AmosL
11-18-2006, 12:18 PM
Geraci, Joseph, “The Deaf-Mute Boy”. Terrace Books, the University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
My friend, Benson Gardner, at the University of Wisconsin Press recommended this book to me and I am so glad he did. Having lived in the Middle East for so many years, I have always been interested in the different aspects of gay life there and now with the Arab influence in our modern world, we should all be concerned with what goes on in that area. ‘THE Deaf-Mute Boy” is set in North Africa and even though that is not technically the Middle East, north Africa subscribes to the Muslim culture that is located in Asia Minor. The laws and the customs might as well be in the Middle East as they are basically the same.
This is a novel as well as a travel story, a love story and a confrontation with the Muslim world. It is the story of a gay American professor, Maurice Burke, who has immersed himself in the culture of North Africa. Burke is an archeologist and comes to be invited to a conference in the port town of Sousse, Tunisia. He is surprised to see the commercialism and tourist that exists in Tunisia and becomes disillusioned when his dreams of what Tunisian culture is all about. This disillusionment is somewhat eased when he comes into contact with a local deaf-mute while exploring the country. His involvement with the boy opens his eyes to new experiences and draws him into a world he did not know and as the intensification between the two grows, he finds himself swept into the politics and religion of the country.
This is a powerfully moving book that has to be read in order to gain a better grasp on the ideas and philosophies that shape Muslim life. I was haunted by the book. Joseph Geraci has the gift of being able to draw the reader in and making him a part of the story. Here we are given the reality of the Arab world as we watch our professor descent the steps to understand a culture so unlike his own. Writing in crystal clear prose with beautiful description, here is a look at a world so few of us have a chance to experience. There’s much to be learned here and much to be shared. All in all, reading “The Deaf-Mute Boy” was an exciting experience, one I do not have very often.
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
My friend, Benson Gardner, at the University of Wisconsin Press recommended this book to me and I am so glad he did. Having lived in the Middle East for so many years, I have always been interested in the different aspects of gay life there and now with the Arab influence in our modern world, we should all be concerned with what goes on in that area. ‘THE Deaf-Mute Boy” is set in North Africa and even though that is not technically the Middle East, north Africa subscribes to the Muslim culture that is located in Asia Minor. The laws and the customs might as well be in the Middle East as they are basically the same.
This is a novel as well as a travel story, a love story and a confrontation with the Muslim world. It is the story of a gay American professor, Maurice Burke, who has immersed himself in the culture of North Africa. Burke is an archeologist and comes to be invited to a conference in the port town of Sousse, Tunisia. He is surprised to see the commercialism and tourist that exists in Tunisia and becomes disillusioned when his dreams of what Tunisian culture is all about. This disillusionment is somewhat eased when he comes into contact with a local deaf-mute while exploring the country. His involvement with the boy opens his eyes to new experiences and draws him into a world he did not know and as the intensification between the two grows, he finds himself swept into the politics and religion of the country.
This is a powerfully moving book that has to be read in order to gain a better grasp on the ideas and philosophies that shape Muslim life. I was haunted by the book. Joseph Geraci has the gift of being able to draw the reader in and making him a part of the story. Here we are given the reality of the Arab world as we watch our professor descent the steps to understand a culture so unlike his own. Writing in crystal clear prose with beautiful description, here is a look at a world so few of us have a chance to experience. There’s much to be learned here and much to be shared. All in all, reading “The Deaf-Mute Boy” was an exciting experience, one I do not have very often.