Tuesday, November 16th, 2004
It is impossible to imagine what the Iraqi feels right nowDo you know that Aya’s grandfather was killed last Thursday by one of the American soldiers’ bullets? When Aya is eight years old and asks me how her grandfather died, what will I answer her? What do you think I should answer her? When I tell her the American soldiers killed him, of course she will ask me why and how and did I do anything about that?
The answer to her question is this post and the others. I can answer her that I did do something about it. I did what I could in that time. I wrote in my blog about what is going on in Iraq.
– Hadiya, IRAQIGIRL: DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL IN IRAQ
* * * * *
IRAQIGIRL is going to print today.
At various points since Emily and I started this blog in January, I’ve mentioned cryptically that I was occupied with a project involving young adult lit that I would write about soon. But somehow I never did write about it.
Just under a year ago, Haymarket Books asked me first to weigh in on, and then eventually to edit, a submission they’d received. It was an Iraqi teenager’s blog, assembled into a manuscript by the journalist John Ross.
And today it’s off to the printer. It hasn’t quite sunk in.
The reason I never wrote about it, I think, is that I’ve been so close to it, so fixated on little details, that it was actually hard to step back and describe it. And now it’s being printed and it is finally, fully out of my hands.
More later. Including the beautiful cover (which, by the way, is not the one on Amazon; it’s better).
-->Feed me text
July 1, 2009 at 11:26 am
Oh wow, Elizabeth, congratulations!! That’s fantastic–I can’t wait to read it!
July 1, 2009 at 11:58 am
Thanks! *still in shock*
July 1, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Congrats! I’m looking forward to it.
July 1, 2009 at 6:42 pm
That’s very cool. Congratulations.
July 16, 2009 at 10:43 am
[...] for larger size. Or if you want to know why I’m posting this book’s cover, see here. Posted in IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq, Judging by the Cover. Tags: book cover, [...]
July 16, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Congratulations!
Very interested in learning more about the book. Off to see when it is available. Holding any contests for the book?
July 16, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Thanks, Susan!
I have a contest in mind but I haven’t figured out where to host it (since I’ll be writing about it here anyway, I’d like to do it elsewhere, preferably a book blog with high traffic). Actually, I was thinking about a blog tour, too, since I learned so many things while doing this that I think I have a lot to say!
But in all the rush to *finish* the book, this kind of stuff got kind of put aside… now I need to make these plans for real.
July 30, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I heard John Ross speaking about the book today on KPFA. He’s appearing tonight. I saw the book available on Amazon for $106!!! I am unwilling to pay that much. I imagine that soon it will be in wide distribution and the price will become more realistic.
Anyway, hearing Mr. Ross made this book sound like something I and others I know would like to read.
July 31, 2009 at 12:23 am
Heh, I saw that on Amazon too! The book hasn’t actually been released; I don’t know if that bookseller has one of our galleys (review copies) or what, but I can only imagine it’s the bizarre result of some computer algorithm for setting used book prices… I can’t see how any human would have sat down and come up with that! It was cracking me up, though.
Thanks for the kind words on the book, though, and glad that the word about it is spreading!