Water from Heaven: An American woman's life as an Arab wife

by Anne Schreiber Thomas

Richly detailed and full of hope, this is the story of Cindy Lou Davis from Mocksville, North Carolina who meets and marries warm and funny Mohammed Ali, a Muslim from the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. The year is 1982, and 20-year-old Cindy leaves home and family after her wedding with no idea what awaits her in her new life. Living with his family, immersed in a traditional Arab culture with an incomprehensible language while her new husband is away on a military base during the week, her future with Mohammed depends on the strength of her love, faith, and determination to be true to herself. This true story is told against the backdrop of three decades of profound change in the United Arab Emirates and crises in the Middle East. Beautifully written and moving, Water from Heaven is the story of a truly courageous woman as she adapts to her unexpected new life.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

Anne Schreiber Thomas grew up in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She holds a B.A. in Geography (Earth Sciences) from Sonoma State University, and an M.S. in Geography from the University of Nevada, Reno. Ms. Thomas has lived in several San Francisco Bay Area cities, as well as Abu Dhabi. She has been a teacher, conservation project manager, and sailmaker, among other things. When she isn’t traveling or sailing, she lives with her husband in Gardnerville, Nevada. Visit her author page on Facebook @wildcardtravels and her blog, with stories about sailing and travel adventures, at wildcardtravels.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Kelli Oliver George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging and respectful of Islam, Muslims, and Emratis. I went to Pakistan in the early 90s and have had some similar experiences as Cindy. This brought back many happy memories for me of my time in Pakistan and with my Muslim community. I’m so glad I read this!

[Tracy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL DONE

This book was a wonderful read. The author did a great job describing each culture and its way of life. It showed that not all Muslim men take their American/European wives home to their countries and abuse them. It also showed that Westerners can’t take their cultural viewpoints to another country and expect things to be the same as “back home”. In short, this was a beautifully balanced book.

[Tyana Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a girl from North Carolina that has lived in the UAE, I really enjoyed the book. Reflecting on my experience living in the UAE, it was so interesting to read about Cindy’s experience 30 years prior to mine as a wife of an Emirati.

[Donna Zeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Passably well-written, the mundane story of a woman who makes a less than carefully thought-out decision to leave everything she knows and loves to begin a life in a totally foreign and at times oppressive environment because she "fell in love" with an exotic Arab man when she was 19 years old. The book is a testament to Cindy's ability to commit "no matter what" and how she navigated a lot of stress, distress, and sometimes psychological abuse from her mother-in-law, to make a pretty awful decision work out. She is extremely lucky the man she chose (almost randomly) turned out to be a kind person, even though his kindness sometimes led him to force his young, foreign wife into things she should not have been asked to do or put up with. Basically, she is a simple woman leading a simple life whose blind faith, stamina, and perseverance brought her to an ultimately successful and fulfilling life.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lived in the UAE since 2012, and I have met a bunch of women (mostly in Dubai) who got married to Emiratis and had their own struggles and fights with the culture and traditions... Cindy's story however takes a whole new twist, as she became an Emirati herself, though not giving up the American side of her.
This is a wonderful story that shows a lot of cultural aspects a lot of people don't get to see from the tourist or expat point of view. Khorfakkan nowadays is a "trendy" place with modern facilities and attractions, but it hasn't always been this way. I visited it first time in 2012 and it was still rather laid back.
I would love to meet Cindy one day, she sounds like an incredible person to be friends with, and I am surprised that it is the first time I hear about her through this book.

As a long time resident of the UAE and having plenty of Emirati friends myself, I found the portrayal of Cindy's life very harmonious and authentic, and I hope more people get to read this book to learn about the culture in the UAE.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story of an American woman’s life in UAE

I really enjoyed reading Cindy’s story of her life as an American woman in the UAE and how she made it such a fulfilling experience. So many stories like this are about the hardships and trials of fitting in as a Westerner in the Arab world, so it was refreshing to read a more positive point of view. As a southerner, she underscores to me how much our southern American culture has in common with Emirati culture and how our religious values and traditions are similar. Excellent read!

[Leta Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Cindy, about whom this story is written, is a remarkably open minded and adaptable woman. I was inspired by her. I’ve been to the Emirates several times and spent quite a bit of time there. It was refreshing to hear such accurate descriptions of it as well as the Islamic religion. I am Christian but have respect for Muslim beliefs and traditions. They really aren’t nearly as different as many think and Cindy is a witness to that

[Bonnie Sturgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

I love this book so many of the stories that come out of the Middle East show the bad side for women in the area and some areas of the Middle East I know it is not wonderful. But this book Cindy shows how she was truly able to embrace her new life and the UAE as well as her old life in the United States.
You fall in love with her family members even her mother-in-law was endearing to me.

[Charlene Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and real

I found the book very interesting and down to earth the comparison of religions we really are the same everyone should read this it can open many people's eye's its all about respect I think it should be put on the recommended reading list for high school students very glad to have read it

[Kellywelly8787 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story interesting and to me, more people should read books like this for awareness of other cultures and how people live abroad. I was impressed with how she adjusted to life in UAE. How she made her own choices and never let anyone influence her decisions. I thought she had amazing strength and resilience, and she was able to build such a wonderful life for her family.

[Patricia Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish

Sorry but I quit reading around the 5th chapter I think, when she was converting over to Islam, sorry, she said she was a Christian, I think she better think again, I deleted the book from my tablet

[Arlene Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educational

It was nice to read a story centered on the Middle East and for it to be so positive. I really enjoyed reading about an American who relocated to the United Arab Emirates for love and to know that that love has withstood the test of time and culture and family.

[Juliefancher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Read!

I so enjoyed this book. It is a bird’s-eye view on Cindy’s life in the UAE. From the complex & funny family relationships to the fascinating history of the UAE, I am so glad I read this!

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

too simplistic

What I saw in the book is that the American girl made all the sacrifices and compromises to be accepted into the culture of her husbands. He remained an observer throughout the book. So sad.

[Marge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see life in UAE

Interesting to see life in the UAE as a wife of a Muslim man and it is nice to see a marriage work out between an American and a Arab Muslim.

[Gary Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo

A book well written - a worthy story - a life well lived - a must read for every American.

[Julie Waldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and easy read.