Synopsis
This groundbreaking collection creates a space in which Arab-American and Arab-Canadian feminists speak out about issues of history, culture, and identity. While anti-Arab racism depicts Arab women as veiled, passive victims living in hopelessly sexist communities, Food For Our Grandmothers analyzes and challenges these inaccurate and distorted views.
Library Journal
Adding to the literature on multiculturalism, this collection of essays, poems, and recipes highlights some of the experiences and attitudes of North American women of Arab descent. The contributors share strong nationalist sentiments about their root countries (primarily Lebanon and Palestine), rail against the bigotry and ignorance encountered by their families in North America, and uniformly denounce the Gulf War. While they fondly refer to their "sittees" (grandmothers) as the conduits of their ethnic heritage, they give few details of the culture itself. Since most of the writers are Christian, there is a lack of a Muslim viewpoint. Readers inspired to learn more or to explore their own Arab roots will find valuable the last section on other source material and contact organizations. Because of its fresh perspective, this work is a worthwhile purchase for any library.-Rose Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.