Overall reaction

My final opinion on this book after having finished it is that I did like it, even though it did take awhile for me to Finally get into it. I loved this book because I was really able feel all Suleiman's complicated feelings throughout the book, and towards the end I found that I couldn't set the book down for I was too anxious to find out what would happen next. I was impressed by the way Suleiman was able to deal with all of the situations throughout the book. For example, when his whole world literally collapsed around him and he was left alone with no friends and no role models to guide him through the rough times, he was able to see how blessed he was to simply be alive with someone as special as his mom. It seemed as if Suleiman was always able to find the good in every situation and I guess it was this that really made me enjoy the book. Another reason why I enjoyed this book was because I thought that it was really interesting to see what life would be like in a corrupt country such as Libya. I mean we hear all about places like Darfur and Rwanda and yes it does tear my heart in half to hear of all the death that is involved in these countries, but it is something completely different to see it all through the innocent eyes of a nine year old boy. To sum up I really did like the book!

Final post

In the country of men is a great book written by Hisham Matar. The book focuses on a boy named Suleiman who is nine years old. Suleiman is growing up in Libya with his parents who aren't particularly close and his father is very distant. his parents were forced to marry when his mom was only 14 so they never grew really close and she often drinks heavily when Baba (Suleiman's father). Baba is often on "business trips" where he is believed to be participating in illegal activities correlated to a movement trying to fight the totalitarian government now in Libya. Suleiman's next door neighbor is Kareem who is three years older then Suleiman but they are still very close friends. Kareem's father is a very good friend of Baba's and is a senior member of the Mokhabarat, Baba is a also a member of this group. Kareem's father gets dragged away by the police and Baba goes on the run. Kareem's father gets executed on Television and Suleiman watches the entire thing so his parents aren't very careful with what Suleiman sees. Baba also gets caught but is spared of his life, he is no longer affiliated with the group he got in trouble with and this ends up bringing the entire family back together. Overall this was a pretty good book although it was hard for me to relate because I am living in a totally different society and situation.

week four blog

I was wondering if Suleiman's mother really actually does love her husband? I understand that she lives in a very repressive society for women, but since she is talking about leaving now in the book I'm curious to whether or not she actually did have feelings for him since she hadn't already left.

Week Five

Welcome to Week Five, and our last week week of blogging.

This week's post should be on your overall thoughts about the book. It must be a ten sentence summary. You also need to comment on at least five other people's posts. Don't wait until the last minute.

blog #4- Question

What do you think is conflicting about society in Libya? Do you think that these conflictions are the reason for the awkward and sometimes depressing differences in Suleiman's family?

Week Four

Welcome to Week Four!

For this week's blog you will post a thought-provoking question that does not have only one answer. Remember that you must make 10 comments this week, not 5. Please do not leave this until the last minute, you have the whole week to get it done.

Blog 3 Literary elements

In my opinion the most appealing aspect of this book is its beautiful imagery. The author does a fantastic job at describing the setting and appearance of the characters. The best example of this is how the author described the sea and all of its many different colors. He also went as far as describing the scent of the ocean surf, the sound of the waves , and the feel of the seaweed wrapped around Suleiman's legs as he swam. I loved the part of the seaweed because I can definitely relate e to Suleiman's fear of the weeds, because growing up I was also very scared of the weeds and I was always careful to avoid those areas while tubing swimming. Another great example of the beautiful imagery that the author uses is the description of the afternoon. When Suleiman tried walking across the roof I could almost feel my feet burning and in my mind I could very clearly see the heat waves rise off the roof in the heat of the mid day sun. Then when the boysenberry's were described I caught myself almost drooling on the pages of the book. I especially liked the fact that he described the Berry's as being gifts of the angels that felt bad for Adam and Eve. All in all so far I really like the imagery of this novel.