Pomegranate

By: Weam Namou

Narrated by: Sandy Naimou

In the weeks before the election of Donald Trump, Niran, a young, liberal, Iraqi Muslim immigrant, struggles to find her footing in a neighborhood of well-to-do, conservative Iraqi Christians.

Inspired by her idol Enheduanna, the first recorded writer in history and famed priestess of Ancient Mesopotamia, Niran navigates societal challenges, fights against cultural stereotypes, and most of all, aims to make her voice heard by all around her.

With a desire to study, work, and love, Niran rediscovers her purpose in life. But surrounded by strong, opinionated women, can she live up to their expectations while meeting her own?

©2021 Weam Namou (P)2022 Weam Namou

Enjoyed the history and the message

Well read, inspirational and held my attention throughout. Loved the message in the story about the meaning of the pomegranate.

A portal into a community

About the book: This book was surprisingly fun. The story progresses quickly, and covers a lot of cultural territory. Some of the details were shocking to me, in a good way. The story veraciously captures the struggle between an individual will and cultural expectations. There were a few things that I did not understand, but the galloping tempo prevented me from getting hung up there.

About the narration: I was nervous at first, as the forward was a little stiff. But within a few minutes of Chapter 1, I knew I could relax and be carried away into the story. The humor in the work is extracted beautifully. The anger is captured precisely. The protagonist's struggle to find and express her voice makes its way deep into the voice of the narrator in an amazing way. It's clear that the narrator has "felt these emotions, felt these stories herself". As a result, she delivers them earnestly. The narrator does a wonderful job remaining consistent between each character voice, which makes tracking dialogue effortless. I am very impressed.