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Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits marks the debut of an exciting new voice in fiction. Laila Lalami evokes the grit and enduring grace that is modern Morocco. The book begins as four Moroccans illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain.What has driven them to risk their lives? And will the rewards prove to be worth the danger?
There’s Murad, a gentle, unemployed man who’s been reduced to hustling tourists around Tangier; Halima, who’s fleeing her drunken husband and the slums of Casablanca; Aziz, who must leave behind his devoted wife in hope of securing work in Spain; and Faten, a student and religious fanatic whose faith is at odds with an influential man determined to destroy her future.
Sensitively written with beauty and boldness, this is a gripping book about what propels people to risk their lives in search of a better future.
There’s Murad, a gentle, unemployed man who’s been reduced to hustling tourists around Tangier; Halima, who’s fleeing her drunken husband and the slums of Casablanca; Aziz, who must leave behind his devoted wife in hope of securing work in Spain; and Faten, a student and religious fanatic whose faith is at odds with an influential man determined to destroy her future.
Sensitively written with beauty and boldness, this is a gripping book about what propels people to risk their lives in search of a better future.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2005
185 people are currently reading
3875 people want to read
About the author
Laila Lalami
21 books2,029 followersLaila Lalami is the author of five books, including The Moor’s Account, which won the American Book Award, the Arab-American Book Award, and the Hurston Wright Legacy Award. It was on the longlist for the Booker Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Her most recent novel, The Other Americans, was a national bestseller, won the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction. Her books have been translated into twenty languages. She has been awarded fellowships from the British Council, the Fulbright Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 393 reviews
March 21, 2016
The more I read from Northern Africa and in to some extent the Middle East the more complex the narrative is. This along with books like The Drum Tower or The Cry of the Dove give me a glimpse at how varied the stories are. How varied the choices the characters make are; how varied the reasons for those choices are. I've barely scratched the surface in these regions and I just want to read more.
September 13, 2022
This book contains a series of loosely linked short stories about Moroccan immigrants trying to reach Spain by boat. We follow the lives of several Moroccans, the reasons they wish to leave, and the successes or (mostly) failures of their plans. It is well-written and inspires empathy for the characters who wish to find a better life. The author does a nice job of depicting cultural and religious aspects of the region, and the differences in thinking of those who live there. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had more of an overarching storyline rather than a series of short vignettes. I have read other books by Laila Lalami (my favorite is The Moor’s Account) and will continue to seek out her other works.
June 23, 2018
I was hooked with the first chapter. A group of people set off in a small boat to cross the strait of Gibraltar away from Morocco towards Europe and towards hope. Some made it some did not. What happened to get them to this point where they are willing to risk it all and what happened afterwards? Was it worth it? Wonderful short novel that truly explores the idea of hope and the impetus to change your circumstance.
December 8, 2021
Not going to be a long review...
Reads as a series of connected short stories, featuring the lives of a few Morrocans before leaving, as well as some epilogue (followup). Good cross-section between single individuals and those with families. Author does a solid job getting across lack-of-opportunity as a motive. Minus, I suppose, would be that I felt the need to suspend disbelief on occasion.
Definitely recommended
Reads as a series of connected short stories, featuring the lives of a few Morrocans before leaving, as well as some epilogue (followup). Good cross-section between single individuals and those with families. Author does a solid job getting across lack-of-opportunity as a motive. Minus, I suppose, would be that I felt the need to suspend disbelief on occasion.
Definitely recommended
January 16, 2015
This is a novel that is pure storytelling - no real authorial artistic flair is added. Also, while the characters are real enough, their psychologies are not really presented with much development. Still, I recommend this short novel because its content is fascinating.
Lalami clearly wants to give her English speaking audience (I am sure this book would be quite different if it were written for a Moroccan or Maghrebian readership) some insight into what brings a person to risk the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean (so, so many that don't survive this journey - and these are the ones that we know of) to live a life in the margins of European society. Because of the diversity of her roster of characters (we first meet them in their rubber dinghy motorboat making their ill-fated 14 trek across the strait of gibraltar) we also gain some insight into the various segments of Moroccan society. Unemployment, corruption, and inequality are front and center in everyone's experience. As are some important character flaws and some heavy doses of bad luck. While not an entirely astonishing in what it describes, I always appreciate a writer's efforts to give people humanity - in this case the 'illegal migrant' from the Maghreb - who have been transformed by the media into symbolic elements of political discourse that often trigger unthinking responses.
Lalami clearly wants to give her English speaking audience (I am sure this book would be quite different if it were written for a Moroccan or Maghrebian readership) some insight into what brings a person to risk the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean (so, so many that don't survive this journey - and these are the ones that we know of) to live a life in the margins of European society. Because of the diversity of her roster of characters (we first meet them in their rubber dinghy motorboat making their ill-fated 14 trek across the strait of gibraltar) we also gain some insight into the various segments of Moroccan society. Unemployment, corruption, and inequality are front and center in everyone's experience. As are some important character flaws and some heavy doses of bad luck. While not an entirely astonishing in what it describes, I always appreciate a writer's efforts to give people humanity - in this case the 'illegal migrant' from the Maghreb - who have been transformed by the media into symbolic elements of political discourse that often trigger unthinking responses.
June 17, 2022
This book perfectly illustrates the internal struggle that one faces when given the chance to leave their home country for a better life. Should they stay or should they go? I think people downplay the mental toll this kind of decision takes on a person; those who have lost all hope but have it somewhat reignited with the possibility that their lives can improve. The novel also showcases the heartbreaking reality of some immigrants who successfully manage to migrate to Europe and the new struggles that come along with it.
I have been living in Morocco for nearly a year now, and I think the novel hit closer to home than I expected since I have met many people from a variety of backgrounds throughout my time here. It allowed me to reflect on my privilege, as well as draw comparisons with the lives and decisions of the Moroccans in the novel, & myself and my family (as my grandparents made the decision to immigrate to England in the 60s and also experienced many hardships). I’m grateful my teacher recommended this to me - I also find it incredibly cool that Lailami decided to write in English as opposed to Arabic or French, I hope this serves as inspiration for more Moroccan/North African literature to be written in English and thus hopefully more well known and widely read in the English speaking world!
I have been living in Morocco for nearly a year now, and I think the novel hit closer to home than I expected since I have met many people from a variety of backgrounds throughout my time here. It allowed me to reflect on my privilege, as well as draw comparisons with the lives and decisions of the Moroccans in the novel, & myself and my family (as my grandparents made the decision to immigrate to England in the 60s and also experienced many hardships). I’m grateful my teacher recommended this to me - I also find it incredibly cool that Lailami decided to write in English as opposed to Arabic or French, I hope this serves as inspiration for more Moroccan/North African literature to be written in English and thus hopefully more well known and widely read in the English speaking world!
April 10, 2015
He’d been so consumed with his imagined future that he hadn’t noticed how it had started to overtake something inside him, bit by bit. He’d been living in the future, thinking of all his tomorrows in a better place, never realizing that his past was drifting. […] He wondered if one always had to sacrifice the past for the future, or if it was something he had done, something peculiar to him, an inability to fill himself with too much, so that for every new bit of imagined future, he had to forsake a tangible past.
March 18, 2016
I have a dried cuttlefish habit. That is, I can open a bag and consume it within minutes. Love my tentacles.
What does that admission have to do with this book? I ate this book up the way I eat my squid. The words were inhaled and then it was over. Over! Too soon.
This is a slim volume but the stories have depth. On a zodiac boat speeding its way across the Strait of Gibraltar, we meet hopeful Moroccans who hope to land on the shores of Spain where they believe their fortune will be made. Their greedy captain has other plans, however, and by the time each passenger's fate is revealed, it's time for the backstories to unfold.
I loved the simple storytelling of the migrant experience. Not every migrant is poor, not every migrant is living a difficult life. Sometimes, it's just the idea of hope that pulls one away from home. Hope for a better life, hope for more freedom, hope for an iPhone. The high unyielding fanatical religiousness of one character, for instance, gets a complete somersault and shows how easily money can overcome ideals.
Wasn't it Hope that was left in Pandora's box? Lovely book.
Book Season = Spring (Mediterranean spoils)
What does that admission have to do with this book? I ate this book up the way I eat my squid. The words were inhaled and then it was over. Over! Too soon.
This is a slim volume but the stories have depth. On a zodiac boat speeding its way across the Strait of Gibraltar, we meet hopeful Moroccans who hope to land on the shores of Spain where they believe their fortune will be made. Their greedy captain has other plans, however, and by the time each passenger's fate is revealed, it's time for the backstories to unfold.
I loved the simple storytelling of the migrant experience. Not every migrant is poor, not every migrant is living a difficult life. Sometimes, it's just the idea of hope that pulls one away from home. Hope for a better life, hope for more freedom, hope for an iPhone. The high unyielding fanatical religiousness of one character, for instance, gets a complete somersault and shows how easily money can overcome ideals.
Wasn't it Hope that was left in Pandora's box? Lovely book.
Book Season = Spring (Mediterranean spoils)
September 2, 2016
Lalami takes us aboard a crammed inflatable boat as several immigrants from Tangiers try to cross the Gibraltar straight into Spain. But the person they paid to take them to shore, stops short of the shore and drops them off, when some of the passengers cannot swim. Some drown.
The novel is the interwoven stories of four of the survivors, some who made it to Spain and some who did not. It reads very much like a fable and reminds me of the Alchemist. Each character undergoes a transformation, including the ones who never make it to Spain. While it is clear each of them needed to take the journey, it is not clear that each of them needed to leave Tangiers. It is a beautiful book by a talented writer.
The novel is the interwoven stories of four of the survivors, some who made it to Spain and some who did not. It reads very much like a fable and reminds me of the Alchemist. Each character undergoes a transformation, including the ones who never make it to Spain. While it is clear each of them needed to take the journey, it is not clear that each of them needed to leave Tangiers. It is a beautiful book by a talented writer.
January 29, 2012
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami
Posted on January 29, 2012 by Suzanne
“FOURTEEN KILOMETERS. Murad has pondered that number hundreds of times in the last year, trying to decide whether the risk was worth it. Some days he told himself that the distance was nothing, a brief inconvenience, that the crossing would take as little as thirty minutes if the weather was good.”
For many Muslims living in Morocco, the idea of escape to the West is the promise of a better life: a job, the ability to feed one’s family, security. But the crossing of 14 Kilometers across the Strait of Gibraltar in a small boat or inflatable raft is dangerous. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a deftly written novel about the lives of four Moroccan immigrants and what drove them to seek a better life in Spain.
From the first pages, the author had me hooked. This is a can’t-put-down book that left you cheering for the characters, and weeping for them when things didn’t quite turn out as they’d hoped. For anyone who has the privilege of living in a prosperous country, this book should make you grateful and compassionate towards those who desire to live the life you are blessed with.
Posted on January 29, 2012 by Suzanne
“FOURTEEN KILOMETERS. Murad has pondered that number hundreds of times in the last year, trying to decide whether the risk was worth it. Some days he told himself that the distance was nothing, a brief inconvenience, that the crossing would take as little as thirty minutes if the weather was good.”
For many Muslims living in Morocco, the idea of escape to the West is the promise of a better life: a job, the ability to feed one’s family, security. But the crossing of 14 Kilometers across the Strait of Gibraltar in a small boat or inflatable raft is dangerous. Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a deftly written novel about the lives of four Moroccan immigrants and what drove them to seek a better life in Spain.
From the first pages, the author had me hooked. This is a can’t-put-down book that left you cheering for the characters, and weeping for them when things didn’t quite turn out as they’d hoped. For anyone who has the privilege of living in a prosperous country, this book should make you grateful and compassionate towards those who desire to live the life you are blessed with.
August 17, 2015
Although this book was written 10 years ago, it remains timely in that it illustrates the problems that are still being faced by people trying to cross the Mediterranean in sub-standard boats in order to leave their home countries in Africa and get to what they hope is a better life in Europe. The immigrants in this particular book are fleeing Morocco for Spain. Cleverly structured, the book takes us on that journey in part 1 and we meet some of the people making that dangerous crossing. Part 2 gives us the backstory of four of the people and we learn why they have taken this desperate measure; part 3 meets up with those same people a few years after the crossing. The characters are varied - an abused wife, an educated man who cannot find employment commensurate with his skills, a husband who leaves his wife behind, and a young religious woman whose only crime was to discuss her religious beliefs with the daughter of a powerful man. A short work, but nicely done and beautifully written.
May 5, 2020
11 kilometres, the distance between Morocco and Spain. The distance between poverty and possibility for many.
A journey thousands risk their life on a regular basis.
Hope and other dangerous pursuits is the story of four individuals trying to unshackle themselves from their lives in Morocco and travel to Spain.
All four of them narrate their story and we go back and forth.
We learn of their past, their present and the future they dream of.
They journey together on the tiny boat in the middle of night. But what happens of them? What happens of their dream?
How much are they are able to turn into reality, does any of it actually see the light of the day?
What does it mean to be a migrant, an African, a woman, a man?
What are titles in a world consumed by money and power?
What room does this world make for those who hang on to life in the name of hope?
It's a short, but heart breaking book. I didn't expect it to have such a strong effect on me when I chose to read it.
A journey thousands risk their life on a regular basis.
Hope and other dangerous pursuits is the story of four individuals trying to unshackle themselves from their lives in Morocco and travel to Spain.
All four of them narrate their story and we go back and forth.
We learn of their past, their present and the future they dream of.
They journey together on the tiny boat in the middle of night. But what happens of them? What happens of their dream?
How much are they are able to turn into reality, does any of it actually see the light of the day?
What does it mean to be a migrant, an African, a woman, a man?
What are titles in a world consumed by money and power?
What room does this world make for those who hang on to life in the name of hope?
It's a short, but heart breaking book. I didn't expect it to have such a strong effect on me when I chose to read it.
August 28, 2020
Reread in August 2020. This was one of the books from my postcolonial class that left a less-bad taste in my mouth (as compared to the other books in the class). It was actually comprehensible and not in a foreign language, so there's that going for it.
In all seriousness, I'm glad I returned to this. The writing is well done, with some good physical details that really keep the reader engaged, there with the character in those surroundings. This book is more a snapshot, a taste of these people's lives, rather than your typical novel with a plot and an ending. Worth a look if you're interested in Morocco. Raising my rating from two to three stars.
First read in 2013 (I think?).
In all seriousness, I'm glad I returned to this. The writing is well done, with some good physical details that really keep the reader engaged, there with the character in those surroundings. This book is more a snapshot, a taste of these people's lives, rather than your typical novel with a plot and an ending. Worth a look if you're interested in Morocco. Raising my rating from two to three stars.
First read in 2013 (I think?).
December 13, 2024
it is nice but not great. srories about immigrants trying to leave Morroco and their lives.
January 9, 2018
This is the first novel I read from Moroccan author Laila Lalami, living in USA and writing in English, and this book was also her first novel. This novel stands out from other novels written by other Moroccan writers from both a different writing style and the originality of the topic.
Behind the sad statistics of casualties among the "boat people", whether those trying to reach to Miami from Cuba, or to Spain from Morocco, and/or to Italy from Syria/turkey, there are real people with real faces and real lives left behind. In this book, the author described clearly and concisely in the first chapter such a trip by a group of people leaving Tangiers to Tarifa on a Zodiac boat, fleeing a known past to reach an uncertain future. In the following chapters, the author selected 4 of those people, 2 men and 2 women, to describe their respective lives in 3 different cities before the trip. She showed well, the general uncertainty of their future, the desperate state of their current lives, their lack of choices and their only remaining chance for hope of a future is to immigrate illegally the country. After the illegal immigration attempt, 2 of those characters returned home to a different life than before slightly better than before and 2 continued to Spain, immigrated illegally for a future different from their dreams, but still better than what they had.
In this clear, short, and easy to read book, the author depicted through the 4 different characters the various social and economic problems Moroccans face on a daily basis still of actuality today and offered readers with a general and detailed realistic pictures of how Moroccans live today.
Behind the sad statistics of casualties among the "boat people", whether those trying to reach to Miami from Cuba, or to Spain from Morocco, and/or to Italy from Syria/turkey, there are real people with real faces and real lives left behind. In this book, the author described clearly and concisely in the first chapter such a trip by a group of people leaving Tangiers to Tarifa on a Zodiac boat, fleeing a known past to reach an uncertain future. In the following chapters, the author selected 4 of those people, 2 men and 2 women, to describe their respective lives in 3 different cities before the trip. She showed well, the general uncertainty of their future, the desperate state of their current lives, their lack of choices and their only remaining chance for hope of a future is to immigrate illegally the country. After the illegal immigration attempt, 2 of those characters returned home to a different life than before slightly better than before and 2 continued to Spain, immigrated illegally for a future different from their dreams, but still better than what they had.
In this clear, short, and easy to read book, the author depicted through the 4 different characters the various social and economic problems Moroccans face on a daily basis still of actuality today and offered readers with a general and detailed realistic pictures of how Moroccans live today.
April 28, 2025
Hope and other dangerous pursuits is a snapshot of Moroccan lives as they intersect with the crossing of the Gibralta Strait. As we follow several separate stories, we learn the different realities experienced by downtrodden men and women in Morocco.
Lalami seemed cautious not to lionise, glamorise or terrorise any of her characters. None of them experience anything resembling a heroes journey, or Greek tragedy. Their challenges are tangible and lack exaggeration without lacking poignancy. This care made all of these lives feel real, but also shepherded her characters away from satisfying conclusions or dramatic confrontations. We leave these characters to their journeys, irrevocably changed by their attempts to cross the Strait, without learning whether Spain was salvation or damnation. This work helps me to imagine lives far from my own, not just another place, but another world.
I leave it with a better appreciation for how my privileged access to freedom of movement changes every aspect of my life, and with sorrow that this is not a reality I share with most.
Lalami seemed cautious not to lionise, glamorise or terrorise any of her characters. None of them experience anything resembling a heroes journey, or Greek tragedy. Their challenges are tangible and lack exaggeration without lacking poignancy. This care made all of these lives feel real, but also shepherded her characters away from satisfying conclusions or dramatic confrontations. We leave these characters to their journeys, irrevocably changed by their attempts to cross the Strait, without learning whether Spain was salvation or damnation. This work helps me to imagine lives far from my own, not just another place, but another world.
I leave it with a better appreciation for how my privileged access to freedom of movement changes every aspect of my life, and with sorrow that this is not a reality I share with most.
Read
October 3, 2021The first thing that drew me to this book was the title — Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits. It left a lot to my imagination and fired up my thinking process. Who are the hopeful? Why is it a dangerous pursuit? What other dangerous pursuits are therein?
This book is such a unique one. It deals with immigration, fanaticism, hypocrisy, abuse, queerness and many more themes. So many questions were asked in this book and some were answered while some were left to the reader’s thoughts and ability to talk it out with other readers. Questions on the use of hijab, morality of human and their beliefs; questions on the unknown and “mystical” happenings; the role of women and at large, gender roles.
Lalami’s writing is brisk, thoughtful, straightforward and the review by The Washington Post on the new cover is the utmost truth, it is braving and beautiful. Utter beautiful.
This book is divided into two parts; before and after, and every story is vivid and exposing. I love the title each chapters had. Some titles are The Fanatic, The Odalisque, The Storyteller and more. At first, when I saw the content of the book, I thought it was a collection of short stories then I had to reread the synopsis again.
This book was centralized on four peculiar citizens of Morocco hoping to migrate to Spain and their lives before and after The Trip was brought to focus. Murad, (He is my favourite out of the four of them. I guessed I’m biased because he studied English and Literature and that’s what I am also currently studying in the university) Faten, Halima and her children and Aziz went on The Trip and each of them became different. So so different. Life and its different strokes had sharpened them into new beings.
“His future there stands before him, unalterable, despite his efforts, despite the risk he took and the price he paid.”
This book certified the popular slang, “It is what it is,” for me.
Solid 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.
This book is such a unique one. It deals with immigration, fanaticism, hypocrisy, abuse, queerness and many more themes. So many questions were asked in this book and some were answered while some were left to the reader’s thoughts and ability to talk it out with other readers. Questions on the use of hijab, morality of human and their beliefs; questions on the unknown and “mystical” happenings; the role of women and at large, gender roles.
Lalami’s writing is brisk, thoughtful, straightforward and the review by The Washington Post on the new cover is the utmost truth, it is braving and beautiful. Utter beautiful.
This book is divided into two parts; before and after, and every story is vivid and exposing. I love the title each chapters had. Some titles are The Fanatic, The Odalisque, The Storyteller and more. At first, when I saw the content of the book, I thought it was a collection of short stories then I had to reread the synopsis again.
This book was centralized on four peculiar citizens of Morocco hoping to migrate to Spain and their lives before and after The Trip was brought to focus. Murad, (He is my favourite out of the four of them. I guessed I’m biased because he studied English and Literature and that’s what I am also currently studying in the university) Faten, Halima and her children and Aziz went on The Trip and each of them became different. So so different. Life and its different strokes had sharpened them into new beings.
“His future there stands before him, unalterable, despite his efforts, despite the risk he took and the price he paid.”
This book certified the popular slang, “It is what it is,” for me.
Solid 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.
February 6, 2012
For a debut, this book was pretty good. I would probably pick up something by Lalami again. The writing seemed a little stiff, but not so bad as to get in the way, and in some places it was good.
I liked the way the story was told: It begins with a clandestine trip from Morocco to Spain, and we get to know a bit about each of the characters on the boat. From there it goes to the back story of each of the characters on the boat, one by one, each very different, and each having a different reason for being in the boat. Then the book shifts and tells the story of what happened to each of them after the boat trip. Though I have gotten to know many people--mostly in their 20's--from Morocco through my job, I never had any idea that life there was as depicted in this book. The class and gender divisions and the low prospects for employment were disheartening.
I liked the way the story was told: It begins with a clandestine trip from Morocco to Spain, and we get to know a bit about each of the characters on the boat. From there it goes to the back story of each of the characters on the boat, one by one, each very different, and each having a different reason for being in the boat. Then the book shifts and tells the story of what happened to each of them after the boat trip. Though I have gotten to know many people--mostly in their 20's--from Morocco through my job, I never had any idea that life there was as depicted in this book. The class and gender divisions and the low prospects for employment were disheartening.
June 25, 2020
This was an excellent bok. Lalami gives the reader insights to Morrocan life, as well as the every day struggles that people go through, regardless of their nationaly. It really took me a while to read it but I finally got down to it.
I recommend this book to anyone. It is a great book, language and sexual innuendos aside. I felt like I was reading a contemporary Charles Dickens novel (well, not quite...but pretty close). If you are really interested in a book which has some historical context to it and you really want to know about true hardships then read this book. If you are not much of a history buff or you don't like reading about "hard times," then this is not the book for you.
I recommend this book to anyone. It is a great book, language and sexual innuendos aside. I felt like I was reading a contemporary Charles Dickens novel (well, not quite...but pretty close). If you are really interested in a book which has some historical context to it and you really want to know about true hardships then read this book. If you are not much of a history buff or you don't like reading about "hard times," then this is not the book for you.
September 21, 2015
Excellent novel that tracks four different characters in their trials of trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, and what happened to them before and after. It's mainly set in Morocco, and I definitely learned a lot about culture differences. Not just my view versus the character, but also tensions within Morocco, Islam, or families. There were even a few parts that were set in Spain, and it was interesting to see that there was even the idea of Orientalism taking place between the countries right across the strait from each other. Lalami is a beautiful writer, and it was a joy to read her book. Highly recommend.
July 31, 2009
This book opened my eyes to immigration in Europe. It seemed very similar to Mexican and especially Cuban immigration to the US. For some strange reason, it is comforting to know that other countries face some of the same issues and challenges as the US. I liked the the author's technique of introducing us to the characters in the midst of the trip, and then backtracking to tell us their history, and how they got to that point. This book read super fast, but I was left wanting to know more about each of the characters.
January 31, 2016
I'd love to give this one five stars as I think it is truly unique and well written. But it just doesn't give quite enough sense of resolution for me to be totally satisfied. A great book detailing the plight of several Moroccans and following their attempt to migrate to escape the lack of jobs and hopelessness of Morocco. Each chapter is the perspective of one of the characters - - either before or after they've tried to emigrate. The prose is spare and easy to read. A little treasure of a book.
October 16, 2014
I loved the way in which this story was told. The recurring event--immigration to Spain from Morocco-- is represented by one group of immigrants. Four of them then frame the event with the before and after, which inevitably shake preconceptions and judgments made at the outset by the narrator (and, ostensibly, the reader). The story tells a lot about the complexity of modern Moroccan society and also raises many of the difficult questions in the immigration debate. Highly recommended.
February 27, 2008
This is the book that Rochester, NY reads for 2008. The subject is informative as it regards the lives of men and women struggling to survive in modern Morocco. The format of short stories describing one critical moment in the lives of four characters, then the past, and later the present is unique. The writing is stark and simple in a good way. I liked the book - I do not love it.
May 16, 2016
Incredible book with a very unique structure that serves to tell the stories of its multiple protagonists in all their messy, striving humanity. Brutal, gorgeous, heartrending. One of my all-time favorites. A fairly quick read & a must read, too.
June 22, 2023
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits is a really great title and we find out just how true it is during the first chapter. Hope propels immigrants and refugees through out the world. The fraternal twins, hope and fear guide many a journey as it does the four Moroccans who voyage to Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar.
Each person's story is told in two chapters a before and after, so the reader can see what motivated them and what happened to them.
It is a quick read and I appreciated each of the short character studies. However when thinking about how highly I would recommend it, I can think of several immigration stories I would list before this one.
Each person's story is told in two chapters a before and after, so the reader can see what motivated them and what happened to them.
It is a quick read and I appreciated each of the short character studies. However when thinking about how highly I would recommend it, I can think of several immigration stories I would list before this one.
April 1, 2025
Short and easy read.
This book details the stories of four migrants who attempt to illegally cross into Spain for a better life. We read about the journey, their lives before and their lives after. Life is cruel and bitter when ‘fate’/capitalism/poverty/racism are against you.
Knowing the story of a young Moroccan woman who married into my family, and now the stories of these migrants, has given me insight into how difficult circumstances are for Moroccans, even if there is no active reason for it (ie live genocide/war/crisis). It’s ironic and sad how tourists love travelling to Morocco but hate dealing with the often desperate tourist guides. If only people knew, that in some ways, being ripped off while travelling, is a privilege.
This book details the stories of four migrants who attempt to illegally cross into Spain for a better life. We read about the journey, their lives before and their lives after. Life is cruel and bitter when ‘fate’/capitalism/poverty/racism are against you.
Knowing the story of a young Moroccan woman who married into my family, and now the stories of these migrants, has given me insight into how difficult circumstances are for Moroccans, even if there is no active reason for it (ie live genocide/war/crisis). It’s ironic and sad how tourists love travelling to Morocco but hate dealing with the often desperate tourist guides. If only people knew, that in some ways, being ripped off while travelling, is a privilege.
January 11, 2026
This book was fine. I read it to see if I wanted to teach it to my tenth graders, and while maybe it would be good for that, it wasn’t my favorite for me personally. I appreciated how it wove four separate stories together, but otherwise I wasn’t really gripped by it. I was expecting to find it really interesting because it’s set in Morocco and the south of Spain and about immigration which is what I did when I lived there, but it was just meh
May 4, 2021
Solid 3.5, rounded up. A series of linked stories about four people from Morocco who want to better their lives by escaping to Spain, their experiences before, during, and after. The dream is elusive.
September 16, 2023
I love Moroccan writes with the bottom of my heart, this is my first read of Lila lalami and I'm obsessed everything is perfect,I enjoyed reading it❤️
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