Sunday, January 14, 2007

Surprising Sunday

~It's cold.....and we've had freezing rain, ice, and snow....that certainly counts for surprising.

~Mike called - which is surprising and we were thrilled. He reports he has now ridden a camel. Mike, Zander wanted to know "how many humps" when we told him. I hadn't thought to ask.

~A friend, Margie, stopped by and surprised me with a beautiful calendar.....She said it reminded her of me: Teapot & Tea Calendar. Each month features a tea pot, with tidbits about pots, teas and such in the side bar, and quotes sprinkled here and there. Another fun thing to check out are all the scrumptious looking tea treats. (photo won't load)

~We've simply set around and read, played games, watched Gilligan's Island and Hogan's Heroes....nothing very surprising about that. LOL

*Stolen Lives Twenty Years in a Desert Jail* by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi


I was browsing the new shelf in our small branch library when a book caught my eye. Upon further investigation I discovered that the book was sequel to an “international best seller” about the author’s childhood. Our little branch library HAD the first book too, so I checked both out.

From the book jacket:
“Malika Oufkir has spent virtually her whole life as a prisoner. Born in 1953, the eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco’s closest aide, Malika was adopted by the King at the age of five, and was brought up as the companion to his little daughter. Spending most of her childhood and adolescence in the seclusion of the court harem, Malika was one of the most eligible heiresses in the kingdom, surrounded by luxury and extraordinary privilege.

“Then on August 16th, 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the King. Malika, her five siblings, and her mother were immediately imprisoned in a penal colony. After fifteen years, the last ten of which they spent locked up in solitary cells, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and make a daring escape...though they were recaptured after only five days of freedom. Malika was finally able to leave Morocco and begin a new life in exile in 1996.

“*Stolen Lives* is a heart-rending account of resilience in the face of extreme deprivation, of the courage and even humor with which one family faced their tormented fate. A shocking true story, it is hard to comprehend that it could have happened in our own times. “

I found *Stolen Lives* haunting. I found myself contemplating what I had been doing those same 20 years when Malika was imprisoned for the crimes of her father. I did not agree with all her religious thoughts, life-style or such…but I did find this book to be an incredible story and one that will stay with me for years to come.

I just went looking for a photo to post with this and discovered that this book is an “Oprah Book of the Month”. ::snort:: I swore off Oprah’s books years ago as I found the two I read to be incredibly dark, strange, immoral and depressing. I’m glad there was no “O” on the cover of my library’s edition, I’m not sure I would have read it. Silly, but true.