Faleeha Hassan

Faleeha Hassan is an Iraqi poet with refugee status in the United States. Her memoir details her life growing up in Iraq through one war after another: the Iran-Iraq War, the invasion of Kuwait, various uprisings, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War. She eschews the political, however, and writes about her family, her schooling and pursuit of higher education, her first love, her professional life, and her unhappy marriage. In 2011 her name was published on a militia group's death list. She fled to Turkey with her two youngest children and from there to the US. She was the first woman to publish a book of poetry in Najaf and has been widely published and translated.

This is the first Iraqi memoir I've read, and I learned a lot about the daily life of a woman growing up under Saddam Hussein and subsequent sanctions. Hassan is pious, well-educated, and a prolific poet. Unfortunately the memoir doesn't read as fluidly as one might expect. It could be a result of the translation or even my own reading of the book, which was interrupted in the middle. The result is the I enjoyed the content more than the writing.… (altro)

Faleeha Hassan’s memoir about her life in Iraq, focusing on the war with Iran, Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, the UN embargo, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It also tells of her personal story – how she became a teacher and poet, her marriage, children, and how she eventually left the country. There are many sad examples of life in a war zone.

This book is extremely detailed. I think it could have been better edited (or perhaps it is a result of the translation to English). The writing is fine but not stellar. However, I think these issues can easily be overlooked to concentrate on understanding what life was like for the people of Iraq during these times of turmoil and war. It is easy for other parts of the world to be attuned to the political issues and what is shown on television broadcasts, not realizing that there was a wide variety of opinions on how Hussein and the government were viewed by the population. There were many factions, and these are explained in this book.

I found it extremely interesting. I think it will be eye-opening, especially for western readers. It reinforces how difficult life can be for women in this region. I always enjoy learning about our world and many different life experiences.
… (altro)

Iraq has encountered consistent upheaval for the past half-century. Most Americans know parts of that story from the news. What most Americans, like myself, don’t know is what that story looks like on the ground, in individual lives. They don’t appreciate how US policy has affected common life, mainly because they haven’t come into contact with an Iraqi. Instead, prejudice, bigotry, and/or cultural bias tends to fill that void.

To address that problem, Hassan has written this memoir of her life. She is an accomplished writer in Arabic with academic credentials and many awards. As is obvious from her life story, a lack of cultural stability has negatively impacted her life. When combined with cultural misogyny, Hassan’s entrapment in an oppressed situation becomes clear.

Most Americans, myself included, do not appreciate how the Iraqi wars, preceded by the Iran-Iraq war, have decimated the cultural fabric of Iraq. Historically, the Second Iraq War was followed by a nihilistic and destructive era in the country. Hassan’s account makes clear why this was so, instead of the renaissance of freedom that George W. Bush promised. Iraqi culture had already been oppressed by 25 prior years of military fighting and death. As documented here, Hassan’s never-ending quest to lead a decent life is laudable and poised to inspire any compassionate reader.

It took about 100 pages to adjust to the style of Hutchins’ translation, from what I assume was originally in Arabic. However, I soon was enveloped into the narrative, and worries about style seemed to fade away, replaced by worries about Hassan’s well-being. This is a story of a human determined to overcome despite the worst that humanity has to offer. I found much to contemplate.

The world has entered an era where refugees are becoming more common. Too many international crises leave individuals homeless and having to flee for their lives. How quickly we forget that white Europe encountered the same in 1945, less than a century ago! Hassan’s narrative shows exactly what some refugees have had to overcome. The lucky ones that are accepted into stable countries still have to encounter prejudice – just for being in a different religion, having a darker skin color, or being raised in a different part of the world. Overcoming this bigotry is something comfortable Americans (like me) can do something about. Hassan’s elegant telling of a horrific story is a way that I can appreciate these new neighbors and sometimes new Americans.… (altro)