Reading Recap: Dar America

We had a great turnout at Dar America on Thursday. I find the experience of meeting my readers very pleasurable, but I have to say it feels even more special to be able to read from Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits here in Casablanca. The questions revolved around the theme of immigration: “Why did you choose this? Is it because it’s in fashion?” I had to smile at this, and explain that devoting three years of my life to something that may be ‘à la mode’ would not be the best use of my time. I didn’t set out to write about immigration; I set out to write about one young man’s desire to prove to his family that he could be a success if only the right opportunity came along. And the story of Murad turned into something bigger and more complex, until I ended up with this book. The other questions were about individual stories, the process of writing Hope, the title of the book, what I am working on now, and so on. I had a wonderful, wonderful time.