Manji
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of Oprah's first "Chutzpah Award" for boldness, Irshad Manji is among the world's most visible - and vocal - Muslim reformers. In this audio book, narrated by her, Irshad explains the disturbing attitudes with which too many of her fellow Muslims practice Islam today: Arab cultural tribalism posing as pure faith. An uncritical approach to the Quran as the final and therefore superior word of God. And a rejection of universal human rights as if they are incompatible with the Divine.
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Non-stop rant from an angry l*sb**n
- By J S on 10-14-12
By: Irshad Manji
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Committed
- A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
- By: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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At the end of her best-selling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government....
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Perfect timing
- By Nancy on 01-15-10
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The Way of the Strangers
- Encounters with the Islamic State
- By: Graeme Wood
- Narrated by: Graeme Wood
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Tens of thousands of men and women have left comfortable, privileged lives to join the Islamic State and kill for it. To them, its violence is beautiful and holy, and the caliphate a fulfillment of prophecy and the only place on earth where they can live and die as Muslims. The Way of the Strangers is an intimate journey into the minds of the Islamic State's true believers. From the streets of Cairo to the mosques of London, Wood interviews supporters, recruiters, and sympathizers of the group.
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A longer version of the Atlantic article
- By Nassir on 04-29-17
By: Graeme Wood
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Arab and Jew
- Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
- By: David K. Shipler
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 27 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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David Shipler delves into the origins of the prejudices of Jews and Arabs that have been intensified by war, terrorism, and nationalism. Focusing on the diverse cultures that exist side by side in Israel and Israeli-controlled territories, Shipler examines the process of indoctrination that begins in schools; he discusses the far ranging effects of socioeconomic differences, historical conflicts between Islam and Judaism, attitudes about the Holocaust, and much more.
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'Arab and Jew' Needs a Good Editor
- By Robert W. Gillespie on 10-23-03
By: David K. Shipler
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Inside the Kingdom
- My Life In Saudi Arabia
- By: Carmen bin Ladin
- Narrated by: Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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On September 11, 2001, Carmen bin Ladin heard the news that the Twin Towers had been struck. She instinctively knew that her brother-in-law was involved in these horrifying acts of terrorism, and her heart went out to America. She also knew that her life and the lives of her daughters would never be the same again.
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An inside view of the Saudi women's life
- By Richard on 08-04-04
By: Carmen bin Ladin
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Holy Envy
- Finding God in the Faith of Others
- By: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The renowned and beloved New York Times best-selling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world’s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations.
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Narrator’s use of a “Southern Accent” was extremely distracting
- By Mary Pat on 03-13-19
What listeners say about If the Oceans Were Ink
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shuja Baig
- 04-29-20
Illuminating
Enjoyed every minute of it. Explained many conundrums and passages in the Quran. I have may not agree with all of what the Shaikh believes. But I admire his erudition, and her sensitivity.
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- Jubriel Meneses
- 05-20-19
Iqra.
I really enjoyed this book. As a Muslim, like Carla did, I appreciate the effort of seeing Islam from another's point of view. Recommend reading this, Muslim or not. 👌🏾
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- Anonymous User
- 07-23-18
Excellent Read/Listen
Great storytelling! Contextual presentation of the universal values of Islam based on the sacred text.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Emma
- 08-22-16
Great story- bizarre accents/voices
Thoroughly enjoyed the story- interesting perspective and very reflective. Rather absurd pretend foreign accents though.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-04-23
If Oceans were ink.
Very insightful and informative as to the Islamic community. seeing the history of this grow to be worldwide .
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- wordlywork
- 10-14-16
potential unrealized
compelling topic but judgmental tone mars understanding. needs balance, background and edit to half length.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dina ElMaamoun
- 12-21-18
Excellent book, horrible narration
The narrator actually attempted to speak in voices with an Indian English accent for Re sheikh which I personally found offensive, high pitched tones for females, and deep voices for males. What are we 6??
The book itself is lovey, funny, touching, honest, and open. It’s refreshing to read about Islam for such a secular view as the author likes to call herself.
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- Mohammed
- 04-26-17
Truly enlightening!
A must read for those who genuinely want to see a better tomorrow for all humanity.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Coniqua
- 05-16-24
Narrator Butchers Pronunciations
Overall this book is an interesting take on how a non-Muslim goes about learning more about Islam. The main issue with the performance is that the narrator frequently mispronounces words.
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- teri_novabern
- 07-30-16
WAY TOO LONG-but good material
What would have made If the Oceans Were Ink better?
It should have been 1/3 the length--it was so repetitive. When a book doesn't really have a story--and it is presenting a viewpoint or perspective, as this one is--it needs to be short.
What could Carla Power have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Stop repeating herself! Polygamy, child brides, Koran 4: 34 Women, politics of Muslim countries. Over and over again. Pages and pages on headwear. She made the point about piety vs the show of piety! She should have edited like crazy. Also, she seemed very opinionated and self-important. There was no movement or growth in either main protagonist.
Did Kate Reading do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Yes. The voices were distinct and believable.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Compassion for the majority of Muslims. Honor for the values of modesty in all things, and devotion.
Any additional comments?
If I listened to it again, I would listen at "double speed" on my iPod. Really, I was so bored by about 2/3 of the way through I was sorry I had started the book--even though it taught me a lot.
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2 people found this helpful