Being Muslim is an overview of what it means to be a member of the Islam religion and how that religion fits into the religions of the world. It discuss positive aspects of the religion along with negative aspects. His thesis is that most people don’t judge other religions by their worst aspects but that is how many westerners judge Islam and its Muslim followers.

In a quote from Anne Frank’s Diary: “When a Christian does something wrong, it’s his fault. When a Jew does, it’s the fault of all Jews.”

Siddiqui writes: “Like any other faith, Islam can be and is used by both fundamentalists and liberals, and by the violent and the peaceful to rationalize their agendas.”

The message of pluralism is conveyed in the Qur’an:

• To you your religion, and to me, mine.
• Had your Lord willed, everyone on Earth would have believed.

Positive quotes from the Qur’an.

• Do not reject the beggar. In your wealth is a due share for the beggar and also to him too proud to beg.
• God enjoins you to treat women well.
• Control your anger.
• Be moderate in religion.

Being Muslim is a fairly easy read. Parts that didn’t interest me were quickly skimmed. The author Haroon Seddiqui is a highly respected Canadian journalist. He was awarded the Order of Canada.

This books reminds me of Irshad Manji‘s book “The Trouble with Islam.” I recomended this book to friends a few years ago. The link on Manji’s name links to an article about her. Muslim Refusnik is her website. There is an excellent video clip from her recent documentary . Check it out.I would recommend both these book to all readers interested in the affairs of our world and how they relate to Islam.

If I was taking this to a brunch I would make falafel and hummus my favourite mid-eastern foods.

Brian

The word “scrotum” does not often appear in polite conversation. Or children’s literature, for that matter.

Yet there it is on the first page of “The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron, this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature. The book’s heroine, a scrappy 10-year-old orphan named Lucky Trimble, hears the word through a hole in a wall when another character says he saw a rattlesnake bite his dog, Roy, on the scrotum.

The inclusion of the word has shocked some school librarians, who have pledged to ban the book from elementary schools, and re-opened the debate over what constitutes acceptable content in children’s books.

HUH?

Read the compete New York Times article.

Should this book be banned from school libraries?

I use words from the School Library Journal review as they best describe this book.

Miles, nicknamed Pudge by his friends, leaves home to attend boarding school leaving behind a friendless, bullied life. “He loves to read biographies and discover the last words attributed to famous people. He’s particularly intrigued with the dying words of poet Francois Rabelais: ‘I go to seek a great perhaps’.” In his new school he becomes friends with a group of strong, unique individuals. “He becomes captivated by his new friends who spend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and cutting-up as they do on reading, learning, and searching for life’s meaning.” He is especially attracted to Alaska, a young feminist with self-destructive behaviors. The title of the book and the chapter headings, (40 days before, 10 days after) foreshadow a tragic end to the novel.

I had been looking forward to this novel and indeed the quotes on the back of the book, “Girls will cry and boys will find, love, lust, and longing in Alaska’s vanilla-and-cigarettes scent” (Kirkus Reviews) and “The spirit of Holden Caulfield lives on” (KLIATT) heightened the anticipation.

But… it was like looking forward to seeing a four star movie – I felt somewhat let down when I read the book. That is not to say that it was not an enjoyable – it was. I found the characters to be authentic. They reflect today’s teenagers which is why I would recommend this book for older teens. Yet, somehow I felt that the characters, despite their teenage angst, belief in their indestructability, and friendship with each other, lacked depth. Their understanding of the world around them seemed superficial and vague – not rooted in a growing wisdom or movement into the adult world.

I hope that someone else will read this book and provide an alternative view – convince me I am wrong. This book has recieved numerous accolades and praise.

Read the Teen Reads Review — I must be wrong!

Below is an overview of the books presented, the food prepared and the reason why each individual chose to present their book.

Liam B-D
Book: Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Food: Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

The family is Italian whose father is mob boss. The son Vince doesn’t want to have anything to do with the mob. The mother cooks for the members of the mob — usually spaghetti so Liam made spaghetti and meat sauce. Liam liked this book because of the humour. It was fast paced and a laugh-out loud book.

Annika
Book: Kiki Strike Inside the Shadow City by Kirstin Miller
Food: Cafe Latte
Annika said this book was her favourite book and she shared a passage with the group. She liked the book because it was a spy/science fiction novel that kept you in suspense while discovering a world under New York City.
Awesome Kiki Strike Web site

Amy commented that she liked the book because the girls were quirky and didn’t have many friends but came together as a group.

Micah
Book: Pond Scum by Alan Silberberg
Food: Chocolate pudding cake with gummie worms

We were all impressed with the details that Micah remembered about the book. He told us that Oliver was a boy without many friends and he pulled the wings off flies. He discovers a way to change into different insects and animals and in doing so comes to empathize with them.
Lots of animal/insect/human transformation

He said the book was adventurous and exciting — a page turner! His dad was reading the book to him but he enjoyed the book so much he finished it on his own.

Sam told us that his current favourite was The Golden Compass, a modern fantasy by Philip Pullman. He said it was fantasy because there are polar bears with opposable thumbs and who walk on their hind legs.

Liam B told us that he was also a Philip Pullman fan and that the Subtle Knife was currently his favourite. He is now reading Amber Spyglass, the third book in the Trilogy.

Liam, Sam and Annika also recommended Eragon by Christopher Paolini and Dragonrider by Cornelia Funke

Brian
Book: Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
Food: Vegetable Tagine

Follows a woman’s life which begins in Morocco. When her parents die she is cared for by an Iman and becomes a devout Muslim. She travels to Ethiopia and then to London as a refugee.

Brian enjoyed the book because it evoked memories of the time he had spent in Morocco and because he was intrigued by her refugee experience as a white, non-English speaking Muslim in London.

Cousin Barb – Unfortunately due to the very cold weather Cousin Barb could not be with us. Last year she tantalized us with her romantic story of Dirk and this year she sent us this:

“After ditching Dirk for his delectable dessert last year, I decided to move on to more delicious adventures – adventures of finding more mouth-watering edibles.

Across the crowded room, I noticed him. Who could not? For he was tall, so tall, with shiny black hair that cascaded down to his broad muscular shoulders, and he had an alluring way of flicking his head back to move his hair off his brow. And, oh what eyes, so dark and smoldering. I had to meet him.

And meet him, I did. We’d finally untangled ourselves at dawn, just as streaks in the sky were turning from salmon to hot pink. It had taken me less than a minute to throw on my clothes, after which I watched him get dressed. He was more muscular than I had imagined, his body sleek and well defined. Good pecs, good biceps, good abs. He was so beautifully built, golden tanned skin as smooth as leather, pulled taut over an armature of stone.

If that isn’t “Sex in a Pan”, I don’t know what is.”

Laird
Book: Replay by Ken Grimwood – This is the story of a man who lives life till 1988 when he dies of a heart attack and get transported back to 1963 – lives again to 1988 dies again and then gets transplanted back each time goes back he uses the knowledge to try and change the way things worked it out do it differently better and find out if there are other replayers out there. A fascinating read – a page-turner. (Lost Books review)

Reminded Amy of the BBC series Life on Mars. Bob mentioned the TV series Quantum Leap.

Food: Spanish Rice – because a scene in the book takes place in Majorca. Also, when trying to decide what to make his daughter suggested that he think back 25 years which reminded him of the Spanish rice his Mom always made. Sherron had also loved this book and said it had lots to do with fate… this is your life and you can’t do much about it… therefore, live for today. If you could go back it won’t necessarily be better. Laird agreed – that was his philosophy “live for today”.

Birgit
Book: White Masai by Corine Hofmann
The real story of a Swiss business woman who goes on a holiday to Kenya and falls in love with a Masai warrior who lives in a hut in the bush.
Food: Swiss Quiche – because she would have missed the food of her homeland.
A great deal of conversation followed as the group tried to understand the author’s motivation to live in complete poverty because of an obsession with a man. Bob shared stories of his trip to Kenya.

Transcripts from a Sixty Minutes interview.

Lecia
Book: Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and Sandra Smith– a novel from time of the Second World War – set in Paris. This novel was written by a woman in the camps during the holocaust. Her children assumed it was a diary and had not read it so it did not get published until 2006. Lecia came stylishly dressed in clothes that could pass for 1940’s fashion and complete with hat read passages from the book.
Food: Sausages, French bread and espresso.

Bob
Book: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (author of Dirt Music – Booker nominee) chronicles the lives of two working families from 1944 – 1964 in an Australian urban environment. Reminded Bob of Pat Barker’s Union street (Britain in the 50’s about working class families). An epic novel of Western Australia.

American equivalent would be A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or Gabriel Roy’s the Tin Flute. These two novels were written in a more fluid manner while Coudstreet is written in a more modern sporadic style.
Food: beetroot and parsnips

Bev
Book: Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly
Food: Bean Tacos
This is the story of a man an young boy both held prisoner in a Burmese jail. There is very little to eat and often the main character survives by eating the lizards on the walls of his cell. Made tortillas w/beans because that was the food in the house. Did not buy anything. This is Bev’s most favourite book ever…. because it was a page turner and because she became deeply attached to the characters. She was emotionally attached to the characters and laughed and cried along with them and was disappointed when the book was over and the characters gone. She likes stories about hardships.

Donna also read the book and while it was well-written found it very dark and a difficult book to read.

Donna
Book: The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman. This is a book about how new communication technologies are creating a ‘flat’ world. Thomas Friedman identifies 10 flatners and describes how they are impacting the way we do business in the world. Donna has been very involved in learning about Web 2.0 in her job, in her university life and in her committee work which is why she chose the book. She has also been following the Flat Classroom project tin which two teachers from Dakka, Bangladesh and Camila, Georgia have brought their classes together to work jointly on projects about the 10 flatners.
Food: Chicken Makhani and Georgia Corn Bread. She wanted two dishes that could stand on their own or come together to support each other.

Donna read a section from the that describes how individuals should works towards becoming ‘untouchable’ in a vastly and quickly changing world.

Excellent video from MIT in which Thomas Friedman given an entertaining lecture on the 10 flatners.

Amy
Book: Thirteenth Tale by Diane Sutterfield
Food: Roast beef with horseradish and cocoa
This is a book about a woman trying to uncover the mystery of her birth. Amy modeled text-to-text connection and talked about how the book reminded of two other novels that she had read this year, The Girls by Lori Lanzen and The Memory Keeper’s Daugher by Kim Edwards. Both of these books were also about twins and a mystery shrouded their births as well.

Thirteenth Tale Web Site

Sherron
Book: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Food: Dolmades with tomatoes, pepper and a lemon sauce.
Margaret Atwood was one of several well-known authors who were asked to re-write a myth. Margaret Atwood chose to write the story of Odysseus from Penelope’s point of view. Sherron enjoys novels that provide an alternative voice in history. She mentioned Alice Walker in The Temple of My Familiar who talks about Medusa who has been made to be monstrous is actually the mother goddess of Africa.

A wonderful afternoon of great books and delicious food!