Culture 1 International Lit

THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES

Bibliography
Stolz, Joёlle. 2004. THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES. New York, NY: Delecorte Press. ISBN 0385901313.

Plot Summary

This is the story of a young girl that lives in the city of Ghadames. Malika is a young girl that is nearly twelve years old. She is a Muslim girl and therefore expected to live a very secluded life. In Ghadames the men and the women live almost in two separate worlds. The world of the men, which has limitless possibilities, and the world of the women, which is secluded and confined to the rooftops. Even though the women have a secluded life they are able to live quite efficiently in their world. Malika is suddenly thrust into a situation that changes her entire outlook on life. One night while her father is away the women in her house take in an injured stranger. The story is written from Malika’s perspective and we are able to enter into her world through her thoughts. We see how she feels about the blended family that she lives in. Her father has two wives. His first wife is Meriem, and this is Malika’s mother. His second wife is Bilkisu and she is the mother of Jasim, who is her half brother. Meriem is very traditional and content in the Muslim ways, while Bilkisu is more open minded. Even though it seems to be an unusual family arrangement to have this type of blended family, we see that for the most part they all function as a loving family and that Bilkisu and Malika have a very special and close relationship. This relationship is an interesting part of the story. Malika often wonders about the relationship between her two mothers, and the fact that they do not feel a constant jealousy towards one another. The plot centers around the activities of the women as they conceal this man. Malika is taught how to read by the stranger, and the stranger comes to appreciate the women of Ghadames. They all come away from the experience enlightened in some special way.

Critical Analysis

This story immediately draws the reader into the world of a young Muslim girl. We see how women are treated in this culture and we immediately relate to this young girl and her search for something more in life. The Muslim culture is presented through the eyes of a young girl. She has many questions about the life she is destined to live and through these questions the reader learns the meaning of many cultural traditions and rituals. It appears that the author has done her homework. Many traditions and customs are meticulously explained. Many terms in the story are explained through the context of Milaka watching something, and then explaining it. Often times the words are italicized. An example of this occurs in the following text from the story: “Facing east, toward Islam’s holy places, the laborers have started threshing the sheaves that are arranged in a circle. Each one is holding a kerna, the wide, hard base of a palm tree branch, and is beating the stalks to separate the grain.”
The names of the characters appear to be authentic. The setting takes place in the city of Ghadames. We see the way that the city is built and how life is lived for the males and the females. The women live on the rooftops, while the men live in the streets. Malika questions the fairness of the two different lifestyles. As the story progresses we learn that there is loss on both sides. Malika reaches the age where she is no longer allowed in the streets as a child, and her brother reaches the age where he is no longer allowed on the rooftops. This story, which is set at the end of the nineteenth century, is a well written and fascinating piece of literature. We are pulled into another time and place and we see that even in unusual circumstances it is the people and the relationships that matter the most.

Review Excerpts

From School Library JournalGrade 5-8–In Libya at the end of the 19th century, upper-class women were confined to their homes and rooftops, leading a quiet life filled with household tasks. Nearly 12, 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. He teaches Malika her alphabet before he is smuggled away, and her mother, admitting that times are changing, finally agrees to let her learn to read. This quiet story is notable for the intimate picture of the traditional Muslim world that it conveys; unfortunately, not until the author's note at the end is the time period made evident. The imprecise use of language may make it difficult for readers to visualize this distant world and to understand the characters' motivations. Still, this novel would be useful in schools studying this part of the world.–Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist*Starred Review* Gr. 6-10. 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. In Ghadames that means restriction to the rooftops, "a city above the city, an open sunny town for women only, where . . . they never talk to men." 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. The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story's universal concerns will touch readers most: sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Connections
Students can compare life in the United States during the end of the nineteenth century. Noting what life was like for men compared to that of women.
Students can discuss the changes, or lack of change that has occurred since this time period.
Students can read a variety of books regarding Muslim women and families.