Book Review of We Are Water Protectors

REVIEW OF THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES 

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY Stolz, Joëlle. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York, NY: Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-440-41949-5. 

B. PLOT SUMMARY In the late 19th century, Malika lives in north Africa in an ancient town called Ghadames, in what is now Libya. Her town is surrounded by the Sahara desert. Her father is preparing to leave on a journey through the desert to a town far away to do business. One night, after her father is gone on his journey, she and her father’s second wife hear noise coming from outside. They discover it is an injured man. They bring him inside to care for him. While this action borders on being an indecent one in their community, due to strict rules against casual contact between the sexes, they feel that they need to care for the injured man. Later, they find out that the man had been injured while fleeing from local townsmen who disagreed with his religious teachings. They hide the man in their home while he recovers from his injury. They find out his name is Abdelkarim. To pass the time while he must remain hidden to heal, he offers to teach Malika how to read. Malika’s mother grants permission, and the lessons begin. After Abdelkarim has sufficiently healed, a plan to smuggle him out of the town is made. He is to disguise himself as a veiled woman and leave in the night with other women going outside of town for a festival. From there he joins a group of travelers leaving the town. Later on, after Abdelkarim is gone, Malika’s father returns from his journey. With him he brings many gifts for his family. Finally, he agrees to allow Malika to continue learning how to read. 

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) This story explains what life was like in a traditional Muslim community in northern Africa. Early in the story we learn that Malika’s mother has tattoos on her face, which have a magical significance in this culture. Later we find out that all the women in this culture have tattoos. Malika’s father has two wives, a practice accepted in this culture. In this community, the second wife usually comes from a community far away to the south, in sub-Saharan Africa. The town of Ghadames is in Libya, in northern Africa. Since the second wives usually come from farther south, they are usually of a darker skin tone than those wives who trace their ancestry to northern Africa. This description of the origin of the different skin tones in the community adds authenticity to the story. In this culture, there is a strict separation of unmarried adults. Adult women are not allowed to walk the streets of the city. They are restricted to the rooftops and their homes. Adult men are not supposed to knock on doors of homes where there are only women. The only time that a man and woman are allowed to talk to each other is when they are part of a family. In this culture, most women do not learn how to read or write. Those that do are the exception to the rule. The part of the story where the injured man is teaching Malika how to read illustrates how rare this practice is. At the end of the story when Malika’s father agrees to let her continue learning how to read further reinforces how unusual it is for a woman in this culture to learn how to read. There is a superstitious belief in spirits known as jinn. This is the origin of the “genie in the bottle/lamp.” During the woman’s festival at the end of the story, jinn are discussed as by the women. The jinn play a large role in the spiritual lives of the women. This culture is fundamentalist Islamic. As such, there are a number of denominations, including the Aissaouia brotherhood, which is sub-denomination of the Sufi denomination, which is itself the larger of the two branches of Islam. Members of these branches and denominations of Islam sometimes disagree with each to the point of violence. That is the case in this story when members of the Aissaouia brotherhood are chasing a member of a different denomination, the Senussiya brotherhood. It is the member of the Senussiya brotherhood who becomes injured during the chase and is ultimately hidden by Malika and the women of her household. Character development is one of the best parts of this book. We learn a lot about not just the protagonist, Malika; but also her father, brother, uncle, and other members of the community. All of the characters in the book depict accurate representations of their culture. There is no stereotyping of characters or setting. In all ways this story is an excellent example of historical fiction, accurately detailing town life in 19th century north Africa. The author does a particularly good job illustrating the gender roles in the community, specifically showing the huge differences between what is expected of women in this culture, compared to expectations in western cultures. The author also provides accurate descriptions of differences between written languages from culture to culture, how women are expected to dress, and gives specific examples of the community values, customs, and traditions. A number of times while I was reading the story I was motivated to look further into aspects that seemed interesting. For instance, I did research on the Islam religion, its history, branches, and denominations. I also did research on that part of Africa, both north and sub-Saharan. This story invites reflection, analysis, and response. 

D. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS ALA Notable Children’s Book Booklist Editor’s Choice Batchelder Award Medal Kirkus: “A Muslim child poised on the threshold of adulthood comes to understand that her world is less constrained than she supposes. Bolstered by centuries of custom, the streets of the Libyan city of Ghadames are considered men’s territory, while, with limited exceptions, the women are confined to the connected rooftops… Setting her tale at the end of the 19th century, Stolz not only weaves the sights, sounds, and daily rhythms of life in Ghadames into a vivid tapestry...” School Library Journal: “… Malika is about to enter that world, although not without regret for the loss of freedom and the education her brother has. Her father's two wives offer her good models: her upper-class mother, the "wife from home," who calmly runs the household, and her brother's mother, the "wife from the journey," who moves more freely about the city, still veiled and hiding in dark alleys when a man appears. In spite of their upbringing and their husband's departure on business, the two women rescue a man injured outside their home. Abdelkarim remains hidden with them while they nurse his wounds, and as he recovers, he and Malika come to see that the world of women is richer than they thought…” Booklist: *Starred Review* “In the Libyan city of Ghadames at the end of the nineteenth century, Malika is dreading her twelfth birthday. That is the time when, according to her family's Berber customs, she will be close to marriageable age and confined to the world of women… Malika longs to live beyond the segregated city and travel, like her father, a trader. But the wider world comes to Malika after her father's two wives agree to harbor, in secret, a wounded stranger. The story of an outsider who unsettles a household and helps a young person to grow is certainly nothing new, and some of the lessons here are purposeful. But Stolz invigorates her tale with elegant prose and a deft portrayal of a girl verging on adolescence.” 

E. CONNECTIONS This coming-of-age tale of a teenage girl growing into a young woman will help any girls struggling with their own life changes. 

Look for these other books for young women about coming of age: 

Alvarez, Julia. HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS. ISBN 0-452-26806-0 

Hammonds, Jas. WE DESERVE MONUMENTS. ISBN 978-1250816559 

Nye, Naomi S. HABIBI. ISBN 978-0-689-80149-5 

Cohen, Barbara. SEVEN DAUGHTERS AND SEVEN SONS. ISBN 978-0688135638