“Faleeha Hassan, ‘the Maya Angelou of Iraq,’ wields a mighty pen.” ―Oprah.com

“Hassan renders her harrowing experiences in an authentic, heartfelt manner, offering important testimony of personal and national courage. A beautifully wrought memoir from a pioneering Iraqi author.” ―Kirkus, *Starred review

“[a] devastating and gorgeous work… Hassan’s intelligence and resilience combine to yield an incredibly powerful look at the ripple effects of warfare. Her poignant tale of survival is one that readers won’t soon forget.” ―Publishers Weekly

A nominee for both the Pulitzer and Pushcart Prizes, Faleeha Hassan is known the world over as “the Maya Angelou of Iraq,” her poems having been translated into twenty-one languages. Through verse, she was able to process the horrors of life during wartime; she was able to give voice to her faith, family and friends, and her hope for the future.

Now, in WAR AND ME: A Memoir (Amazon Crossing; August 1, 2022: $24.95), Faleeha Hassan has written a riveting, courageous coming-of-age story told through the lens of war. This is also a story about religion, education, politics, sexism, culture, love and loss. 

Born in 1967 and during the Iraqi-Kuwaiti conflict, Faleeha Hassan was a vivacious, intelligent child. On her first day of middle school in Najaf, the government announced they would close schools for ten days, until “certain victory” over war with Iran was announced. “But the war did not end in 10 days,” Hassan remembers. “It lasted eight years, and all my friends were killed in the war or went missing in it.”

In WAR AND ME, readers learn the realities of war for innocent citizens: crushing poverty and starvation, constant danger and fear, job loss, severe lack of medical care, and loss of security and freedom. As a young woman, Faleeha hated seeing her father and brother go off to fight, and when she needed to reach them, she broke all the rules by traveling alone to the war’s front lines―just one of many shocking and moving examples of her resilient spirit. 

Despite the many hardships, Faleeha was able to realize her father’s dream and become a teacher and also achieve her own dream of pursuing her studies at a university where she earned a master’s degree in Arabic literature. Later, after building a life in the US, she realizes that she will coexist with war for most of the years of her life and chooses to focus on education for herself and her children. In a world on fire, she finds courage, compassion, and a voice.

A testament to endurance and a window into puzzling aspects of life in the Middle East, Faleeha’s memoir also offers an intimate perspective on something wars can’t touch―the loving bonds of family.

Join us August 1 – August 25 for the virtual book tour on behalf of WAR AND ME as we share features, reviews, excerpts, and book giveaways:

Monday, August 1 – LILACS AND LITERATURE

Tuesday, August 2 – SUZY APPROVED BOOK REVIEWS

Wednesday, August 3 – MEL READS ALL THE THINGS

Thursday, August 4 –  LITERARY QUICKSAND

Friday, August 5 – WHAT IS THAT BOOK ABOUT

Monday, August 8 – GLORIANA WONG

Tuesday, August 9 – ARMED WITH A BOOK

Wednesday, August 10 – TINA MAY READS

Thursday, August 11 – TOTAHLY BOOKED

Friday, August 12 – IT’S BIBLIOTHERAPY

Monday, August 15 — WE LOVE BIG BOOKS AND WE CANNOT LIE

Tuesday, August 16 — AIMEE DARS READS + JUST ONE MORE PAIGE 

Wednesday, August 17 — DANISH MUSTARD READS

Thursday, August 18 — HOT COCOA READS 

Friday, August 19   – THE MADDIE HATTER 

Monday, August 22 — SUE THE BOOKIE

Tuesday, August 23 — LADY BOOKETTE 

Wednesday, August 24 — NURSE BOOKIE 

Thursday, August 25 — JOH’S JOURNAL 

The New York Times is the latest publication to feature Alvin Eng, author of OUR LAUNDRY, OUR TOWN: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond (Fordham University Press/Empire State Editions, hardcover; $27.95), and we couldn’t be more thrilled for Alvin! Click the LINK to read this fascinating interview, and be sure to check out the full roster of feature stories, interviews, and events below:

MEDIA REVIEWS & FEATURES:

06/10/22: The New York Times: Sunday Routine, link

06/06/22: Long Island Weekly, feature story, link

06/08/22: Pop Matters, review, link

06/03/22: Tribeca Citizen, feature story, link

05/31/22: WNYC-Radio: All of It, live radio interview, link

05/23/22: Virtual Memories Podcast, interview, link

05/23/22: Hasty Book List: author interview and excerpt, link #1, link #2

05/19/22:  Queens Chronicle, feature story, link

05/19/22:  Queens Chronicle, feature story, link

05/19/22: International Examiner, mention, link

05/17/22: Bronxnet Television: Open BxRx Friday, TV interview and reading, link #1, link #2

05/17/22: American Reads: The Page 99 Test, feature story,  link

05/17/22: This Week in New York, feature and calendar listing, link

05/17/22: The Well News, feature story, link

05/16/22: New Books Network: People and Places, radio interview, link

05/11/22: WBAI-Radio: Leonard Lopate at Large, live radio interview, link

05/10/22: Queens Ledger, feature story, link

05/09/22: NY1: Live at 10, TV interview, link

05/01/22: Hasty Book List, May book roundup, link

04/30/22: Hasty Book List, feature on authors’ favorite bookstores, link

04/14/22: New Reads, preview, link

04/12/22: The Pundlit, review, link

04/09/22: Giovanni Coltrane bookstagrammer, mention, link

04/01/22: WFUV-Radio: Fordham Conversations, interview

03/29/22: Book Marketing Buzz, Q&A, link

AUTHOR EVENTS:

06/25/22: New York Public Library: Hudson Park Branch, reading, link

06/18/22: Asian American Writer Workshop: Page Turner Conference, panelist

06/13/22: 21 Pell Street Community Center, reading and signing

06/08/22: Yu & Me Books, talk and signing, link

06/2/22: Queens Public Library: Thursday Lit Series, virtual talk, link

05/26/22: Kew & Willow Books, virtual talk, link

05/25/22: AARP Houston, virtual talk, link

05/20/22: CUNY: Asian American Research Institute, online book talk, link

05/20/22: City Lore, book launch party, link

05/19/22: Book Club Bar: Poetry in New York series, reading

05/04/22: Manhattan Theatre Club, panelist

05/04/22: Fordham University: College at 60 Program, talk & reading

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/10/nyregion/alvin-eng.html