The Road from Morocco

The true story of Saadia, a thirteen-year-old Arab girl wed against her will in a Morocco divided between Western and Arab traditional cultures. Her struggle to win a divorce and pursue her independence paves the way for her children to leave for America. Wafa, her oldest daughter, thrives in male-dominated Wall Street until she discovers the land of freedom and opportunity does not shield them from a tragic destiny. A string of events, including a violent marriage, mental illness, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the Iraq war, conspire to bring about Wafa's emotional breakdown followed by the end of her career. At last, the redemptive power of a newfound spirituality transforms Wafa's life as seen in this literary memoir that reads like a compelling novel. This unusual memoir tells the heart wrenching and stirring tale of two women who defied their heritage, tradition, and gender by leaving the land of their birth for America only to confront new and unforeseen challenges. It is also the unique story of a French-educated, sexually liberated woman from an Arab-Muslim background, which challenges all stereotypes of Arab and Muslim women—and women, in general. In an in-depth essay/review, titled ''Abundant Faith,'' and published in TingisRedux an online literary magazine, Prof. Anouar Majid, director of the Center for Global Humanities and associate provost for Global Initiatives at the University of New England in Portland, Maine—writes : “The more I read into Wafa Faith Hallam’s The Road from Morocco, the more I realized I was holding a book that—if all literary lights are not dimmed by convention—should become an instant classic. I honestly cannot recall a time when an autobiographical account has spoken to me as forcefully as Hallam’s memoir. In fact, I never ever read anything remotely comparable to it. Hallam’s trailblazing book shatters literary and social conventions with such force that it is bound to provoke strong reactions. The book contains precious lessons about why freedom and equal rights matter, why the male oppression of women in Arab and Muslim societies is a sad farce, why rich life experiences are still the only reliable ingredient for a soaring story, and why identity is a complex construct that is nearly impossible to tease apart.” Intended as a cathartic journey toward self-discovery, the book results in the author’s awareness, and ultimately challenges Muslims and Americans to create more open and humane societies for women while aspiring to dispel prejudice on all sides. And finally it is a reflection on the current revolutionary wave sweeping the Middle East and North Africa and how real tangible progress is still in doubt because of the lack of attention paid to women's emancipation and fundamental rights in those countries.