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[7UJ]≫ Read Free Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books

Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books



Download As PDF : Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books

Download PDF  Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books

Youssef el-Mekki, a young man of 19, is living with his mother in the slums of Casablanca when he discovers that the father he believed to be dead is, in fact, alive and eager to befriend and support him. Leaving his mother behind, Youssef assumes a life he could only dream of a famous and influential father, his own penthouse apartment, and all the luxuries associated with his new status. His future appears assured until an abrupt reversal of fortune sends him back to the streets and his childhood friends, where a fringe Islamic group, known simply as the Party, has set up its headquarters.

In the spirit of The Inheritance of Loss and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Laila Lalami's powerful first novel explores the struggle for identity, the need for family, and the desperation that overtakes ordinary lives in a country divided by class, politics, and religion.


Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books

I have read many, many, novels by Middle Eastern, Asian, East European, authors. I seek them out...What impresses me is that i find myself reading their books with pencil in hand, underlining thoughtful passages...meanings and thoughts that enlighten me and that I could not have put into words. I found none of that in this writing. Aside from the story, it was exceptionally ordinary writing ...ordinary thinking in the characters... I was disappointed. Cannot recommend to friends...not a keeper .

Product details

  • Audible Audiobook
  • Listening Length 7 hours and 12 minutes
  • Program Type Audiobook
  • Version Unabridged
  • Publisher Audible Studios
  • Audible.com Release Date December 30, 2009
  • Language English, English
  • ASIN B0032JKU4M

Read  Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books

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Secret Son (Audible Audio Edition) Laila Lalami Lameece Issaq Audible Studios Books Reviews


Lalami tells a story rich with the complexity of modern Morocco. Very different than my experience as a traveler there, she asks the reader to consider the contrasts and contradictions that she sees in Moroccan society.
Modern day story about Morroco told from the point of view of a young man who had the misfortune of being born poor with little hope for his future. Fate plays many tricks on his young life and he will pay the ultimate price.
This novel sweeps the reader along on a fast-paced journey that examines the lives of mother, son, father, friends, and various other characters in contemporary Morocco. Everyone and every thing, it seems, is flawed in one way or another. The mother, thinking her lies are protecting her bastard son, sets him on a path of self-destruction. The son, yearning to escape abject poverty, is willing to desert family and friends for the comfort and ease of the good life, forsaking the spiritual for the material. The recently-discovered absentee father thinks that doing the "right thing" means bending the world and everyone in it to his will--and ends up driving away all those close to him.

This book is a page-turning tragedy of larger proportions. It examines by proxy the corruption of government, helplessness of the lower class, and the futility of trying to escape the vicious circle of poverty and corruption.

Author Lalami is a wonderful storyteller whose prose is as much factual social commentary as it is fiction. Once you start, you won't be able to rest until you reach the startling conclusion.
This is a complex story with layers and layers of intrigue, familial betrayal, and political corruption. The characters captured my interest, even throughout their changes in station, and held it until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of life in Casablanca, not only in the wealthy circles but in the lowest of ghettos, as well.
I surprisingly liked this book. It's not my normal genre. I had to read it for school (English major). I liked learning about an entirely different culture, one that often gets a lot of negative criticism, through a great piece of literature. It was well written and entertaining.
Lalami's book is in many ways an exposition upon Shakespeare's famous "All the world's a stage" monologue from William Shakespeare's As You Like It
"All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
Her characters play out their individual roles with no understanding of the playwright's overall plot - leading as often to tragedy, but tragedy by circumstance rather than by intent. A wonderful read - I highly recommend it.
"Secret Son" is the story of one young Moroccan's struggle for self identity in the midst of a society that is undergoing economic, political and cultural changes, albeit changes that are not enough to keep up with the country's population growth and aspirations. It could easily be the story of similar individuals in any number of developing countries, and in fact, echoes one such tale in the memorable recent Egyptian novel, "The Yacoubian Building."

As poignant and uncomfortable as Youssef El Mekki's story in "Secret Son" is, it is an engaging one, beautifully told by Moroccan writer Laila Lalami. Lalami knows her country and its modern society well and has created wonderful characters in Youssef, his mother, Rachida, Youssef's friends Amin and Maati, and the Amrani family members.

A wonderful cautionary tale that makes a great read. Highly recommended.
I have read many, many, novels by Middle Eastern, Asian, East European, authors. I seek them out...What impresses me is that i find myself reading their books with pencil in hand, underlining thoughtful passages...meanings and thoughts that enlighten me and that I could not have put into words. I found none of that in this writing. Aside from the story, it was exceptionally ordinary writing ...ordinary thinking in the characters... I was disappointed. Cannot recommend to friends...not a keeper .
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