Rated of 5
by Becky H. children's librarian, (Chicago, Illinois) The last 1/4 makes slogging through the first 3/4 worthwhile
I was excited to start this book, but after the first 50 pages I had lost interest. The heroine/narrator was simply too young to tell or comprehend the story. Half way through the characters were still puzzles as was the situation they found themselves in. The most intriguing character was Amal, who doesn't speak.
That said, the last 70 pages WERE interesting and compelling -- finally something happened. If you are interested in the Israeli-Lebenon War and willing to wade through the first 150 pages of this adult (perhaps young adult) novel the descriptions and often times lyrical writing make it worthwhile.
Rated of 5
by Barbara K. (Brooklyn, NY) Beautifully written but slanted. A Girl Made of Dust is told from the point of view of an 8 year old Lebanese girl with additional information filled in by adult conversation. It is beautifully written with rich imagery of everyday sights and sounds juxtaposed with the throes of a war that is inching closer and closer to this family's world. It is also the story of this child trying to make sense of her life as family relationships begin to change because of this war.
The only criticism I have is the slanted view that the Israeli Army bombed children's hospitals and asylums indiscriminately without mentioning that the PLO made a regular practice of using civilians as human shields.
Rated of 5
by Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL) A Girl Made of Dust
This is a book about a war as seen in the eyes of a child. Children should not have to encounter such tragedies as those that Ruba and her family saw. Worthwhile reading but depressing.
Rated of 5
by Muneeb A Girl Made of Dust
Good writing and good storytelling. Told from a child's point of view, war is a main character. A quick read, with lingering impressions.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Becky H. children's librarian, (Chicago, Illinois) 
of 5
by Barbara K. (Brooklyn, NY) 
of 5
by Muneeb 
