THE NIGHTINGALE

Author: Morgana Gallaway ISBN: 9780758227287 2/2009 FICTION Publisher: KENSINGTON

Every day Leila al-Ghani spends in Mosul is a reminder of what her life once was. Before the war, she was the daughter of one of the city’s finest families. She was encouraged by her parents to get an education, to think like a modern woman. But now, with Mosul crumbling around her, she is expected to strictly adhere to traditions, to dress modestly with the hijab covering her hair, and to be arranged in marriage. Disobeying her domineering father and secretly taking a job as a translator at an American military base, Leila’s beliefs are forever challenged when she meets a host of new people with different perspectives on the war—and the world. But it is Leila's friendship with Major James Cartwright that will test her courage in profound ways. And when she discovers those she loves are deeply entangled in the most violent, controversial aspects of the war, where she places her loyalties could cost Leila her life.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

After reading THE NIGHTINGALE I have a deeper understanding of life in the Middle East. News headlines and film clips show only part of the story. A tale like this one goes deeper, showing the effect war has on the people and places in war-torn Iraq.

Leila lives with her family in Mosul. Her sister is engaged to be married, and that is what her parents hope for Leila to find, as well. But this intelligent, opinionated, headstrong young woman has aspirations of being a doctor. She wants to heal the world, something that seems in direct opposition to the devastation surrounding her. Unfortunately for Leila, women in the Middle East have little or no say over their futures. She does, however, find a way to mix her own desires into the strict decrees of her father. In essence, Leila lives a double life. By day she works among those her family detests. Her father allows this, if only because it suits his purposes. His aspirations for Leila include violence and terror, two things she has seen more than enough of but is powerless to avoid.

THE NIGHTINGALE is a well-written, emotionally gripping story that shows that life beyond the headlines can be more frightening than anyone can imagine.

Kay James