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Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits

by Laila Lalami
Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits

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ISBN13: 9780156030878
ISBN10: 015603087X
Condition: Standard


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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

"A bracing and beautiful little novel."—The Washington Post Book World 

In her exciting debut, Laila Lalami evokes the grit and enduring grace that is modern Morocco and offers an authentic look at the Muslim immigrant experience today.

For reasons as different as the lives they are leaving behind, four Muslims illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain. What has driven these men and women to risk their lives? And will the rewards prove to be worth the danger? Sensitively written with beauty and boldness, this is a gripping book about people in search of a better future.

"Lalami skillfully limns the dark recesses of the Muslim world and creates true-to-life characters . . .With subtlety and grace the author explores the emotional complexities of the culture theyre trying to escape—one that bears more resemblance to ours than we may imagine."—People

"In a book that feels as contemporary as a newspaper headline, that seems to explain so much . . . Lalami paints a vivid picture of modern-day Morocco as a place of dashed dreams and political repression."--The Boston Globe

Laila Lalami was born and raised in Rabat and educated in Morocco, Britain, and the United States. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Review, the Oregonian, the Nation, and elsewhere. She is the creator and editor of Moorishgirl.com, a blog about books and culture. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Reading Group Guide available at www.HarcourtBooks.com.

Review

"With spare prose and superb characterization, these tales of determined struggle command fierce credibility and irresistible empathy....This is an unexpected and enthralling read from a promising new voice." Boldtype

Review

"Lalami's characters are believable, sympathetic, and quite ordinary, nurturing hopes and dreams of a better life in the face of harsh conditions. An eloquent, fascinating glimpse into Moroccan culture and traditions, this debut is highly recommended." Library Journal

Review

"With subtlety and grace the author explores the emotional complexities of the culture they're trying to escape — one that bears more resemblance to ours than we may imagine." People

Review

"Lalami's debut novel is an absolute treasure. With realistic, clear, wonderful writing, she fully explores her characters — flaws, strengths, and all." Elizabeth Quinn, BUST

Review

"Lalami's story lines are evocative, her characters arresting, the settings vivid, and her voice pure and penetrating, ensuring that these striking tales of unsanctioned journeys and urgently improvised lives are at once timely and timeless." Booklist

Review

"This intense portrait of a gorgeous, once-powerful civilization stands in stark relief to the modern society Lalami skillfully depicts with gritty realism...impressive: This could well be the preamble to an important body of work." Kirkus Reviews

Review

"Lalami writes in a style both pragmatic and poetic, with romance and the human condition coiled together. An excellent book." Whitney Otto, author of How to Make an American Quilt

Review

"A dream of a debut, by turns troubling and glorious, angry and wise. With her spare elegant prose Lalami has constructed a world remarkable for its resilience, its vibrancy, its motion, and yes, its hope." Junot Diaz, author of Drown

Review

"Laila Lalami's compelling work of fiction provides an anatomy of hope and struggle. Building with quiet urgency, these tales gradually transform into the story of a nation and a profound moment in history." Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent and The Language of Baklava

Synopsis

In her exciting debut, Laila Lalami evokes the grit and enduring grace that is modern Morocco and offers an authentic look at the Muslim immigrant experience today.

The book begins as four Moroccans illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain. There's Murad, a gentle, educated man who's been reduced to hustling tourists around Tangier; Halima, who's fleeing her drunken husband and the slums of Casablanca; Aziz, who must leave behind his devoted wife to find work in Spain; and Faten, a student and religious fanatic whose faith is at odds with an influential man determined to destroy her future.

What has driven these men and women to risk their lives? And will the rewards prove to be worth the danger? Sensitively written with beauty and boldness, this is a gripping book about people in search of a better future.

Synopsis

In her exciting debut, Laila Lalami evokes the grit and enduring grace that is modern Morocco and offers an authentic look at the Muslim immigrant experience today.


The book begins as four Moroccans illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain. There s Murad, a gentle, educated man who s been reduced to hustling tourists around Tangier; Halima, who s fleeing her drunken husband and the slums of Casablanca; Aziz, who must leave behind his devoted wife to find work in Spain; and Faten, a student and religious fanatic whose faith is at odds with an influential man determined to destroy her future.
What has driven these men and women to risk their lives? And will the rewards prove to be worth the danger? Sensitively written with beauty and boldness, this is a gripping book about people in search of a better future.
"


About the Author

Laila Lalami was born and raised in Morocco. Her work has appeared in the Baltimore Review, the Los Angeles Times, the Independent, Moby, and elsewhere. She is the creator and editor of the literary blog www.moorishgirl.com, which has been the subject of articles in USA Today and the Washington Post. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

Table of Contents

Contents

the trip 

Part I: Before

the fanatic 

bus rides 

acceptance 

better luck tomorrow 

Part II: After

the saint 

the odalisque 

homecoming 

the storyteller 

Acknowledgments 


Laila Lalami on PowellsBooks.Blog

Laila Lalami Before we can tell, we must remember. The first people to call this part of the Mojave home were the Cahuilla, the Serrano, the Chemehuevi. For hundreds of years, they built shelters of brush or thatch, cleared trails, foraged for nuts and acorns, hunted deer, rabbit, and mountain sheep. They traded fur in the spring and turquoise in the summer...

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.8 (7 comments)

`
tansaoui , July 30, 2010 (view all comments by tansaoui)
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a an essay to better show the world some of the Moroccan cultures and tradition through some youngesters' unsuccessful attempt to illegally reach the other bank of the medeterranean sea. It is a realitisc and living fiction written by a woman, Laila Lalami who was raised in Morocco and better undertsands the situations of people who live in slums and also knows how they think and act. Neveretheless, such a dream of croosing the sea in inflatable rafts is already vanishing and disappearing as Morocco is undergoing remarkable and considearble achievement and progress. Wea re at least already on the track. By Lekbir tansaoui

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D.B. Pacini , May 08, 2009 (view all comments by D.B. Pacini)
BEAUTIFUL GIFT: I recently received HOPE AND OTHER DANGEROUS PURSUITS by Laila Lalami as a gift. Lalami shares modern Morocco though interconnecting profiles and the compelling journeys of her characters will intrigue and draw you to them. These fictional characters are very much alive. This remarkable book is a beautiful gift to receive.

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Mary K. , February 03, 2008
Rochester NY has chosen this title for their "All of Rochester Reads" this year (2008) and I am anxious to secure this book and read it so that I can share my thoughts on it.

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zitoon , October 31, 2007
catching especially for those who know the underpinning context

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Peter Anderson , February 10, 2007 (view all comments by Peter Anderson)
Expertly crafted and emotionally moving novel about Moroccans risking their lives crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in pursuit of better circumstances in Spain.

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olivasdan , November 21, 2006 (view all comments by olivasdan)
AUTHOR WRITES OF A DIFFERENT DANGEROUS MIGRATION By Daniel Olivas Under cover of night, with the aid of a high-priced human smuggler, a frightened group of men, women and children attempt a dangerous trek from their homeland to another country -- all in search of a better life. Who will succeed in entering the foreign land and improving their daily circumstances? And who will be apprehended by the authorities and returned to desperate poverty or other oppression? Such is the premise of Laila Lalami's debut novel, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, now available in paperback from Harvest Books ($13). But the immigrants Lalami writes about are not Latinos attempting to get into the United States. Her protagonists are four Moroccans who huddle with about 20 others in a small boat to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Their hope: to avoid the watchful eye of the authorities as they travel 14 kilometers to their haven, Spain. Lalami notes that this "more recent phenomenon of dangerous sea crossings ... is a result of the rising unemployment in Morocco combined with the tightening of visa regulations in Europe in the 1980s." The story will sound familiar to people in the United States: "Desperate to find jobs, people began to cross the short distance between Morocco and Spain on small boats, which has led to the loss of several thousand lives." Authors such as Luis Alberto Urrea and Reyna Grande have written books that eloquently recount similar dangers faced by Latinos trying to enter the United States through the unforgiving deserts of northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. But hope springs eternal. When her novel first hit the bookstores in hardcover last year, Lalami not only enjoyed critical acclaim but also had the "very pleasurable experience" of meeting and chatting with readers while on tour. "The only disturbing dialogue was when a woman at a book reading told me, point-blank, that 'Moroccan immigrants refuse to adapt and integrate.' And I, a perfectly 'integrated' immigrant, was standing before her. She couldn't see the irony." Born and raised in Morocco and now living in Oregon with her family, Lalami earned her bachelor of arts in English from Universite Mohammed V in Rabat; a master's degree from University College, London; and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Southern California. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Oregonian, the Nation, the Washington Post and elsewhere. She is living the American dream, to be sure. But Lalami has never forgotten her roots. Before the novel's publication, most readers knew of Lalami through her blog, Moorishgirl.com, which reflects her Moroccan roots by often covering -- and confronting -- literary news relating to the "other" in our society. Latino writers have received a generous share of Lalami's coverage. Not surprisingly, Lalami is "just thrilled" that her novel has also come out in a Spanish edition translated by Monica Rubio under the title Esperanza y Otros Sue?os. Lalami sees "many similarities" with the way undocumented immigrants are viewed in the United States and Europe, "particularly the tendency to periodically blame immigrants for everything that ails society." All the while, "these immigrants are keeping the service industry afloat, they are taking jobs citizens consider too low-paying to take, and they contribute millions to retirement plans and other benefits that they will never get to receive." But perhaps by humanizing undocumented immigrants through her fiction, Lalami can help the public become more compassionate and less fearful. One can only hope. [This profile first appeared in the El Paso Times in slightly different form.]

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Othman , October 27, 2006
I wanted to say that I'm a student in Beaverton High School, Mr Theriot told me that you were there and I heard about you, and it's a pleasure to know that there is a moroccan here that I know now, I know you wil not pay atention to this but I admire what you are doing

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780156030878
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
10/02/2006
Publisher:
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
Pages:
188
Height:
.60IN
Width:
5.40IN
Thickness:
.50
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
2005
UPC Code:
2800156030870
Author:
Laila Lalami
Author:
Laila Lalami
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Spain
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
Immigrants

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