
War and Me
A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Christine Tawfik
About this listen
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.
©2022 Faleeha Hassan. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2022 by William Hutchins.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Highly recommended…and impressively enhanced in presentation by the narrative skills of Christine Tawfik…an extraordinary listening event and one which will have special appeal and interest to listeners with an interest in women's biographies and memoirs.” (Midwest Book Review)
“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)