Bilal's Bread

By Sulayman X

Book Overview

After fleeing Iraq, the Kurdish Abu family have settled in the United States. Salim, the eldest brother, has been deeply damaged by the torture he suffered at the hands of the Iraqi police, and his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739458132
• ISBN13: 9780739458136
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Alyson Books
• Weight: 1.58 lbs.

Customer Reviews

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I had high expectations for this book, and those high expectations were met. The relationship between Bilal & Muhammad is truly beautiful. Recommended.

Compelling

Graphic? Yes. REalistic? I think so. Necessary? Probably. As I read this book I was intrigued by the creative sense of desperation the author managed to engender in me as a reader. I wanted the story to have a positive outcome and yet, unlike many formulaic books (overcoming adversity as one comes of age) the outcome was in doubt until very near the end of the story. This to me is a compelling read. One that stays in the familiar territory of a literary "type" but also tweaks it enough to keep me engaged. We don't know if Bilal will indeed escape or overcome his oppressive surroundings. The fact that (spoiler alert) he does indeed and the community comes to so sort of comfortable acceptance may be a bit unrealistic but the author left enough un-tidy ends (the sister? the family's future?) to keep a tinge of reality. Not to mention that text exploring this coming of age in a multi-cultural, pluralistic society would be good reading for mature teens and adults alike. I'm a school teacher and I tend to read "adolescent literature" with this in mind -whether my early teens would benefit from a novel via enlightenment or entertainment and I think the answer for this one is yes. I would especially encourage young [...]teens to read this book. Yes, it is graphic. But as they say... it's nothing these kids don't already know and hasn't been presented in mainstream prime-time televsion or movies. Now... for his next novel.....?

A Compelling, Cruel Case Study

Bilal's Bread is wonderful for understanding the worst elements of homophobia in Muslim culture. It makes one think--can it really be this bad? The author, Sulayman X, shows the passion, deceit and hypocricy in a family that imperils the life of a young, teen-age American-Kurdish boy living in Kansas. Fascinating characters unfortunately speak a dialog that often sounds polemical and lacks the idiomatic flavor and language style of these newly arrived immigrants into the midwest. Still, Bilal's Bread, although preachy and melodramatic at times, reveals insights that make us want to know much more about the people, the culture and especially its gay men and lesbian women's sufferings. It is a very timely work in view of the recent Iranian horrors against gay men. MARK V. ROSE, Author OF BANGKOK, OH BOY! HOW THE TSUNAMI AFFECTED THE LIVES OF A THAI MONEY BOY AND TWO AMERICAN PROFESSORS

Breath of Fresh Air

Breath of Fresh Air This unassuming little story whispers a message more effectively than those books that choose to shout. Far away from the typical gay fare involving Hollywood dreams, turning tricks, and frequenting the gym, this is the gripping tale of timid, obedient 16-year-old Bilal Abu. An Iraqi-American living in the heartland, he lives an insulated life with his family. They struggle to get by, Bilal selling his mother's popular home-baked bread at local stores, and his older brothers Salim and Hakim holding down blue-collar jobs. Salim, at 26, has been the head of the family since their father's death in Iraq at the hands of Saddam Hussein's forces. But they don't find much sympathy in Kansas City, with suspicious eyes watching their brown skin and suspicious minds knowing only all Iraqis as the enemy--not understanding or caring to know the difference between a Kurd, a Sunni, and a Shiite. Bilal is of sexual service to Salim, who treats his abuse of Bilal as a secret cultural ritual. Bilal's feelings are unflinchingly honest. He struggles to understand his intuition that servicing his brother is wrong, while perceiving that there is something he deeply enjoys about a sexual relationship his domineering, muscular older brother. When Bilal meets a classmate, Muhammad, and learns of the beauty of sex plus love, his future becomes clearer...though certainly not easier. Fatima, Bilal's wise older sister, helps Bilal as best she can, while struggling with her own desire to rid herself of the veil, and some Iraqi ways, to be the strong American woman she sees herself becoming. The story intertwines cleverly. Salim becomes more violent toward his family members, especially Bilal. Family secrets from past days in Iraq spill, clarifying Salim's deeper, darker role in the changes wrenching their lives. In contrast to Bilal's tenderness with Muhammad is the fracturing of Bilal's family and the necessary intervention of a local Islamic leader. Rarely do we get a gem like this that blends a strikingly memorable story with a great cultural learning experience. No review can really do it justice. Captivating in its style, and daring in its content, it will surely become a classic of gay lit and perhaps a landmark young-adult book, too.

READ THIS BOOK!

Bilal Abu and his family are refugees from Iraq. They just barely managed to escape after the death of Bilal's father. Eight years later, the family fears what would happen if anyone knew the truth. And there are more lies than ever amongst the family. Bilal (I am not giving anything away here; this information is on the back cover.) is being sexually abused by his older brother (a man who hates America, its godless ways, and its perversions). He and his sister, Fatima, also have to deal with racism. Fatima wants to be brought into the twenty-first century and remove her veil, but their brother (now the head of the family) forbids her to "disgrace" herself and, therefore, the family. Their mother and other brother also play a part in the story as Bilal begins to think he is gay and falls in love with a friend. "Bilal's Bread" will catch you in the first chapter, leaving you hoping that the rest of the novel will hold up. It tapers off just a little...but picks up again and remains strong. This book will disgust, enlighten, and make you feel for the characters all at the same time. It has heart; feel the love, the pain, and everything in between.