my name on his tongue: poems

Arab American Writing

by Laila Halaby

Best-selling novelist and PEN Award winner Halaby presents readers with her first collection of poetry. Intensely personal and marked with a trenchant wit, these poems form a memoir following Halaby’s life as they explore the disorientation of exile, the challenge of navigating two cultures, and the struggle to shape her own creative identity. She shares the pain and confusion of growing up—the need for belonging and the solace of community—with tenderness and fearless candor. Rooted in her Middle Eastern heritage, these poems illuminate the Arab American experience over the last quarter century. Turning away from all that is esoteric and remote in American poetry today, Halaby’s lucid and forthright voice speaks to and for a large audience.

Genres: Poetry

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2012

About the author

Laila Halaby was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Jordanian father and an American mother. She speaks four languages, won a Fulbright scholarship to study folklore in Jordan, and holds a master's degree in Arabic literature.

Halaby is the author of two (Beacon Press) novels, Once in a Promised Land (voted one of the top 100 works of fiction in 2007 by the Washington Post, also a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection) and West of the Jordan (winner of a PEN Beyond Margins award), a memoir, The Weight of Ghosts (Red Hen Press), and two collections of poetry, why an author writes to a guy holding a fish (2leaf Press) and my name on his tongue (Syracuse University Press). Laila was the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship and holds two master’s degrees, in Near Eastern Languages and Culture from UCLA and in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. She works as a counselor in psychosocial oncology at the University of Arizona and also collaborates with communities and organizations to implement creative writing classes and other programming.

Reviews

[Nafiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things that make me cry. Cruelty to animals, elderly and children, Shah Rukh Khan (argh), war, good ice cream going to waste and others. Poetry, usually, is not one of them. While reading my name on his tongue, I was in parts awestruck, in parts jealous and in lots of parts weepy.

Confession: I don't read a lot of poetry. Contemporary poetry even less The only reason I requested this title from Net Galley was simply because of the title. It intrigued me, piqued my curiousity and made me want to read the poem the verse was found in and I am so, so, so very glad that I took a chance with this. Halaby's poetry is so exquisitely beautiful that I fear I lack the words to do it justice. More than the words she chooses to express herself in, it is the feelings embroidered in the punctuation, in the pauses, in the slight (written) hitch in breath you get as you read her poetry that marks it as genius.

Perhaps it is because I relate to the displacement that is one of the strongest themes in the book. Perhaps it is because I know what it feels like to be torn between two cultures, perhaps that's why I teared up and cried as I read her contradictory feelings of grief and anger as she poetically navigates the murky American waters after the 9/11 attacks. Her yearning for home, her anger at the people tearing apart the place she finds her roots in, her voice, her passion - these are all so strong in this slim collection of poetry that you will pause and linger over her verses, read them again, muse over them and keep on thinking about them as you go about doing the mundane things that compose your day.

My favourite poem might be the first one but the one that made me cry was the last one. Do yourselves a favor, even if you do not read poetry usually, read this volume. It may change you in ways that you didn't think possible.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent some time reading and re-reading sections of Halaby's my name on his tongue. It's a stunning collection of poetry, some poems reminiscent in theme (not necessarily in style) to Citizen: An American Lyric, another poetry book I read (and was blown away by) earlier this year.

Deeply personal, often political, and the intersection of the two - she explores the theme of culture and identity both in as an Arab-American, and as a woman. One particular poem "a moonlight visit" really stuck with me. Many of the poems are in first person, and one naturally wonders if they are autobiographical.

A strong and thoughtful collection. Recommended for all poetry lovers.

Bonus: beautiful cover art by Palestinian artist, Laila Shawa: "Zeinab Chasing the Devil".

[Laura Cunha · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...

SPOILER FREE

Na minha eterna busca por livros de literatura árabe, por vezes me contento com autores de origem árabe que vivem ou nasceram em outros países. Laila Halaby nasceu nos EUA, mas seu pai é de origem árabe, o que a torna uma mestiça que sofre um preconceito especial desde setembro de 2001.

Nesse livro de poesias, Laila fala justamente disso, da sensação de não pertencer a lugar nenhum, e como sua vida mudou desde a queda do World Trade Center. Com um texto pungente e poderoso, ela evoca sensações, histórias e sentimentos de perda, tristeza, incompreensão, pertencimento e não pertencimento.

É sempre enriquecedor descobrir textos assim, especialmente quando a autora consegue fazer poemas soarem tão verdadeiros e sentidos.

Apesar desse volume em particular não ter recebido nenhum prêmio, Laila já ganhou diversos prêmios com outras obras, e a razão para isso transparece no seu trabalho em My Name on His Tongue.

Fica a dica para quem curte poesia, pois vale cada palavra.

[Inoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very emotional. Not an easy read. A lot of pain, frustration, a lot of anger. Very real and very true and a must read. Thank you Nafiza.

When you read this, if you can, read West Of The Jordan as well, perhaps first.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this poetry collection quite a bit. I was expecting more political pieces, which I don't usually seek out, but there were not as many as I anticipated, and the ones included were well written and not what I had expected.

While I couldn't relate to every one of Halaby's poems, there were quite a few that I connected with. Even though I have never dealt with the same cross-culture & mixed-race issues that were addressed in several of the poems, I have dealt with similar emotions among my own peer groups. Classic high school drama, now that I can look back on it, but I recognized many of the same emotions I felt about that time in my life while reading these poems.

My favorite poem in this collection is the second poem of "The Journey"; the following lines make me feel like Laila Halaby is writing what is in my head:

"...demanded validation / as a woman / as an Arab / as a writer / and then / when no one wanted my stories / and no one cared where I was born / where my father was from / why I looked the way I did / ...I had become exactly who I always wanted to be: a normal person whose labels were irrelevant"

"Motherhood" is another favorite, and I found myself returning to the first poem of Halaby's reflection on Khaled Mattawa's reading numerous times as well.


*received a digital copy free through netGalley

[Suhaib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, witty at times, heady and controlled at other times, sarcastic too, informal diction, closer to the heart, filled with personal stories in a playful humorous tone … These are some offhand general impressions. Not to forget that most poems are in the stream of consciousness, suggesting a psychological incentive behind the pouring of words. Enough me talking—here’s a quick peek:

“there are three kinds of women
he told us
there are beautiful women
there are ugly women
and then there are you two

since neither of us saw ourselves
as women
beautiful
ugly
or otherwise
we took it as a compliment”

“we teach our tongues to do acrobatics
our grandmothers
would have thought obscene”

[This one is about the absurd confiscation of luggage pertaining to an Arab family at Newark airport in the US]
“two clean plastic bags
filled with zaatar
deadliest of all mixtures
made from dried thyme
sesame seeds and sumaq;
dipped with bread in olive oil
it could create explosive happiness”

[Christina M Rau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because we can't give half or quarter stars, I'm clicking on 2 though 2 3/4 would be more appropriate. The title is so promising, and I wanted so much from this collection. Laila Halaby's speaker notes honest and simple insights into the reality of a post 9/11 world, especially concerning racial profiling and citizenship. The poems express feelings of not fitting in, loneliness, and sometimes quiet outrage. Two letters appear, poetic prose epistles that offer strong views on government and humanity. Some of the poems included anaphora. Some of the poems incorporated very short line length, reminding me of some of Nikki Giovanni's lines. However, they all fell short for me; I wanted something more in imagery, metaphor, diction. These were poems that mostly told instead of showing. I wanted to see more to feel more. Though moving in their meaning, they did not move enough in their showing or skill. It's an interesting little collection, but not memorable.

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halaby draws on her experiences as an Arab American to explore the duality of her experience and her general sense of homelessness. The poems read like passages from a memoir, illustrating her relation to two cultures, neither of which seem to fit properly. Her personal life mixes with her reactions to world events, such as the Iraq war or the bombing of Palestine.

You can tell that Halaby was a fiction writer first, because her poems tend toward narrative. However, this is not simply prose broken up into lines. The lines of her poetry goes from long lines to short, choppy lines, which emphasis words and phrases to effectively evoke the imagery, metaphor, and disjointed emotions presented. On the whole this is a beautiful and intellectual book of poetry.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm re-reading, or rather, I'm dipping, sipping and savoring these poems.
I like the sound of her name Laila and somehow it sings the song of her Middle Eastern heritage. Laila has produced poems that serve as a memoir of her life navigating cultures. Where is home? Obviously we who travel and live in many places, need to keep home inside.
I empathize with Laila and admire the way she uses her writing to make sense of herself, her upbringing, her status in close and wider relationships. Laila's sleek poems capture feelings and situations that resonate. An example:
"mixed blood
is like an old trailer
that's always frowned at
because no matter where
its parked
it's always
out of place"

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine book of Arab American poetry, a book whose author isn't afraid to share her perspective of the world. It includes a moving essay to an Israeli soldier and a letter to Pres. Obama after his first election to the White House. Both prose pieces are pleas imploring the readers to understand that suffering as well as the violation of human rights that are taking place against Palestinians around the world. This is moving writing, the kind of poetry and prose that uses the art of writing in the best way possible and that is to address the current issues this world faces, issues of justice, human rights, and freedom.

[Christina Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her way with language is so simple, yet profound. A writing style that won't overwhelm one with misunderstanding, but will wow a reader because of simple beauty and honesty.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very thought provoking read. I enjoyed her style of writing and unique story-telling.