Review
San Francisco Book Review
Star Rating: 5 / 5
The Kurdish Bike is a gripping story of one woman's immersion into a not-so-comfortable world, where she struggles to make sense of critical issues, like violence, lack of respect for women, poverty, and the general sense of the absurd characteristic of war-ridden areas. But it is more than that. When Theresa answers the ad to teach at a Kurdish school, she has no idea of the challenges that lie ahead. Now, thrown in an unknown world, she has to reconcile with new cultural values and witness the aftermath of war and its implications on culture and lifestyle. Can her voice be heard? What does it take to replace structures of oppression? What hope do the marginalized have vis-à-vis the cultural divide and the harsh political landscape? Alesa Lightbourne's debut explores such critical issues and a lot, lot more.
Set against the backdrop of a powerful political landscape The Kurdish Bike offers a stunning social, political, and cultural commentary of what it is like to live in a third world country torn apart by war. The single mom, the newly recruited teacher on a bike, makes friends with native women and her contact and relationship with them lead her to get glimpses of the not-so-obvious conflicts that threaten life in the country. Bezma's family stands out as a symbol of the oppressed and fans of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and A Dry White Season by Andre Brink will adore Alesa Lightbourne's evocative writing, the reminiscences of war images, and the general malaise felt by millions of people, plus the pain of belonging to their own country.
As a debut, The Kurdish Bike underscores success at many levels. First, the prose is polished and rings through the ears like music. The author has the rare gift of weaving national conflict into the lives of individuals. And then there is the biting sense of humor, the ability to portray hope through simple relationships, to find meaning in the will to survive each day at a time. The characters are well grounded, sculpted to reflect the social landscapes from which they sprang. In spite of the powerful conflict that permeates every layer of this book, the unspoken words and the silent cries, there is a current of positive energy communicated through laughter, love, and friendship. The novel is beautiful in a haunting sort of way.
Reviewed by Romauld Dzemo
Manhattan Book Review
Star Rating: 5/5
Few books have the ability to engage the reader so much that they feel the emotions of the author and characters. The Kurdish Bike by Alesa Lightbourne is one of those books that have strong characters and story, so much so that the reader feels like a member of the family.The novel begins with Theresa Turner, who's a single mother and looking for work. After a teaching job in Saudi Arabia, she applies for a teaching job at a school in Kurdistan, in Iraq; to her surprise, she lands the job.
Wary of a country ridden by ethnic conflict, Theresa is amazed to see the poor living conditions of people living in Kurdistan. Determined to make the best of her time in Kurdistan, Theresa purchases a bike and sets out to explore the nearby villages. Theresa meets Bezma, a village girl, and her life gives her a peek into the lives of women in third world countries. Each conflict in Bezma's family makes her realize the importance of being educated and independent in this world, but also highlights the fact that women all over the world suffer from similar problems. Recently separated by her ex-husband and losing her life savings in the process, Theresa feels her problems are inconsequential, as she is appalled by the suffering of women in Kurdistan, who have to endure genital mutilation and child marriages. Being in the company of strong women of the village, Theresa learns the value of her comfortable life back in the United States and vows to make a difference in the lives of Bezma and her students at the Academy.
The story is admirable for its characters, for they are not only well-thought out, but also reflective of a country whose people are torn by a decade-long war. The characters of Ara, Bezma, Pat, Seema, and especially Theresa herself are well-developed and are a mirror to the courage and strength shown by women in times of distress. Alesa Lightbourne has shown excellent penmanship writing this novel based on her personal experience and shows how involved she was in the lives of the people she taught and met in Iraq. If you are interested in knowing about the lives, cultures, and hardships faced by people in the Middle East, this book is a must-read.
From the Author
The first question readers ask me about The Kurdish Bike is how much of it is true. The answer is, almost everything except for a few scenes at the end. Given the ultra-sensitive nature of the topics addressed, such as female genital mutilation, honor killing and terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, I felt it necessary to protect my friends in Kurdistan from shame, ostracism and possible imprisonment.Given the remarkable generosity of Kurdish village women, and the fact that Kurds are in the headlines today, I felt honor-bound to write their story. I wanted the Western world to understand the hardships these women have faced, and continue to face on a daily basis. Many of their challenges are the result of global politics. But others arise from an age-old culture of male dominance, where women are given few choices, and have very limited options for self-reliance.I have lived and worked in six countries around the globe. My time amongst the Kurds in 2010 was the most transformational by far, due to the lessons I learned from humble village women. Many of my friends were illiterate. All had lost family members to Saddam's genocide. Most were (and still are) living in poverty, because they lack the means or social opportunities to better their own lives.My greatest joy arising from The Kurdish Bike has been speaking to book clubs, churches, college classes, libraries and other civic groups. When audiences see real photos, and hear the real back story behind the book, they are moved to compassion for the brave, tenacious and wise people of Kurdistan. Any donations from audiences go directly to the main characters in the novel, who are in dire circumstances. To request a presentation (in person in Central California, otherwise via Skype), contact the author via social media or the book's website.Learning more about the Kurds is important, given current conditions in the Middle East. The Kurds were the primary ally of the United States in fighting ISIS, laying down their lives by the tens of thousands under our direction. However, now that ISIS is more or less contained, the Kurds expect a pay-off, namely the political independence they have long sought. The US is caught between rewarding the Kurds, and standing strong with an even bigger ally, Turkey -- with no apparent resolution on the horizon.I think that one of the reasons the book has won two big prizes, and is such a popular book club book, is that it addresses tough issues like cultural sensitivity. Being immersed in Kurdish culture made me re-evaluate the training I'd received in college anthropology classes, where the social scientist is expected to be a non-judgmental sponge, absorbing cultural practices that form part of a cohesive whole. But this is easier said than done. At the same time, I wanted to convey the often-hilarious situations that an expat teacher finds him or herself in. I am delighted every time a reviewer calls places in the book "funny".Expatriate fiction can be tricky. You don't want to be arrogant or an Ugly American. You also want to maintain your own identity and self-respect as you adapt to the foreign culture. I really hope that The Kurdish Bike, like The Kite Runner, walks that fine line, and provides a window of understanding to Western hearts and minds.
From the Inside Flap
An award-winning novel and book club favorite, The Kurdish Bike takes the reader on an unforgettable journey inside the lives of village women in modern Kurdistan.Based on a true story, the novel follows Theresa Turner, a 50-something American teacher who wants to make a difference. In 2010 she accepts a job in northern Iraq, and buys a bicycle so that she can explore the countryside and get to know local Kurds. Soon she is welcomed into the family of a village widow, whose daughter is enmeshed in a forbidden romance. As Theresa becomes part of the community, she learns about genital mutilation (FGM), honor killings, and other age-old traditions that challenge her commitment to cultural tolerance.Often compared to Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, The Kurdish Bike sparks lively discussions in book groups due to its complex themes, intricate characters and literary styling. It is widely considered the definitive work of fiction on Iraqi Kurds -- an important contribution to cross-cultural understanding for a little-known people trapped in a larger Middle East power struggle.
From the Back Cover
With Kurds in international headlines today, this multiple-award-winning book is essential reading for anyone wanting to learn more about the Middle East.When an ordinary American teacher becomes accepted by women in an Iraqi Kurdish village, she witnesses the extraordinary contradictions of a modernizing Islamic culture. Women are murdered by men in their own family in "honor killings". Fellow Americans defect to join Al Qaida. Female students are slated for ritual mutilation. How will she apply the cultural relativism she learned in anthropology to what feels like horrific behavior? And how can she overcome personal challenges when juxtaposing them against the much-greater hardships of women who survived rape, torture and genocide under Saddam Hussein?Because the book is based on a real story, book clubs enjoy grappling with the complex issues it raises. Praised for lyricism, life-like characters and unexpected humor at times, The Kurdish Bike introduces Western readers to a little-known people currently fighting for their political existence -- underscoring the resilience and beauty of the human spirit.
About the Author
Alesa Lightbourne has been an English professor and teacher in six countries, lived on a sailboat with an infant, dined with Bedouins, and written for Fortune 50 companies. A prize-winning writer for both fiction and nonfiction, she lives close to Monterey Bay in California, where she loves to boogie board and (of course) ride a bicycle. Alesa was born and raised in Carmel, California, and did her undergraduate studies at University of California Santa Cruz in anthropology. She earned an MA in creative writing (the program is now an MFA) at the University of Washington, where her mentor urged her to write about her experiences living in Saudi Arabia and the Caribbean. At the time, literary journalism was a new field; in fact, it didn't even have a name as a genre. This training served her in good stead when she went on later to write The Kurdish Bike, a barely fictionalized account of her time teaching in Iraq.After her stint in Kurdistan, Alesa accepted a job as a founding professor of communications at a small international university in Singapore. She was promoted to dean, where she oversaw campuses on two continents and students from all over the world. It was an ideal opportunity for putting into practice her experience in education, cross-cultural sensitive and writing. She was awarded Professor of the Year and Administrator of the Year.Ms. Lightbourne returned to the United States and married an old friend from college. She is working on another book about teaching overseas, this time about the Caribbean, and is the mother of three adult sons.
I wonder whether recognizing that you’re in the right place, at the right time, can itself comprise a form of grace.Highlighted by 238 Kindle readers
