The book traces back the history of Arab immigration to São Paulo. An Arab culture aficionada, Colli had a stint living in the Brás neighborhood of the city, where she found out about the history of Hospedaria do Brás, a public lodge which welcomes immigrants from multiple nationalities, including Syrian and Lebanese.
A wonderful read! I felt like I was listening to my baba's stories from his childhood in Syria...
Well-researched, along with photos, headlines, and historical notes, Suspect Red is a great historical fiction read! Even though it's middle grade, I still enjoyed reading it and learned a bit more about life during the Red Scare. The historical backdrop is woven deftly throughout the story, and at the end, there's a list of resources for further reading.
“People say, ‘I suppose you got bored with life,’ but it wasn’t as sudden as that. The seeds are in you and although it may take ten, twenty, or forty years, eventually you can do what you wanted to do at the beginning.”
Palmyra: An Irreplaceable Treasure is a beautiful telling of some of the history of Palmyra, Syria, and a telling that respected its unique culture and the beauty and loss of its ancient artifacts at the hands of ISIS.
Reading Between the Dunes 