This 44 page biographical picture book set in the Palestinian refugee camp, Bourj Al-Barajneh in Lebanon, centers the story of Mariam Al-Shaar and her determination to start a restaurant and food truck despite the restrictions of refugees and women. Her drive and persistence leads to the creation of Soufra, the home of not just good food, but also community, hope, dreams, and change. the The illustrations, the heart of the story, the backmatter, are all well done, yet for some reason, the emotional impact seemed lacking for me. I didn’t “feel” inspired, or moved. I didn’t feel her pain, her grit, her joy when it all came to fruition. For a biography, I didn’t feel like I got to know Mariam, or why this was her dream. The book explains being a refugee, and not having full rights, but it doesn’t show the reader. We are told Mariam wants to do “something,” but the “something” she finds, is what other women want. “We want to cook,” they tell her. “We are good at it.” The reader though never is shown, why they want to cook, or what is stopping them from cooking, and even if Mariam wants to cook too. It is clear the struggles Mariam faces when she wants to branch out and start taking the food to those outside of the refugee camp by way of a food truck, but lines such as “They tell her not to risk it,” fall flat when the reader doesn’t know what is at risk. The absent context makes it hard to cheerlead and understand why this is so revolutionary. Ultimately, it is a lot of telling, not showing. The story is fine on the surface, but I don’t think it will linger and illuminate refugee struggles, Palestinian struggles, or women’s struggles beyond the page because we are not show what those are, and how inspiring it is that Mariam Al-Shaaar overcame them.
The book starts with prose that describes that Palestinian refugees “live between worlds.” The camp is not just physical walls, but also walls that keep her from living her dreams. She decides to do something about it, but doesn’t have to do it alone, she reaches out to others and “Soufra is born! A feast. A table full of food.” It is a way for women to come together to cook, earn a living, and be among friends.
People around the camp flock to Soufra and the women “have changed. Their children have changed. Mariam has changed.” Mariam wants to take Soufra beyond the camp, and is determined to buy a truck, learn how to drive, and share their food. More walls can’t keep Mariam down, after two years, the food truck is a reality.
The book concludes with an Author’s Note about the author interviewing Mariam Al-Shaar, a beautiful Food Glossary, details about Refugees and Refugee Camps, and a Selected Bibliography. The author is not Muslim, but Mariam is and she and many of the illustrated women wear hijab and are visibly Muslim.
A nonfiction picture book for teens that features amazing women from ancient times to the present day. Many of the women featured are Muslim and each entry receives a teasing summation page with a full page portrait from one of five international artists before a two page, more in-depth biography is presented. The 112 pages feature an introduction, and a map to start the book off, and acknowledgements and a glossary at the end. There are large time gaps that I wish would have been commented on, the geographical pool includes India which surprised me, and in one of the entries the way hijab is discussed seemed judgmental to me, but other than that the stories are absolutely remarkable. There are amazing women in every culture and throughout all time periods, but to see one that highlights a region that is stereotypically oppressive to women is a sight for sore eyes. I learned so much and marveled at the intellect, bravery and determination shown from being rulers of empires to intellectuals to scientists and artists everything in between.
Islamic School Librarian 