The Girl from Foreign: A MemoirA search for shipwrecked ancestors, forgotten histories, and a sense of home Fascinating and intimate , The Girl from Foreign is one woman's search for ancient family secrets that leads to an adventure in far-off lands. Sadia Shepard, the daughter of a white Protestant from Colorado and a Muslim from Pakistan, was shocked to discover that her grandmother was a descendant of the Bene Israel, a tiny Jewish community shipwrecked in India two thousand years ago. After traveling to India to put the pieces of her family's past together, her quest for identity unlocks a myriad of profound religious and cultural revelations that Shepard gracefully weaves into this touching, eye-opening memoir. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
| 7 | |
| 14 | |
The Girl from Foreign | 21 |
Lucky Child | 35 |
Ibrahim Professional Photographer | 43 |
Three Parents | 52 |
21 | 154 |
SecondClass Car | 179 |
Omens | 182 |
Jews and Indians | 203 |
Which Caste | 214 |
PART THREE DEPARTURES | 233 |
People of the Book | 235 |
Nanas Papers | 273 |
Influences | 71 |
Siddiqi House | 81 |
Shantarams Pond | 97 |
Richard and Samina | 109 |
AnxiousType Nature | 122 |
PART TWO FIELDWORK | 131 |
The Dirt Collectors | 133 |
Hindi Lessons 35 | 149 |
ŵ B 7 | 153 |
Travel Advisory | 286 |
High Holidays | 293 |
Leah and Daniel | 316 |
Which Way Is East | 328 |
Departures | 345 |
Return | 355 |
Authors Note | 359 |
List of Illustrations | 363 |
Common terms and phrases
Akhtar Alibag Aliyah Auntie Bene Israel Bimal Bombay brother camera Cassim Cassim says Chordekar clothes coconut cousin David door dressed dupatta eyes father feel film friends front girl grandfather grandmother grandmother's hair hand head hear Hindi Hindu husband Ibrahim India inside Israel Jewish Jews Judaism Karachi Konkan laugh Leah living look Mama Marathi marriage married Mehreen mother Muslim Nana Nana's never night Pakistan Pakistani American photograph prayer Pune Qur'an Rachel Rahat Villa Rekhev Rekhev says Revdanda rickshaw Rintu Sadia salwar kameez Sangeeta sari Segulla-bai Shabbat shake Sharon Sharona Siddiqi House side Simchat Torah smile someone stay story street synagogue talk tell things thought tiny told Torah trying Urdu village Vinod walk Waskar watch wear wedding window woman women wonder young