Member Since:
Jan. 16, 2013
Lisa Burgess
Smashwords book reviews by Lisa Burgess
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Dreams in the Medina
on Jan. 31, 2013
This is fiction that pulls you into reality. Because sometimes it takes a story to make you care. This novel shows the intersecting lives of college-age women enrolled in the University of Damascus. There are Muslims, Christians, English literature majors, lawyers-to-be. No two characters are the same, thus demolishing our stereotype of the "typical Middle Eastern woman." As the story progresses, we are effortlessly educated on the geography of Syria, the diversity of religious practices, even food choices and lifestyles. But it's the people in the story that keep us reading. While differences between them and the stereotypical American may seem great on the outside, the inside struggles and passions are similar across the globe--love, happiness, traditions, God, family. So I recommend this novel on several levels--for the interesting fiction story that will keep you turning page after page (or digitally clicking), but also for the way it pulls you into caring more about real people in other countries.