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E-mail Message: I thought you might be interested in this item at http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/243845228 Title: Saffron dreams : a novel Author: Shaila Abdullah Publisher: Ann Arbor, MI : Modern History Press, 2009. ISBN/ISSN: 9781932690729 1932690727 9781932690736 1932690735 OCLC:243845228

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Saffron dreams : a novel

Author:	Shaila Abdullah
Publisher:	Ann Arbor, MI : Modern History Press, 2009.
Series:	Reflections of America series, bk. #5.
Edition/Format:	Print book : Fiction : English : 1st edView all editions and formats
Summary:	From the darkest hour of American history emerges a mesmerizing tale of tender love, a life interrupted, and faith recovered. Arissa Illahi, a Muslim artist and writer, discovers in a single moment that no matter how carefully you map your life, it is life itself that chooses your destiny. After her husband's death in the collapse of the World Trade Center, the discovery of his manuscript marks Arissa's reconnection Read more...
Rating:	based on 5 rating(s) 5 with reviews
Subjects	Widows -- Fiction. Muslim women -- Fiction. Unfinished books -- Fiction. View all subjects
More like this	User tags User lists Similar Items

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Details

Genre/Form:	Fiction
Additional Physical Format:	Online version: Abdullah, Shaila, 1971- Saffron dreams. Ann Arbor, MI : Modern History Press, 2009 (OCoLC)761392783
Material Type:	Fiction
Document Type:	Book
All Authors / Contributors:	Shaila Abdullah Find more information about:
ISBN:	9781932690729 1932690727 9781932690736 1932690735
OCLC Number:	243845228
Description:	232 pages ; 23 cm.
Series Title:	Reflections of America series, bk. #5.
Responsibility:	by Shaila Abdullah.

Abstract:

From the darkest hour of American history emerges a mesmerizing tale of tender love, a life interrupted, and faith recovered. Arissa Illahi, a Muslim artist and writer, discovers in a single moment that no matter how carefully you map your life, it is life itself that chooses your destiny. After her husband's death in the collapse of the World Trade Center, the discovery of his manuscript marks Arissa's reconnection to life. Her unborn son and the unfinished novel fuse in her mind into one life-defining project that becomes, at once, the struggle for her emotional survival and the redemption of her race. Saffron Dreams is a novel about our ever evolving identities and the events and places that shape them. It reminds us that in the midst of tragedy, our dreams can become a lasting legacy.

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WorldCat User Reviews (5)

Autentisk Nike Air Max 2011 Kvinder til salg

by ptxyw (WorldCat user published 2012-08-23) Good

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To Walk in Another's Shoes...

by JaimeHuff1 (WorldCat user published 2009-08-29) Excellent

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Arissa Illahi is a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, Pakistani, American, and Muslim. When the United States, and consequentially the world, was rocked by the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Arissa's life is turned upside down. Her husband, Faizan, was working at a restaurant in one of the towers and lost his life. Reeling with the loss of her love, Arissa is left struggling and trying to make sense of it all. She is also pregnant with a baby who is destined to have severe special needs and alone. She also becomes a victim of prejudice when attacked because she is wearing her veil. She sheds her veil and goes on a journey of heartbreak and empowerment all the while healing from being abandoned by her mother and building a beautiful relationship with Faizan's parents.

Poetic and moving, the story of Arissa Illahi's heartbreak and strength comes alive in Shaila Abdullah's "Saffron Dreams". This novel is written in a memoir style, taking you deep in to Arissa's heartbreak and inner struggles. Attempting to bring forth what it must be like to be a victim in so many aspects due to the terrorist attacks. Imagine what it must be like to be in the shoes of a follower of Allah and have the world blame you for what you yourself is a victim of also. Shaila Abdullah's book is multifaceted, we are given a treat of reading beautiful words, a moving story and we are also educated at the same time. Although this is a work of fiction, Arissa's heartbreak is real. Her experiences are real. Her struggle with removing her veil and blending in with an America that is reeling and scared. Her surviving when Faizan did not, her decisions to continue with his novel, and the choices and struggles with raising their special needs son. I was moved to tears several times during this book, my heart ached for Arissa and I also found myself cheering her on as she and her son found their footing and moved through their lives, never forgetting who they are: Wife, Mother, Daughter, Son, Pakistani, American and Muslim.

Shaila Abdullah's "Saffron Dreams" is a must read.

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love, loss and the power of letting go

by AngelaReneeS (WorldCat user published 2009-08-28) Excellent

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Writer, Shaila Abdullah, takes you into the life of Arissa Illahi, a Muslim, born into the upper class struggling to find who she is. Abandoned by a mother,...
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Writer, Shaila Abdullah, takes you into the life of Arissa Illahi, a Muslim, born into the upper class struggling to find who she is. Abandoned by a mother, who could not find a way to love, hesitant to fall in love herself, until one-day fate intervened. Meeting an aspiring author, over a stack of books, who turned out to the man of her dreams. Marring

Faizan, moving to New York, and starting a family, life was starting to come together for

Arissa. Unfortunately, a happy ending was not theirs to have, and one fateful day changed their lives forever. On September 11, 2001, Faizan died in the World Trade Centers. Now, a widow, pregnant with a disabled child, and viewed as an outsider in the

land that she now calls home. She decidedes to take off her veil but keep her culture. Struggling with the challenges of moving to a new city, starting a new job, and raising a child with multiple disabilities. She has also decided to finish Faizan’s novel, breathing life into the characters he created and bring his novel to a close. Slowly, she starts letting go of the anger she held for her mother, and bit by bit letting go of the man he loves. Willing herself to carry on for the amazing gift that Faizan left, their son Raian. Proving that she is intrepid, and will continue on.

Vividly written, with the phrasing being as bold as the colors Arissa painted with. I could almost smell the jasmine floating through the air, as I lost myself in a different world. With characters as spicy and flavorful as curry, you could not help but to fall in love with each and everyone of them, It was as if you were with Arissa on the emotional rollercoaster that became her life, and felt the strength she finally find. I was elated at every milestone that Raian accomplished and found myself hoping for another, Abdullah has offered readers an inside look into the Muslim culture, and blended it perfectly with the American.

“Saffron Dreams” is an ingenious work of art that captures the raw emotions of love, loss, the path of letting go and the one that leads to self discovery. Abdullah wrote that,

“presentation, is the key to leaving a lasting impression”. With this book she has accomplished that goal with the beautifully written way in which she tugs at your

heartstrings. This will defiantly be a book I will remember. Truly a book that should be on every must read list .

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Pakistani-American widowhood after 9/11

by ccqdesigns (WorldCat user published 2009-06-29) Very Good

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This year I decided to read mostly foreign authors and multicultural themed books and this week’s selection was a fiction novel, Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah. This book looks at the treatment and lives of Muslims in America after 9/11.

Arissa and Faizan married in Pakistan in a traditional Muslim wedding and were the love of each other’s lives from the beginning. They moved to New York where Faizan worked as a waiter while secretly writing his first novel. After two years of marriage, Arissa finally became pregnant and they were both excited about their first visit to the doctor for an ultrasound. Then, 9/11 happened and Faizan never made it home.

“That’s how God made us, in pairs so we complete each other. And then he snatches one away, I thought, and makes us dispensable mortals. Alone we come, and solo our return.” Pg.101

Shaila Abdullah gives us a clear picture of what it was like to be Muslim and a widow in America after 9/11 through the story of one courageous woman who faces raising a child alone and the possibility of finishing her husband’s novel. She addresses the balancing of cultural traditions with American realities and her writing flows like a river from the first paragraph to the last sentence. Ms. Abdullah provides an accurate and insightful story of love, loss, fear, anger, and finding the strength to survive. This book is a must read for everyone and can provide understanding for those with little experience with other cultures.

Luckily I have had the great pleasure to experience many different cultures, religions, foods and customs and met many wonderful people while traveling and working internationally. I have found many women indicative of the values that Arissa displays in this novel which made this book very personal and identifiable to me. I give this book a big “thumbs up” and can’t wait to read the next novel by Shaila Abdullah.

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Filled with hope, amazingly fresh and vibrant and satisfying

by readerviews (WorldCat user published 2009-02-05) Excellent

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Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (10/08)

Arissa Illahi, a Pakistani woman living in New York, has it all - a loving husband, the freedom to pursue the work she enjoys, good friends, understanding family...
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Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (10/08)

Arissa Illahi, a Pakistani woman living in New York, has it all - a loving husband, the freedom to pursue the work she enjoys, good friends, understanding family and a child on the way. Then one fateful morning her life shatters – the World Trade Center in NYC collapses in a terrorist attack, and takes with it Faizan, Arissa’s husband. Arissa’s world will never be the same. Not only has she lost her soulmate, her beloved husband and the father of the unborn child, but she suddenly finds herself in a world where she is perceived as an enemy just for being a Muslim.

There are books that are beautiful simply because they are so positive and pleasant. And there are those that manage to be beautiful in spite of the pain and the suffering and the heartbreak contained within. Shaila Abdullah’s “Saffron Dreams” is both. Her writing is mesmerizing. On one hand it feels like a classically cut diamond – precise, sparkling, blindingly beautiful, but also incredibly sharp. On the other hand her writing reminds me of a dish I’ve often had traveling in India – a thali. Yes, I am very well aware of the fact that the author is Pakistani and not Indian, but many of the foods she mentioned in the book reminded me a lot of India, and that is probably why I thought of thali. Thali is usually a round metal tray with many compartments, each containing a different item, such as rice, dhal, different vegetables and curries, chutney, yoghurt and something sweet to finish.

Each of those items complements or contrasts the others to perfection, and together they are some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. This is the way I feel about “Saffron Dreams.” It was comforting, it was funny, it was spicy; and then heartbreaking, full of despair, filled with hope, amazingly fresh and vibrant and satisfying. Following Arissa’s story makes the reader realize how little most of us know and understand the world of Muslims, and how incredibly wrong so many of our perceptions are.

If you are looking for a tender love story, you’ll find it here. If you are curious about how people live, love and laugh in another culture, you are in for a treat. If you want to read about overcoming challenges, your wish will be granted. If it is simply beauty that you are searching for, you’ll find it in abundance in “Saffron Dreams” by Shaila Abdullah. This is a book I would highly recommend to anybody who loves beautifully written and intelligent contemporary prose, especially to the readers who are curious and open minded, and to those who enjoy stories with strong female characters.

<div class="aaplayer">Listen to teaser of Saffron Dreams
<a rel="enclosure" href="http://www.audioacrobat.com/export/Pc1ac066ee61c4ec598b8b14d1e5d7a34YV5/RVREZWZy.mp3">

</a></div>

Listen to reading of Saffron Dreams
<a rel="enclosure" href="http://www.audioacrobat.com/export/P009f7a07c370c428dbb8d236f06e10f8YV5/RVREZWZx.mp3"></a>

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Saffron dreams : a novel

Find a copy in the library

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WorldCat User Reviews (5)

Autentisk Nike Air Max 2011 Kvinder til salg

To Walk in Another's Shoes...

love, loss and the power of letting go

Pakistani-American widowhood after 9/11

Filled with hope, amazingly fresh and vibrant and satisfying

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