Minaret, by Leila Aboulela

 

This is an excellent novel about a young woman whose father was targeted and executed as a corrupt official of a 1980s government official in Sudan. Her family had to flee to London, where they had a home, but their circumstances worsened in the years since. The main character's brother became addicted to drugs and is serving a 15-year prison sentence, her mother passed away from leukemia, and she herself dropped out of college after just two weeks. The book alternates between the 1980s and the present (the early 2000s), showing how Najwa's situation has changed for the worse, with her finally working at a series of jobs as a maid. When she begins to get close to her new employer's younger brother, her job is in jeopardy, and she must find a way out. One of the main themes of the book is Najwa's embrace of Islam after moving to England. Her faith provides her with a comfort and structure that she lacked before. This book is engaging and well-written, although the ending was a little muddled and unclear.

Dubai dreams: inside the kingdom of bling, by Raymond Barrett

 

This is a fascinating account of the experiences of author Raymond Barrett, who spent many years living in the Middle East, including significant time in the United Arab Emirates. In this book, he shares his experiences primarily in Dubai, where he meets a lot of other expatriate workers from all over the world. With the locals being a very small percentage of the population, much of the work and commerce that take place in Dubai is done by foreigners. Locals are entitled to free education and housing, and a guaranteed job, but everyone else is left to struggle on their own. With no income tax, living in Dubai is a way to make a lot of money in a short period of time, but it comes with its own disadvantages. I really enjoyed reading about Barrett's experiences as he explored different aspects of Emirati society, including brief forays into the desert along with brief stays in neighboring emirates Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Although the book may be getting a little dated (e.g., in its views of the real estate market and current construction), I think this is a good introduction to Dubai, albeit through a Westerner's eye.

Innocents and others, by Dana Spiotta

 

This book really grew on me. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but the more I read, the more I liked it. The book opens with an online essay about how a filmmaker got started in the business. It then jumps to a few chapters about someone named Jelly, and her relationships with Jack and Oz, covering several decades. It then jumps again to chapters about the main character Meadow and her childhood friend Carrie. Alternating between all of these perspectives, it's only late in the book that the reader learns how they're all tied together. I enjoyed reading about the film business, from early filmmakers to experimental documentaries. I appreciated the descriptions of the two filmmakers' early years exploring films of all types; their enthusiasm and experimentation seemed authentic to me, although it's clear that they could never have done what they did without the benefits of a highly privileged private school education. As Meadow and Carrie move into middle age, they come back together as friends, having learned a lot about themselves, and there is a new self acceptance. This is in contrast to Jelly's story, which is sad and dark; her self hatred comes out in everything she does. This is not a joyous book, but it was fascinating and compelling.

Then comes marriage: United States v. Windsor and the defeat of DOMA, by Roberta Kaplan

 

This is a well-written account of the case that led to the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court. Roberta Kaplan represented Edie Windsor, who, although married to her partner of more than 40 years, had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in inheritance tax because the federal government did not recognize gay marriages when applying more than a thousand federal laws. Ms. Kaplan shares her own personal journey as a lesbian who fell and love and married, but who had to fight for her rights as an adoptive mother because of DOMA. But the hero of the story is Edie Windsor and her longtime partner Thea Spyer. Their story of a more than 40 year relationship and marriage was key to making the case in court that DOMA was unconstitutional and should be abolished. This is an important story, and Kaplan describes the legal issues and implications so that they're clear to any reader, no law degree required.

The Astor orphan: a memoir, by Alexandra Aldrich

 

I have mixed feelings about this book which tells the story of a branch of the Astor family and how they've declined financially but still try to maintain the family home on the Hudson River in New York. On the one hand, I love visiting old homes, examining their architecture, gardens, furnishings, art, and more, so I expected to enjoy reading about the Astor home, Rokeby, and what has become of it. On the other hand, this is such a squalid and sordid account of life in the home during the author's childhood in the 1980s that I felt repelled by it. She reported nothing positive about growing up there; everything was dirty, cluttered, falling apart, damaged, unloved. No one did their share except her father who tried to maintain the grounds. They let an assortment of artists and vagabonds live in the house and on the property. They described themselves as "bohemians," and no one tried to improve their own lot by, for example, getting a job. Every year, they try to scrape together enough money to pay the taxes, but no one makes any effort to strategically sell the art or other valuable objects gathering dust in the house, or sell off any of the land. This is such a negative, one-sided report by the author, that I can't believe that it shows a true picture of what life was like there.