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mesquite · Joined: 04 Jan 2009 Posts: 80

http://books.trafford.com/05-0807

About the Book

In a Middle Eastern classroom, eight Arab students introduce their American teacher to ancient beliefs, traditions, and codes of social behavior still practiced today. Students matter-of-factly advise her that men own women and all women must be carefully guarded and watched so they do not bring dishonor on the family. Women also must remain covered or veiled so they will not disturb a man�s peace of mind. On the day of arrival, the teacher learns that she is facing a class of eight learning disabled students with serious behavior problems. Questions arise as to whether or not she can survive in a culture that suggests Israel should cease to exist, Palestinians return to their land, and certain classes of people have no human value. The battle between teacher and student rages. Readers determine the victor.

About the Author

Belle Sukraw lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has extensive work experience in the criminal justice system and changed careers to become an international educator.

johnslat · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject:

Dear mesquite,
Ah, so it's non-fiction. Smile

Regards,
John

Desertsnake4532 · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Palestine

What kind of neo-orientalist work is this?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I don't really want to criticize the book as it may very well be just poorly chosen bits to appeal to the editor's idea of western readership's preconceptions. But I wonder how much time this woman had spent in the Middle East. The author blurb suggests very little. Books by people who spent one or two years at one bad job in one country... arriving with limited knowledge... leaving with just a little more... tend to have problems. A few of us here call it the 'not without my daughter syndrome'... where an outlier experience gets passed on as the norm.

But, I would read it if I could find a copy without paying full price. Laughing

No way I'd pay $15 for a book with 130 pages that purports to answer pressing questions about the Middle East based on the knowledge of passed on to her from eight 8th grade boys with learning disabilities. Perhaps I am being unfair to the author... but...

VS

mesquite · Joined: 04 Jan 2009 Posts: 80

'Belle Sukraw' is a pseudonym. She had to publish her book this way because of the threats against her. She worked in the Learning Center wing of Qatar Foundation. This school is for students with learning problems; it was once part of Qatar Academy but they cut it loose as they didn't want to be associated with students with learning problems. (Doesn't suit their new elitist top student image.) The LC is still housed in the elementary school building; however but it now operates under its own umbrella. The principal is a very complicated and tough lady who sometimes makes her teachers break down and cry. Unlike gormless at ABP, she does have heart. So it's not all that bad. There has been a high staff turnover there, too. It's getting very hard to get properly trained and qualified learning specialists to stay.

'Belle' had a hard time with the principal and with the students who are mostly males from rich families. Poor or middle income Qatari kids don't have fancy learning centers in the independent schools, a very neglected area. The tuition here is very very pricey. The students are nice kids but let's face it, they are slow learners and have problems, physical (ADD) as well as emotional and intellectual. She wasn't well briefed about this country but the gist of what she writes about happened. Some kids grow up in fundie households where there parents spout off about the corrupt ajnabis (foreigners) and are quick to complain if there students come home with any controversial ideas. Everything is strictly conformist. Miss Belle was in the wrong place but that's not to say her experience didn't happen. It did, I think most of us who have taught in the ME can resonate with some of her scenarios.

johnslat · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:11 pm Post subject:

Dear mesquite,

"Some kids grow up in fundie households where there parents spout off about the corrupt ajnabis (foreigners) and are quick to complain if there students come home with any controversial ideas. Everything is strictly conformist."

Hmm, sounds like the good old USA to me.

Regards,
John Very Happy

mesquite · Joined: 04 Jan 2009 Posts: 80

Exactly, sounds like Bible Belt country. Miz Belle ain't from there so it was all new to her.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

How could she have not known? Had she been paying no attention to what was going on in her own country? Did she not watch the news or read the newspapers? The US Fundies were running the show in Washington DC and half of the states then.

Like I say, I don't want to criticize without reading, but so many books like this just feed into the anti-Arab US mindset.

VS

Desertsnake4532 · Joined: 13 Sep 2009 Posts: 10 Location: Palestine

It sounds like from the excerpt that this woman had bad preconceptions about the Middle East to begin with. The problem is that it can influence the way we see and interpret experience. I haven't read it and I don't doubt that her experiences happened, but with things like confirmation bias, it means that she could be looking to see more or less what she expects to see whether she really knows it or not. The way Middle East was used makes it sound like some very sweeping generalizations are made.

The other problem I have which comes from what VS talked about with playing on people's preconceptions. Aside from the fact that it reinforces negative stereotypes, the problem is that it relies on shock value. It's like saying "my book isn't good enough to buy unless I present something so shocking to force you to buy it." I see the same thing around here a lot too. If people have to be shocked into buying or believing something, they are probably not good to have around or they will end up so uncommitted that they will just get bored.

khmerhit · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject:

khmerhit · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject:

that would never happen in

C A M B O D I A

try it and see Cool

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

the hype reminds me of NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER

getting money off any one sided account, alas most expat teachers only get a one sided or glossy account, of anything is shameless

in kuwait all diagnosed kuwaiti slow learners get admission at a special govt school or tuition assistance at the pricey private school for retards and misfits.
getting a child DIAGNOSED (the family admitting there is a problem) may not occur

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 4:19 pm Post subject:

Manuel Geere · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject: Terrorist class

I was given a copy of this book by the mother of one of the "terrorists", who had heard about it and knew that it dealt with her son. Her reaction was that the author was a poor teacher and unsuited to life in modern Qatar, as she seemed to feel that all Qataris were some sort of radical fundamentalists, hell-bent on destroying Israel and USA. This, in spite of the fact that the Learning Center is part of Qatar Foundation, is extremely expensive ( her husband paid for their son from his own pocket - around $15000 a year ), and teaches exclusively an American High School Curriculum in English.

The son and his friends, one of whom has his picture on the cover of the book, all told me that they recognized how gullible this teacher was, so they fed her all the propaganda that she wanted to believe. If you ever find this book in a remainder bin it is worth buying just to spot the stereotypes. For instance, the picture of the stern-looking man is actually the founder of Qatar as an independent entity - hardly an exemplar that "Arabs have to uphold the honor of their families". Then we have the picture of a poster attached to a traffic signal, showing a dead body - the author claims that this is a poster calling for death to Israel, while, in fact, it was one of many attempting to draw attention to deaths caused by excessive speeding.

The absurdities and prejudices of this book are too many to deal with here, but it is a pity that the author brought her own mind-set to Qatar, lived in a closed community of expats for a year, and, finally returned to her own world, secure in the knowledge that she had "experienced the real Gulf", and that she was qualified to write about it.

The real measure of this author is finally shown when she did not attempt to ask her students for their permission to use them in this "factional" account, nor even bother to ask for permission to use the photo of the student on the front cover. After all, they are just "terrorists".

Oh, and what about the 8 terrorists in her class? I attended their graduation from High School this year. Currently, one is studying at University in UK, six at University in Qatar, and one at University in USA. Let's hope he and "Belle Sukraw" don't meet up. How embarrassing would that be for her!

johnslat · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:19 pm Post subject:

I have a question.

Would you call this quote an example of a stereotype or is it (generally speaking) an accurate description?

" . . . men own women and all women must be carefully guarded and watched so they do not bring dishonor on the family. Women also must remain covered or veiled so they will not disturb a man�s peace of mind."

Regards,
John