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serii 's review for:
The Map of Salt and Stars
by Zeyn Joukhadar
This book alternates from two points of view - one in modern times and another hundreds of years back. Although these stories are set hundreds of years apart, they are woven together in a way that flows well.
The first story is of Nour, a young girl who moves from New York to Syria after her fathers death, only to get caught up in the conflict. This story sheds light on the heartbreaking situation in Syria as well as the struggles that refugees endure in order to make it to safety.
The second story is of Rawiya, a widowers daughter who disguises herself as a boy (Rami) in order to apprentice with a renowned map maker, Al-Adrisi*. This story is one of the many stories that Nour’s father told her when she was younger.
Overall, this was a good read. It was beautifully written, however, it went into a lot of detail and I sometimes found my mind wandering here and there (I was listening to the audiobook).
*Fun Fact: Al-Adrisi was a real geographer/cartographer/etc.
✅ 2020 POPSUGAR Challenge - A book by a trans or non-binary author
The first story is of Nour, a young girl who moves from New York to Syria after her fathers death, only to get caught up in the conflict. This story sheds light on the heartbreaking situation in Syria as well as the struggles that refugees endure in order to make it to safety.
The second story is of Rawiya, a widowers daughter who disguises herself as a boy (Rami) in order to apprentice with a renowned map maker, Al-Adrisi*. This story is one of the many stories that Nour’s father told her when she was younger.
Overall, this was a good read. It was beautifully written, however, it went into a lot of detail and I sometimes found my mind wandering here and there (I was listening to the audiobook).
*Fun Fact: Al-Adrisi was a real geographer/cartographer/etc.
✅ 2020 POPSUGAR Challenge - A book by a trans or non-binary author