by Maha Ibraheem
Life is a train trip that has a lot of stations. A few of them are beautiful, bright, and easy to pass, and the people are friendly, smiling and cooperating. Others are depressing – full of death, sickness and loss. In those stations everyone is equal when it comes to loss. We all fear loss, but the question is how strong will you be when you lose everything? What type of stories will you tell? One person’s answers to those questions is in a very interesting book called A Fort of Nine Towers by Qais Akbar Omar. It’s the first book that taught me a lot about the life of those who stand on the other side of life. I strongly believe that this wonderful book is one where you can imagine and truly feel every detail the author writes. Your mood changes according to the events that the storyteller tells you. The most important events are the ones that touch your heart and your soul, and this is precisely what I felt through reading A Fort of Nine Towers. It is incredible how the author was able to move us from one place to another just like chess pieces.
Felix Poon
In my religion we believe that your soul can be connected to another person’s soul whom you’ve never met. Maybe you have heard of them or knew a little about them, so when you meet them you feel as if they were already a part of your life and as if you have known them for a long time. That’s what I noticed when Qais, the author, attended our class. It was as if everyone had known him for a long time. I felt like I was at home. I have only read 18 chapters so far, but I am planning to finish the book and to read it every time I feel weak. This book has had such a deep impact on me that I bought another one for my sister and sent one to my mother. This book forced me to change my ideas toward a lot of things. For instance, I became wiser with the lessons of his grandfather. I learned a lot of things that I knew I would not be able to learn in any school. First, I learned that while we are pursuing happiness, money, and success, there those out there who are simply pursuing safety, and a life without war. Second, every one of us has a mirror, which reflects only what we want to display to others. We will gain love and respect if we reflect who we are, and not how people want to see us. Third, it might hurt you a lot to leave your country and family, but that’s only to start your own story.
The class with Qais was one of the best days in my life. It was my first time to meet a non-Arabic author. He was an expert storyteller and very strong in a sophisticated and human way. When I saw him I remembered every page, every word, every laugh, every tear, and detail in his book. I really like this book in a way that makes it difficult for me to read any other book again. I am trying to find something comparable to A Fort of Nine Towers in the quality of the details and scenarios. I am really thankful and lucky to have had this opportunity.
Felix Poon