Saffron Dreams (Academic Edition)

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Overview

Saffron Dreams is a tale of love, tragedy, and redemption from the award-winning author of Beyond the Cayenne Wall...

You don't know you're a misfit until you are marked as an outcast.

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.

The Academic edition of Saffron Dreams includes an Instructor's Manual containing discussion topics and questions for each chapter. Educators can use this manual in their classrooms to stimulate critical thinking, explore key themes of the novel, and brainstorm decisions and actions of the characters at various points. This edition also contains a suggested reading list, glossary, and recipes of dishes mentioned in the novel

About the Author

Shaila Abdullah is a Pakistani-American author and designer based in Austin, Texas. Her first book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is an award-winning collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society. For more information, please visit
www.ShailaAbdullah.com.

Saffron Dreams is Book #5 of the Reflections of America Series from Modern History Press and is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats

www.ModernHistoryPress.com

EDU020000 Education : Multicultural Education

SOC048000 Social Science : Islamic Studies

FIC027020 Fiction : Romance - Contemporary

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781615990252
Publisher: Modern History Press
Publication date: 3/4/2010
Pages: 284
Sales rank: 1,098,289
Product dimensions: 0.64 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 6.00 (d)

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adela3

Posted April 25, 2011

Highly Recommended as a Must Read!

In the eloquently written novel Saffron Dreams, Shaila Abdullah tells the painfully moving story of Arissa, a Pakistani-Muslim living in New York City. Arissa is left a mourning, pregnant widow after her husband tragically loses his life during the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Delve into the emotional turmoil that haunts Arissa following the loss of her husband and the onset of Islamophobia in America, causing Arissa to feel like an outcast in her own home, unsure of where she falls in the cultural make-up of our society. Saffron Dreams chronicles her evolving existence after the tragic loss of her husband as she struggles to move forward as a widow, a single mother, an American, a Muslim, all the while trying to rectify her place in society with these new titles and nuances thrust upon her.

Saffron Dreams is a poignant story that enables the reader to embrace a fresh, personal understanding of Muslim-Americans living in a post-9/11 world. The academic edition provides the reader with thought-provoking questions and both theme and chapter-specific talking points in order to stir discussions on racism, fundamentalism, feminist issues, and an understanding of Islam, separate from prejudices or preconceived notions. Perfect for course discussion starters, reading groups, or for your own benefit in pushing the limits of your intellectual bounds, challenging you to delve deeper into the meaningful issues this book brings to the surface.

Abdullah's greatest success through this narrative is her ability to tug at her reader's heartstrings and draw them into the shattered existence of her main character. You will be hanging on her every expressively written word as you join Arissa on her journey of mourning, healing, and pursuit of rebuilding an identity and existence for herself while creating a living legacy for the husband she has lost.

This telling tale is a must-read I would recommend to anyone interested in exploring an American identity story often under-expressed but important to grasp in today's world.
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Humbee

Posted November 14, 2010

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Beautifully written novel not to be missed!

"Saffron Dreams," is about letting go and learning to live despite every challenge life brings. It's about the strength of women and relationships. It's about the experience of women left behind in the 9/ll Twin Towers/World Trade Center terrorist attack. And, it's about the Muslim woman's experience in America. Ms Abdullah has a big order to fill, and she comes shining through like a bird of paradise! I loved this book for so many reasons, it will be difficult to convey them to you, so you'll ultimately just have to read the book for yourself to understand. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a novel and not a memoir...looking back again and again at the gorgeous cover and searching the eyes of the beautiful Pakistani woman for clues of the inner soul of such a writer. The main character, Arissa, is a young woman who was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. After having survived a home of material wealth and non-existent maternal love, Arissa becomes wed in a traditional "arranged marriage." Surprisingly, this marriage is to a young man she had previously met on a trip to New York visiting relatives! Fortune seemed to be with them from the beginning. On the flip side of that fortune, however, rests a bad omen flung at them by a seer woman who predicts that the young husband will dance with fire. Arissa and Faizan also have dreams of flames and smoke, but set these things aside and ignore them. Of course, these omens find their fulfillment as Faizan is killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. We learn along the way such interesting information as Muslim life in the everyday workings of the kitchen cookery (recipes are included), the different meanings of the veils the women wear, the landscape and gardens of Pakistan, and the role saffron plays in the life of Arissa. I will never look at or smell Night Blooming Jasmine in quite the same way again. Arissa is an artist, writer, observer of the world, and faithful woman. Her agony is quietly and honestly shared with us. Ms Abdullah knows grief and heartbreak. Her novel tells us truly the pain of loss and the redemptive qualities that keep one living despite them. I was widowed at a young age with young children so I speak from experience, when I say that this book conveys the feelings and experiences I had so profoundly and gently that it was shocking to me. I was moved by Ms Abdullah's gift for giving life to her characters. I learned that women and widows are the same no matter what their religion or culture. I learned that not all Muslims are terrorists. I knew that children can save you, but was delighted to see that Arissa found that gift. That family can hold you up but can't save you. It was good to know that somebody else unknown to you can have the same experiences and live to tell about it. Please do yourself a favor and read this wonderful book. It will give you insights into how it feels to be a widow of the 9/11 attack.... It is a gorgeous and poetic book with an abundance of truth and beauty for everyone who loves fine literature. Your Bookish Dame
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