The Blind Woman and Other Stories

Praise for The Blind Woman and Other Stories '(Gurian’s) skillful characterizations, convincing dialogue and rich details make this a worthwhile, entertaining collection.” —Publishers Weekly “Timely . . . a fascinating look into a world that remains impossibly foreign and opaque to most Americans.” —Kirkus Reviews From the back cover: Within this dramatic and profound collection of stories, New York Times bestselling author Michael Gurian explores the cultural and spiritual gulf between Muslims and Westerners.  From Ankara to Seattle, the West Bank to Manhattan, these provocative stories continually surprise with scenes of shocking brutality and improbable enlightenment. In A Desperate Pride, a Palestinian woman falls in love with Raf Horowitz, an American Jew who arrives in Israel with reckless idealism. In The Reincarnation of Donaldo Fuertes, an elderly writer recruits a young African American Muslim to accompany him on a pilgrimage to his homeland. And in the title story, a young hospice nurse finds her life course completely changed as she fulfills her duties to a Somali woman scarred by her upbringing. With the grace and craftsmanship of a veteran storyteller, Gurian’s collection is an emotional powerhouse filled with animosity and love, heartache and understanding, disillusionment and hope.  Lyrical and absorbing, these stories reveal the humanity of a culture so often in conflict with our own. More praise for The Blind Woman and Other Stories: “Translucent stories! Courageous! While the rest of the world is gearing for war with the Muslims, Michael Gurian is calling for something higher, better, the kind of peace that only a first-rate storyteller can imagine.” —Jim Connor, author of Silent Fire “We could not ask for a more important, true or better book about the ‘politics’ of our world and, far more importantly, about the truths hidden in the human soul than we find in The Blind Woman and Other Stories. —Terry Trueman, Printz Honor author of Stuck in Neutral “These stories immerse us in the mysteries that attract us to, and repel us from, foreign cultures. These are very important narratives for our time. In them, individuals of various ages, genders and faiths reveal how culture can save us or fail us, at times simultaneously. I saw these stories as a narrative bracelet which, once put on, cannot be turned away from. Their beauty and unsentimental power are stunning.” —Michael B. Herzog, author of Troilus and Criseyde