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Murmuration
Charlie Christmas, Ademar Zarkan and Prometheus Stone are the best of America, united by war, scarred by displacement and resolute in the face of the troubles that rip the nation apart over three decades. Christmas, the Somali translator with a split personality and Zarkan, a Syrian Muslim woman raised in West Texas, a West Point graduate and a US Army sniper who struggles to reconcile her roles as an assassin and a mother; are brought together by Stone, a lapsed Jew and an Army captain amid a war and famine in East Africa the likes of which the world has rarely seen.
Their journey from the mean streets of Mogadishu to the high desert of West Texas, the barren plains of Indian country and the rolling hills of Minnesota is both tragic and uplifting. Charlie’s son, Amiir, is the bookmark in their lives, and the struggle to raise him amid the predators of white supremacy and violent radicalism is their life’s work. With the help of Buck, the bomb-sniffing dog with a nose for danger, they prevail over Somali militias, pirates, white supremacists and ISIS terrorists in a splintering world that has turned on itself like a serpent in the singularly obscene act of devouring its own tail.
Murmuration digs deeper into the backstory from some of the beloved West Texas characters in Balman’s awarded debut novel, “Seventh Flag,” and defines what it means to be American in the 21st Century.
Their journey from the mean streets of Mogadishu to the high desert of West Texas, the barren plains of Indian country and the rolling hills of Minnesota is both tragic and uplifting. Charlie’s son, Amiir, is the bookmark in their lives, and the struggle to raise him amid the predators of white supremacy and violent radicalism is their life’s work. With the help of Buck, the bomb-sniffing dog with a nose for danger, they prevail over Somali militias, pirates, white supremacists and ISIS terrorists in a splintering world that has turned on itself like a serpent in the singularly obscene act of devouring its own tail.
Murmuration digs deeper into the backstory from some of the beloved West Texas characters in Balman’s awarded debut novel, “Seventh Flag,” and defines what it means to be American in the 21st Century.
247 pages, Paperback
Published August 3, 2021
4 people want to read
About the author
Sid Balman
4 books8 followersA Pulitzer-nominated national security
correspondent, Sid Balman Jr. has covered
wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and has traveled
extensively with two American presidents and
four secretaries of state on overseas diplomatic
missions. With the emergence of the web and
the commoditizing of content, Balman moved
into the business side of communications. In
that role, over two decades, he helped found a
news syndicate focused on the interests of
women and girls, served as communications
chief for the largest consortium of U.S.
international development organizations, led
two successful progressive campaigning
companies, and launched a new division at a
large international development firm centered
on violent radicalism and other security issues on behalf of governments and nonprofits. A fourth-generation Texan, as well as a climber, surfer, paddler, and benefactor to Smith College, Balman lives in Washington DC with his wife, three kids, and two dogs.
correspondent, Sid Balman Jr. has covered
wars in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and has traveled
extensively with two American presidents and
four secretaries of state on overseas diplomatic
missions. With the emergence of the web and
the commoditizing of content, Balman moved
into the business side of communications. In
that role, over two decades, he helped found a
news syndicate focused on the interests of
women and girls, served as communications
chief for the largest consortium of U.S.
international development organizations, led
two successful progressive campaigning
companies, and launched a new division at a
large international development firm centered
on violent radicalism and other security issues on behalf of governments and nonprofits. A fourth-generation Texan, as well as a climber, surfer, paddler, and benefactor to Smith College, Balman lives in Washington DC with his wife, three kids, and two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2021
This is an amazing story that covers so many important issues in our world. I love birds so when I saw the cover of Murmuration I thought this is good. So you're probably thinking what does Murmuration mean? Well, Geese fly in formation and here in Colorado, we see it a lot. Murmuration is kind of the same, but much more. It is the phenomenon that results when hundreds, sometimes thousands, of starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through the sky. They do it for warmth and protection. In The book Murmuration, the grouping together of the birds for survival is what is reflected in Somali immigrants who reside in Minnesota. Just as birds have to migrate to survive, so do the Somalis. This is the story of not just Somali refugees, but of the Americans who believe in making the world a better place. The story begins with the story of Charlie Christmas. His impact on the world won’t happen without help. In the story, we next meet Ademar, a West Point graduate and all-around amazing person. She grew up in Texas which is partly why she is the person she becomes. The biggest lesson in this story is how we are all connected. There are some parts of the story which were hard to handle in that the story deals with white supremacy and radicalism. Later in the story, we see characters in which the juxtaposition of two of America’s worst traits are exemplified in Schneider and Georgi with America’s best in Natalie and Marley. Let’s just say the end will have you cheering. No matter where we come from, we have the choice to help others or hurt others. Murmuration is one of those books to inspire you to not just do good, but stop evil. A quote from the beginning of Chapter 2 says it better than I ever could! “Sometimes the universe opens up to us, provides a door through which we can choose to pass, a bet we can choose to place, an unknown risk we can choose to take for an ambiguous opportunity the enormity of which can only be anticipated in hindsight…”.
July 30, 2021
I read an advance copy of this book and provided this blurb:
When a young Somali immigrant is confronted by hatred, it’s no surprise that he will rebel against the society that rejects him. Murmuration is a fast-paced thriller that captures the horror of the Somali refugee crisis and brings that horror home to America. It is a story of fear, revenge, compassion, and, ultimately redemption. Sid Balman, Jr. writes about the global threat of ISIS with the confidence and authority of someone who has witnessed it firsthand. This novel is a compelling glimpse into a dangerous world.
~ Clifford Garstang, author of What the Zhang Boys Know and The Shaman of Turtle Valley
When a young Somali immigrant is confronted by hatred, it’s no surprise that he will rebel against the society that rejects him. Murmuration is a fast-paced thriller that captures the horror of the Somali refugee crisis and brings that horror home to America. It is a story of fear, revenge, compassion, and, ultimately redemption. Sid Balman, Jr. writes about the global threat of ISIS with the confidence and authority of someone who has witnessed it firsthand. This novel is a compelling glimpse into a dangerous world.
~ Clifford Garstang, author of What the Zhang Boys Know and The Shaman of Turtle Valley
August 4, 2021
Pack your bags, but pack light! Mr. Balman is off again and taking us with him - and he’s got front row press seating. Murmuration is action packed and larger than life. Buckle in, and don’t skip a page, or you’ll surely miss something! Following Seventh Flag, this time the quest hails from West Texas to Somalia and Minnesota. It’s kind of crazy, and all helicopter blades, bullets, and bullies....until you realize somewhere along the way you’ve been had, and this page turner is a serious examination of drivers of radicalization. Characters introduced in Seventh Flag are fleshed out, and we begin to learn why they take the paths they choose, and how they live with the consequences of those choices - choices made in the moment, and choices made over generations. By serving up a plethora of prejudice, we are also challenged to question our own biases. The style is fresh, the issues are now. Worth it.
August 3, 2021
Great story with interesting information about the military, white supremacy, immigration and cultural awareness.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews