Kiss the Dust

Re Tara, a 14-year-old girl in Suleimaniya, who gets an overnight lesson in what it means to be a Kurd. First she and her friend see Iraqi soldiers gun down innocent Kurdish boys, then her uncle -- a pesh murga freedom fighter -- shows up wounded and on the run. Then her father is wanted by the Iraqi secret police so the family escapes to a mountain village, but that is bombed and becomes too dangerous, so they escape over the mountains into Iraq to take their chance there as refugees. A cousin living in Teheran then helps them to fly out to England where they seek asylum. There life does start over, though it's a struggle, as the final chapter summarizes three years there.

The majority of the book is the journey/experiences up to show more landing at Heathrow. The preface gives a summary of the Kurds' history and places this story before the 1990 Gulf War -- during the Iran/Iraq war at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s. show less

I've read two other books by this author; The Garbage King and A Little Piece of Ground. I like her writing. However, I did find that this one was slow to get going, and I fear that your typical adolescent reader would give up on the story before it got to the interesting part. Tara is Kurdish, and living in Iraq when her father, who is a resistance fighter, decides that they must flee the country, travel over the mountains and into Iran. Once in Iran, life is not much better, and Laird's description of Tara's life in the holding camp reminded me of several holocaust novels. Her mother is very ill with pneumonia, and isn't able to help clean the bug infested room in which they stay. Her mother is also unable to help make meals with the show more meagre rations they are given. Tara is forced to grow up almost instantly, for if she doesn't step up and assume responsibility, her mom might die, and her family will suffer. The exciting parts of the book occurred when they were traveling through the mountains and when they were trying to survive in the refugee camps. Eventually, some Kurdish connections enable them to fly to London, and find lodging there. Laird does an excellent job of describing what it might feel like to be a refugee; the confusion, the desperation, the fatigue, the anger, the frustration... the reader experiences it all through Tara's eyes. I would only recommend this book to a strong adolescent reader who was interested in knowing what a refugee might have felt like. Readers who liked Diary of Ann Frank might enjoy this novel. show less

This book brings a personal perspective on what life is like in war torn Iraq. This recent-history novel follows a young Kurdish girl who was once carefree living in her mountain town as she and her family flee from the stringent rules and fierce fighting of the militant Muslim regime. I found the culture fascinating and Tara's life in the refugee camp is heart wrenching.

Probably not one of Laird's best offerings but still an interesting book about a young, Kurdish girl who has to flee Iraq with her family to join the growing band of refugees in Iran. This book would sit nicely along side the "Parvana" series by Deborah Ellis.

Please consider this review to be petty. Like many others, I read this in seventh grade for school. It was assigned a few months after the September 11, 2001 attacks. I remember wondering if there was a reason it was assigned then, or if every school had to read it. Reading this book as an adult brought back flickers of memories of reading it then. School comp/lit classes always made me hate reading, and I'd come home and dive into my pile of library books and ignore the rest of my homework. I also loathed my seventh grade teacher. Everyone who had her did. I was a real jerk to her, especially about this book. I couldn't relate to it, had no idea why we were reading it, and found it boring and confusing.

As an adult, I was determined to show more read it in one sitting, and I did, and I hoped for a different opinion. I'm ashamed that I still can't relate and that I'm critical of the writing: repeated pretty setting! Bombing! Long journey! Arguing! Long journey! Barely-there emotions! This book is clearly for young teens, and that's fine, but it really feels like the author normally writes for adults and is somehow holding back. The little kids add nothing to the story and annoyed me. From the way they were written, I wonder if the author had kids the same ages when she wrote this. Reading this in one sitting overall reinforced my lack of enjoyment or connection. show less

A story about the plight of people in Kurdistan - experiences and processes confronting political refugees. Tara's father is involved with the Kurdish Resistance Movement and her life in Iraq becomes increasingly difficult as a result. The family is forced to flee into the mountains and across into Iran. Tara, used to wealth, has to learn to cope in a refugee camp and adopt the ways of another culture before the family can finally claim refugee status in England.

good - Ruthie