Figs and Fate: Stories about Growing Up in the Arab World Today

by Elsa Marston

Book Overview

The five stories in this collection are told from the perspective of Arab teens living in Syria, Lebanon, a Palestinian refugee camp, Egypt, and Iraq. Each main character embarks on a mission to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080761551X
• ISBN13: 9780807615515
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: George Braziller
• Length: 135 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.8" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Insightful

I used this book to help add multiculturalism in my short-story unit. Most of the 9th graders enjoyed the book, even if they only liked one of the stories.

*PURSUE PEACE FOR THE WORLD'S SAKE*

"FIGS & FATE" has a colorful cover with an image from antiquity: a handsome wood panel from the pulpit of a Cairo mosque. Elsa Marston's collection of stories suggest that teens in the Middle East are trying hard to keep their balance on shaky ground, yet are perhaps more reasonable than some of the parents. She has written extensively of concerns that may raise the blood pressure of citizens of this world - but she also has influenced many to work toward amity. How easily we make judgments from lives of comparative ease & often with a narrower appreciation of culture. If that assessment makes you bristle consider how willingly we undergo *true life make-overs* in time of war when leaders become bereft of humor and compassion. Is it any wonder teens are more confused and unwilling to live within parameters set by adults? Among the youth of the five countries which provide the background of Marston's stories, universal emotions often fester. Readers can do their part to nurture intelligent understanding despite the forces driving wedges between people. One suggestion would be to build individual *Reading Lists* to include literature (especially poetry & art), archaeology and history; THEN READ WITH A FLEXIBLE SPIRIT. "Try to live in Peace even if you must run after it & hold it" ! Reviewer mcHAIKU hopes these delightful and important stories by Elsa Marston will re-ignite your desire to pursue Peace. "Figs and Fate" is an excellent book to steer us toward that path, and is a challenge for all ages