The Shadows of Ghadames by Joëlle Stolz

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stolz, Joëlle. 1999. The Shadows of Ghadames. Translated from French by Catherine Temerson. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385731043

PLOT SUMMARY
This story is another one of coming of age. Young Muslim, Malika, at age 12 stands on the threshold of womanhood and sees the distinction between men and women in her culture, longs to learn to read and write and struggles to understand her place in the world.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is rich with cultural markers that identify it as a international novel. The cover art shows women dressed from head to toe, some all in black and some all in red, with their faces covered and standing on rooftops. The architecture of the buildings and palm trees denote some far away land - in this case Libya. The culture is identifed many times as the father reminds the daughter that they "... live in a very ancient city..." and when the narrator first describes the mother as having "... bluish tatoos on her forehead and chin, and a mark in the shape of a star on each of her cheekbones".

The names of the characters are also distinctively otherwordly. Malika is the narrator of the story, her father is Mahmud, her mother and fathers first wife is Meriem, his second wife is Bilkisu and the mother of the narrators half-brother Jasim. Religious practices are kept and named, such as, Ramadan and the practice of daughters marrying at the young age of twelve.

Little nuances, such as the second wife addressing the first wife as Madame Meriem and the narrator calling her father papa distract from the cultural effect. This novel was originally written in French and some of the french language shows up. The story is still one of a realistic problem novel that many young students can identify with.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Review from Booklist: "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. ... 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 Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist"

Review from School Library Journal: "Grade 5-8 ... 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 2004 Reed Business Information."

CONNECTIONS
* Discuss family, religion and gender issues of differing cultures.
* Have students use this novel to write a new Readers Theatre script.
* Have students look up Libya on the map and write a letter to Milaka about life in the United States.
* Have students pick a character and write how they are similar (or dissimilar) to themselves or their parents.