Book of the Week #22

The Good Braider: A Novel by Terry Farish (Marshall Cavendish, 2012)

New Hampshire author Terry Farish has based her latest work of fiction on the stories she heard from friends she has made among the Sudanese people who are just beginning their American lives in Portland, Maine.

"Viola remembers Juba: The fresh smell of dirt on the banks of the Nile. Her mother’s
fingers, twisting her hair into braids. And her grandmother’s stories of elephant songs.
But there are other memories—of war and loss—she would like to forget: The twirl
of a tall boy’s body when he is shot. The mind numbing shudder of exploding shells.
And the brutal soldier who said, “Now you belong to me.
”In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola’s strikingly original voice
sings out the story of her family’s journey from war-torn Sudan to Portland, Maine.
Here, she navigates the strange world of America, a world where a girl can wear a short
skirt—or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional
mother, who, like Viola,is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life.
This haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal
tale of a young immigrant’s struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures."   --Publisher's description

Terry Farish will be talking about The Good Braider at:

• Gibson's on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7pm (that's tomorrow)
• Water Street Books on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 7pm