Hope and Other Dangerous PursuitsIn 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. |
Contents
THE TRIP I | 1 |
THE FANATIC | 19 |
BUS RIDES | 52 |
АССЕРТANCE | 74 |
BETTER LUCK TOMORROW | 95 |
THE SAINT | 113 |
THE ODALISQUE | 127 |
HOMECOMING | 146 |
THE STORYTELLER | 168 |
Acknowledgments | 187 |
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Common terms and phrases
already Arbo Aziz asked Aziz's beach beghrir Betoul Better Luck Tomorrow boat brother café Casablanca chair Chrissa cigarettes coffee daughter Diana Abu-Jaber dirhams divan door exams eyes face Farid Faten father Fatiha felt fingers Ghomari girl glass grabbed Guardia Civil hair Halima Hanan hand head heard hijab jahiliya jellaba Jenara Junot Díaz Khadija kitchen knew Lahcen Lalami Lamya Larbi laughed leave living room look Maati Martín Morocco mother Mouna moved muezzin Murad nodded Noura Paul Bowles pulled quiet Qur'an Rabat Rahal Salma Sandy Scarface shirt shoes shook shrugged sighed sister smiled someone Spain Spanish stared started stood stop stories street talk Tangier Tawfiq tell thought told took tried turned voice waiting walked watched What's who'd wife window woman wondered Zenata Zohra