Ali: The Iraqi

by Joshua Sabey

Every book is an invitation to a journey. Not all journeys are worth the time, though. This book, Ali, by Joshua Sabey and Ali Alsamar, offers a journey worth taking—actually many journeys, including stories from the Qur’an and the Bible, family lore (from two families), and ancient glimpses into the human struggle through another Iraq's Sinbad.

This is a bi-cultural Bildungsroman novel, where the semi-fictionalized protagonists, Paul and Ali, are working through their relationships to their cultures, their faiths, their families, and each other.

Audible Audio

Published July 27, 2023

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing book about an Iraqi boy who gets a unique opportunity to come to the USA as a teenager in the 90's for three weeks, but he doesn't go back to Iraq.

It was very interesting to see how he survived and eventually got Asylum here in America. Two of the main characters that helped him, I felt uncomfortable with them!! I couldn't tell what their motives were and what their true character was!

Some of the Sinbad stories and the western stories seemed random to me, but some of them seemed symbolic of what was going on with the main characters!

All in all, it kept me wanting to know more and I really would like to know what parts were fiction and what parts were real! I also want to know what Ali is doing now in 2023!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is compelling but it jumps all over the place that I got confused. The authors says it is a mish-mash of a true story and fictional, but still I couldn't figure sometimes if we were in Colorado Springs or Iraq. It seemed like the story jumped around. Nice enough story as you do come to care deeply about Ali, but it left me unsatisfied. It could use some polish and a professional editor and I think this book could do well.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written story of friendship, faith, and belonging. It did not create neat answers to these very messy pieces of life. I loved the tidbits of thoughts from the characters that formed an undercurrent of stories behind stories. I liked the first half of the book (felt very non-fiction) more than the second (more magical realism).