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The Girl From Foreignby Sadia Shepard |
Gail Reid: The Girl from
Foreign is Sadia Shepard's memoir of her Fulbright year
spent in India. What makes this story unique and engaging
is the author herself. Ms. Shepard, a graduate school
documentary film-maker, was raised in the U.S. by a Muslim
mother, a Christian father, and a Muslim grandmother born
Jewish. Before her beloved Nana dies, she urges Sadia to
visit her birthplace among the Bene Israel, a Jewish community
in India. What ensues is a journey through India, Pakistan
and the United States in an effort to discover the author's
heritage, explore the issues of belonging, and capture the Bene Israel community, most of whom have emigrated to Israel.
You might expect a film-maker to have excellent visual skills in
describing different sights and sounds but the author succeeds
equally in writing about observations and feelings. This was an
insightful read.
Rating: ****
Judy Stanton: This was an ORT
book club read, so I expected to see some reviews online.
I missed the discussion, but really enjoyed the book.
The author comes from an Indian family, her mother is Muslim,
her father is Christian, and her Nana, to whom she is very
close, reveals to her that she was born Jewish. She asks
Sadia to go back and visit her homeland. Sadia's story takes
the reader on that journey with her, visiting small villages,
Bombay, Pakistan, family, ORT schools and new friends.
Her search for "self," for "home," and for her religious
beliefs is a journey on which Sadia invites the reader
along. She shares her issues of belonging and the
ups-and-downs of personal and family relationships.
The photographs interspersed through the story made
me feel like I was reading someone's diary and
seeing that person as their lives changed over the
years. A well-written, compelling read.
Rating: No Rating
