{"product_id":"arabian-jazz-paperback","title":"Arabian Jazz - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDiana Abu-Jaber\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Diana Abu-Jaber's \"impressive, entertaining\" (\u003cem\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e) first novel, a small, poor-white community in upstate New York becomes home to the transplanted Jordanian family of Matussem Ramoud: his grown daughters, Jemorah and Melvina; his sister Fatima; and her husband, Zaeed. The widower Matuseem loves American jazz, kitschy lawn ornaments, and, of course, his daughters. Fatima is obsessed with seeing her nieces married--Jemorah is nearly thirty! Supernurse Melvina is firmly committed to her work, but Jemorah is ambivalent about her identity and role. Is she Arab? Is she American? Should she marry and, if so, whom?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWinner of the Oregon Book Award and finalist for the National PEN\/Hemingway Award, \u003cem\u003eArabian Jazz\u003c\/em\u003e is \"a joy to read...You will be tempted to read passages out loud. And you should\" (\u003cem\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/em\u003e). \u003cem\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/em\u003e praises Abu-Jaber's \"gift for dialogue...her Arab-American rings musically, and hilariously, true.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere is the hyphenated-American story told with a sense of humor and bitter-sweet love. Set in a small poor-white community in upstate New York, where \"ethnics\" are few and far between, it is the story of the Ramoud family: Matussem, his two daughters, Melvina and Jemorah, his sister, Fatima, and her husband, Zaeed. Matussem loves American jazz standards, Arab folktales, lawn ornaments, and - above all else in the world - his daughters. Fatima, the truest representative of the Old World in the New, is obsessed with joining the social committee of the local Syrian Orthodox Church and with seeing her nieces - Jemorah is nearly thirty! - married. Melvina, \"all-Nurse\", has her mind set firmly on her work, but Jemorah will consider marrying anyone from a pool hustler to a car mechanic to a Jordanian cousin. With \"Family Function Season\" about to begin (\"thick with the air of summer upstate and heavy, sweating relatives who thought, somehow, that this was preferable to the desert\"), Arabian Jazz will explode into a hilarious, poignant tribute to family bonds, hybrid cultures, and the individual search for home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 390\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 17, 2003\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42134018883719,"sku":"9780393324228","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/bf9efe00ba5395520f1d2e440463a875.webp?v=1732638468","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/arabian-jazz-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}