May 13, 2004

\”The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage,\” edited by Loolwa Khazzoom (Seal Press, $16.95)

On the last night before her family would flee Libya in 1967, Gina Bublil Waldman recalls that she had to choose between taking her only warm sweater or a photo album with the words \”Souvenir of Libya\” on the cover. Its hand-painted image of a peaceful seascape was in absolute contrast to the political turbulence and danger her family faced. She packed the photos, remnants of a life she wouldn\’t know again.

Her essay is included in a compelling collection, \”The Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage,\” edited by Loolwa Khazzoom.