Why do you think Lumia is so upset when she finds out she’s pregnant again? Do you think Abu Laith’s disregard for her concerns on this matter contributes to her resentment?

Why do you think Lumia is so upset when she finds out she’s pregnant again? Do you think Abu Laith’s disregard for her concerns on this matter contributes to her resentment?

Living conditions are so difficult and there’s is barely enough food especially with trying to share food with the zoo. I’m sure her husbands disregard contributes greatly. His only concern seems to be for the animals

Her life is already very difficult and she is doing all she can to help the children she has survive. She is also bringing a new life into a world that is quite broken and uncertain. Just the idea of keeping the baby safe must be overwhelming.

I ABSOLUTELY could NOT believe that anyone would get pregnant with the number of children they already had and the living conditions of the time. Then to find out she's had another child since just blew me away. I guess the number of children in a family is a mark of some standing, especially for the men, in that culture but I simply cannot relate.

She can't provide and protect the children she already has and the pregnancy only adds more responsibility to her while living in the midst of a war zone. Unimaginable.

There is a war going on. They are living in unsafe conditions. She already has too many children she must worry about, feed and keep safe. There is no good reason to bring a new child into this situation. Plus her husband has enemies, so he is in danger which would leave her alone if he is killed. Also a lot of the food that should be for the family is being fed to the animals.

Clearly a women's perspective in this culture is very different from that of a man's. I doubt she had any choice but to submit to her husband's desires in the first place, and certainly she had no choice but to see her pregnancy through to birth. Throughout this book Lumia shows she is the more insightful and intelligent of the two adults in this family - she recognizes the absurd idea of feeding the animals the food that the children need - and she is outspoken about her concern for her children and their living conditions. She is sensible enough to know that she should not be bringing another child into the world under such conditions, and while I cannot know what she was truly thinking, any rational woman would surely be resentful - though in this culture it would be life-threatening on her part to admit it.

I'm sure because of the awful conditions and lack of food for the brood they already had. However, she goes on to have another baby after that pregnancy. I guess I wasn't truly shocked when I read that in the postscripts. Having babies seems to be part of their "normal".

This is the norm in the social climate of Iraq - the woman bears the children, and the man is not concerned about whether she wants another child or not.

I cannot imagine being in her place during such a chaotic period. I do think her resentment and anger towards her husband is justified, because she is the one that does all the washing, cleaning, and cooking. Not to mention going through childbirth.

Abu Laith is too quick to dismiss her concerns, in my opinion.

Lumia knows how hard it is to feed her family as it is. She cannot see how she can feed another child. There are other considerations also: clothing, education.

I can't imagine having a baby in a war zone! Lumia is responsible for so much and her husband couldn't work at this time because of the war. How was she supposed to feed and clothe another human being? Abu Laith thinking this is just great shows how he isn't in touch with their circumstances at all.

Culturally it was accepted as good to have many children. In our society having so many children would be frowned upon. It is unknown why they would not have practiced birth control especially in a time with so much upheaval. I think she would be upset to find out she was pregant again because of the war and uncertainty it brought with it. Having a new baby during the ISIS invasion would be very difficult. The war had to be scary especially when you are trying to protect & care for your children. It had to be very hot having your entire body covered up in black cloth. In a lot of ways Abu Laith is naive. He may have been trying to reassure her by being happy. Lumia, like many other women had the responsibility of most of the child care, domestic household tasks. That poor woman had to be exhausted!

Again, perspective is everything. We don’t know the religious or cultural tenets in play. To place our values on the couple is inappropriate and indicative of Americans expectations that our way is best and everyone should emulate our way of life. Yet we are so varied in America that happily there is no one standard.

To answer the question, yes, I think it did contribute to her resentment. Think about raising a bunch of children during the time of war plus being pregnant and with limited resources, it clearly was a stressful and unimaginable scenario for anyone. Having children at the time of war when there’s chaos and you don’t know when you’re going to die or if you’re going to die is so traumatic and fearful. She doesn’t only need to take care of herself, she has to take care of everyone else... then the divided resources and attention that Abu Laith has provided for the family isn’t enough.

Of course she is concerned. She's living in a war zone, trying to keep life as normal as possible for her family. How can adding one more life to the mix at this point in time be joyful? She's facing the possibility of everyone being wiped out in the snap of a finger.

Why wouldn't she be upset? They are barely getting by as it is. She knows she has difficult deliveries and medical aid is hard to receive. Adding a new life to a family is a cause for celebration, but sometimes it can just add hardship and heartbreak. One more mouth to worry about.