Reviews
"A powerful story of the meaning of family and tradition inside a little-known culture." San Francisco Chronicle, "Remarkable...A moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it." e" The Washington Post Book World, "Voices like Susan Hand Shetterly's are soothing . . . Shetterly puts a hand on your forearm and says, come walk along the Maine coast. Let's consider other species, eels and hummingbirds." e"The Los Angeles Times, Starred Review. For his first 31 years Sabar considered his father, Yona, an embarrassing anachronism. Ours was a clash of civilizations, writ small. He was ancient Kurdistan. I was 1980s L.A. Yona was a UCLA professor whose passion was his native language, Aramaic. Ariel was an aspiring rock-and-roll drummer. The birth of Sabar's own son in 2002 was a turning point, prompting Sabar to try to understand his father on his own terms. Readers can only be grateful to him for unearthing the history of a family, a people and a very different image of Iraq. Sabar vividly depicts daily life in the remote village of Zahko, where Muslims, Jews and Christians banded together to ensure prosperity and survival, and in Israel (after the Jews' 1951 expulsion from Iraq), where Kurdish Jews were stereotyped as backward and simple. Sabar's career as an investigative reporter at the Baltimore Sun and elsewhere serves him well, particularly in his attempt to track down his father's oldest sister, who was kidnapped as an infant. Sabar offers something rare and precious-a tale of hope and continuity that can be passed on for generations., "Excellent…A compelling read…Told with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father." -The Providence (RI) Journal, "ExcellenteA compelling readeTold with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father.e e" The Providence (RI) Journal, "Remarkable...A moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it." -- The Washington Post Book World, "Excellent A compelling read Told with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father. " The Providence (RI) Journal, "If Ariel Sabar's My Father's Paradise were only about his father's life, it would be a remarkable enough story about the psychic costs of immigration. But Sabar's family history turns out to be more than the chronicle of one man's efforts to retain something of his homeland in new surroundings. It's also a moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it. . . . The chapters describing Yona's budding success as a linguist are thrilling." Washington Post Book World, "If Ariel Sabar's My Father's Paradise were only about his father's life, it would be a remarkable enough story about the psychic costs of immigration. But Sabar's family history turns out to be more than the chronicle of one man's efforts to retain something of his homeland in new surroundings. It's also a moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it. . . . The chapters describing Yona's budding success as a linguist are thrilling."e" Washington Post Book World, "With the novelistic skill of a Levantine storyteller . . . Sabar explores the conflicting demands of love and tradition, the burdens and blessings of an ancient culture encountering the 21st century. A well-researched text falling somewhere between journalism and memoir, sustained by Mesopotamian imagination." - Kirkus Reviews, A "thoughtful, touching book. . . . A never-ending parade of colorful characters . . .I could not read quickly enough as the Sabars worked to resurrect the past." e" Elle magazine, Readers' Prize selection, October 2008, "A powerful story of the meaning of family and tradition inside a little-known culture." -- San Francisco Chronicle, A "thoughtful, touching book. . . . A never-ending parade of colorful characters . . .I could not read quickly enough as the Sabars worked to resurrect the past." - Elle magazine, Readers' Prize selection, October 2008, "A powerful story of the meaning of family and tradition inside a little-known culture." " San Francisco Chronicle, "Voices like Susan Hand Shetterly's are soothing . . . Shetterly puts a hand on your forearm and says, come walk along the Maine coast. Let's consider other species, eels and hummingbirds." -The Los Angeles Times, "With the novelistic skill of a Levantine storyteller . . . Sabar explores the conflicting demands of love and tradition, the burdens and blessings of an ancient culture encountering the 21st century. A well-researched text falling somewhere between journalism and memoir, sustained by Mesopotamian imagination." - Kirkus Reviews -- Kirkus Reviews, "If Ariel Sabar's My Father's Paradise were only about his father's life, it would be a remarkable enough story about the psychic costs of immigration. But Sabar's family history turns out to be more than the chronicle of one man's efforts to retain something of his homeland in new surroundings. It's also a moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it. . . . The chapters describing Yona's budding success as a linguist are thrilling."- Washington Post Book World -- The Washington Post Book World, "Remarkable...A moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it." " The Washington Post Book World, "A wonderful, enlightening journey, a voyage with the power to move readers deeply even as it stretches across differences of culture, family, and memory." - Christian Science Monitor, Excellent A compelling read Told with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father. The Providence (RI) Journal|9781565129337|, "Be forewarned: you will lose sleep over this book. . . . [Sabar] mesmerizes with the very first sentences. . . . Unlike many memoirs flooding the book market these days, My Father's Paradise is both unique and universal." - Roanoke (Va.) Times, "Graceful and resonant . . . A personal undertaking for a son who admits he never understood his unassuming, penny-pinching immigrant father, a man who spent three decades obsessively cataloging the words of his moribund mother tongue. Sabar once looked at his father with shame, scornful of the alien who still bore scars on his back from childhood bloodlettings. This book, he writes, is a chance to make amends"- New York Times Sunday Book Review -- New York Times Book Review, "Excellent...A compelling read...Told with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father." -- The Providence (RI) Journal, "A powerful story of the meaning of family and tradition inside a little-known culture." e" San Francisco Chronicle, "With the novelistic skill of a Levantine storyteller . . . Sabar explores the conflicting demands of love and tradition, the burdens and blessings of an ancient culture encountering the 21st century. A well-researched text falling somewhere between journalism and memoir, sustained by Mesopotamian imagination.e e" Kirkus Reviews, "Be forewarned: you will lose sleep over this book. . . . [Sabar] mesmerizes with the very first sentences. . . . Unlike many memoirs flooding the book market these days, My Father's Paradise is both unique and universal." - Roanoke (Va.) Times, "Be forewarned: you will lose sleep over this book. . . . [Sabar] mesmerizes with the very first sentences. . . . Unlike many memoirs flooding the book market these days, My Fathere(tm)s Paradise is both unique and universal.e e" Roanoke (Va.) Times, "A wonderful, enlightening journey, a voyage with the power to move readers deeply even as it stretches across differences of culture, family, and memory." - Christian Science Monitor -- Christian Science Monitor, "Be forewarned: you will lose sleep over this book. . . . [Sabar] mesmerizes with the very first sentences. . . . Unlike many memoirs flooding the book market these days, My Father's Paradise is both unique and universal." - Roanoke (Va.) Times -- The Los Angeles Times, "A wonderful, enlightening journey, a voyage with the power to move readers deeply even as it stretches across differences of culture, family, and memory." e" Christian Science Monitor, "Graceful and resonant . . . A personal undertaking for a son who admits he never understood his unassuming, penny-pinching immigrant father, a man who spent three decades obsessively cataloging the words of his moribund mother tongue. Sabar once looked at his father with shame, scornful of the alien who still bore scars on his back from childhood bloodlettings. This book, he writes, is a chance to make amends"- New York Times Sunday Book Review, "Graceful and resonant . . . A personal undertaking for a son who admits he never understood his unassuming, penny-pinching immigrant father, a man who spent three decades obsessively cataloging the words of his moribund mother tongue. Sabar once looked at his father with shame, scornful of the alien who still bore scars on his back from childhood bloodlettings. This book, he writes, is a chance to make amends"e" New York Times Sunday Book Review, "Remarkable...A moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it." -The Washington Post Book World, A "thoughtful, touching book. . . . A never-ending parade of colorful characters . . .I could not read quickly enough as the Sabars worked to resurrect the past." - Elle magazine, Readers' Prize selection, October 2008 -- Elle Magazine, "A powerful story of the meaning of family and tradition inside a little-known culture." -San Francisco Chronicle, "A sensitive exploration . . . [Sabar's grandmother] emerges as a quiet heroine." - BookPage -- BookPage, "If Ariel Sabar's My Father's Paradise were only about his father's life, it would be a remarkable enough story about the psychic costs of immigration. But Sabar's family history turns out to be more than the chronicle of one man's efforts to retain something of his homeland in new surroundings. It's also a moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it. . . . The chapters describing Yona's budding success as a linguist are thrilling."- Washington Post Book World, "Remarkable...A moving story about the near-death of an ancient language and the tiny flicker of life that remains in it." The Washington Post Book World, Excellent…A compelling read…Told with novelistic attention to narrative and detail, but its heart is Ariel's heart, that of a son searching with love for the meaning of his relationship with his father. - The Providence (RI) Journal|9781565129337|, "Written with a reporter's flair for people and places . . . Recommended." - Library Journal -- Library Journal
