Believe it or not, this year I read more books than I could have imagine. Thanks to BBW last year. I have stop reading historical romance long time ago. I couldn't help but notice their stereotype of story structure. Now my reading including so many genre of books. I read romantic comedy, horror, suspense thriller, motivation, history, bibliography etc. But among all, this particular book that my friend lend me giving me most powerful impact to my emotion. It called "Mayada Daughter Of Iraq" by Jean Sasson. Never in my life I read such a book!

What is this book all about? This book about a lady who born into the most influential Iraqi family. As a muslim, alone in Baghdad and divorced with two kids, living under Sadam Hussein's power, it is a real struggle to her. Things get worse when she was  accused of producing anti-government propaganda, she was arrested and dragged to dreadful prison in Baladiyat. Every stories from Mayada in the books making me shaking my head in disbelief. The tortured, the greediness, the violation of human right, the discrimination and so on,  I have to turn to first page to make sure this is a true story and it really happened. I can't imagine living in that situation. At one point, in the middle of the book I thought I will stop reading this book, but I can't...so I continue with my 'heavy' heart and finish it. Lucky it had a happy ending for Mayada and her family, otherwise I will be heart broken!

It remind me of what my ex husband told me, that I am a person who living in Utopia. There are so many terrible things happen around us...and either am too lucky I never encounter any, or am too ignorance to look more closely with both my eyes and feel it with my heart. 

All these time, I thought that am living in a safe environment, well maybe a little danger of thief , robbery or any other accident...but it never occur to me in the other side of the world people can be so violence and shockingly 'heartless' in so many ways. Jean and Mayada has open another new perspective on how I see the world. The religion as how I know it before, a women as the minority among the majority, a miracle to people who have beliefs, knowledge versus beliefs versus perception versus faith versus rationality....well I won't talk more detail about this. I just left it to people to read and feel it with their heart and see with with their mind and digest it with their best knowledge and all their heart. Anyhow, I still believe every human being created and born with 'human' character and human instinct. Deep inside there a 'human feeling' shining like a diamond that separate us from animal, it just being covered by dirty mud coming from all direction. 

Till then, have good reading fella!