Beautifully written book. I felt as if I was speaking to Joanna, one-on-one, despite the book having been written by Jean Sasson.
Months after I had completed reading this, I could not stop thinking about it, nor could I forget Joanna. I felt deeply attached to this woman and her struggles.
Being a Kurdish woman myself, it was extremely heart-wrenching and emotional for me to read this. There were far too many times that I had to stop, put the book down for 5 minutes or so, and then pick back off. I'm a "read-out-loud" type of person, and every so often my voice would start cracking.
Her stories are similar to mine, to my parents' and to my grandparents', so you can imagine how I felt reading this. Her use of visual imagery, especially when describing Kurdistan, was so beautiful. I'd catch myself smiling when reading those parts, as I remembered my homeland, the one that I was forced to flee.
I digress. Thank you, Miss Sasson, for getting Joanna's story out there! It is one that, even today, should and must be heard and read. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys nonfiction, wants an idea as to what it was like being Kurdish (even half-Kurdish) in Iraq, as well as a beautiful romantic story!