Bøger af Dixiane Hallaj

SHORT & HAPPY (or Not) brings together authors from English speaking countries around the globe and a sprinkling of ex-pats who enjoy life in non-English speaking countries as well. Their stories cover just as wide a spectrum of subjects. Humor (or humour), light romance, science fiction, fantasy, memoir, satire, reflection, exotic locales ... it's all here in bite-sized pieces.

Life in a Palestinian refugee camp is filled with poverty, and hopeless frustration at the best of times-and 2001 is far from the best of times. Muhammad, already scarred by violence and tragedy, is plunged into depression when the frequent curfews make it impossible for him to find work. He can no longer face the thought of crossing the military checkpoint, but all available jobs are on the other side. His inability to provide for his family drives him to despair. He decides to spend the only coin remaining to him-his life.

Charli is convinced that the women in her family are the victims of a curse-they go through husbands at an alarming rate. At a very young age, she begins a journal. The adult conversations are often bewildering. How can she avoid the curse? Aunt Nellie must have the answers. The journal reappears at critical moments in Charli's life, and beautiful Aunt Nellie is linked to each rediscovery. Each time Charli reads the journal, she learns new secrets, and gains new insights. Will she find the answer, or will she, too, fall victim?

Young and impulsive, Dixiane dove heart-first into a cross cultural marriage four months after meeting the man who was to become her life's companion, Muhammad Hallaj. In the fairy tale version, they would have ridden off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. However, life seldom adheres to the fairy tale script.They had always planned to live in the Middle East, but their first reservations were cancelled by the June War of 1967. They rearranged their lives to be able to provide financial support for Muhammad's family should the need arise. In 1970 they tried again. Escalating unrest in Jordan did not derail their plans a second time. They mailed their extensive collection of books, packed personal belongings and set off with their two sons-walking right into a civil war called Black September.Breakfast in Palestine recounts Dixiane's introduction to her new Palestinian family, and how she coped with a new language, new culture, new social demands, and her love affair with the new and often unfamiliar foods-all while living through a war complete with tanks and heavy artillery.