Rayda Jacobs

In a balance of humor and heartbreak, and addiction and hope, Jacobs' exploration of a Muslim mother's look at the world is a graceful movement between a past and a present, all so interwoven as to condense each moment with another. With a son dying of AIDS and personal addiction becoming heaver and heavier, Jacobs' protagonist is one to remember, and is created so strikingly and believably that the novel is simply compelling.

Written with an eye toward painful self confession, and with a focus on hard truths, the book is a serious one. Yet, the community at the center of the book is what ensures a read which is not only powerful, but beautiful, and full of hope.

Recommended.… (meer)