“ Jasmine Falling is also a rich Middle Eastern tale that makes us fall for a land ripped between war and other social ills. “…this is a solid debut and a meaningful addition to the growing Muslim fiction list. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Shereen Malherbe has done a superb job in her telling of a tale that I couldn’t put down. This book is full of powerful messages that every person can relate too and be inspired by. I was taken to another world and immersed in its tale of the continued conflict of a nation undergoing change and the spirit of its people. The journey she makes to discover her father’s whereabouts is mystical. I found Jasmine Falling a beautiful work of art which was emotionally moving and will stay with me for some time to come. My new-found embracement of my hyphenated identity is perhaps indicative of why I enjoyed it so much: Jasmine, in a way, is me.”

Trying to stifle the minority culture (black) to better conform to the majority culture (American) split my personality unnecessarily, and left me generally confused. Just as Jasmine realized the rejection of her father’s culture left her flailing for grounding, I have begun to realize that the food, the media, and the traditions I grew up with make me who I am. I’m both more proud to be black and less hesitant to call myself American. “Reading this novel certainly made me realize how important it is to acknowledge and celebrate all of the cultures in which I was raised. And thus it is rather no surprise that the author conjures up the Jinn, and speaks of shadows and whisperings as if the place, Palestine, were a living breathing entity, a character holding its own within the structure of the novel, actively involved in the characters’ lives, etching its place into their individual narratives, refusing to be ignored.” “‘Jasmine Falling’ is a multi-layered novel in that it oscillates between the unresolved political narrative related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the mystical, even mythical portrayal that seems tethered to any discourse or even work of literature wherever Jerusalem and Islam are concerned.

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