Literature Links: Who Knew?

Book Anecdote #1: Rabat 

April 17—Some of the delightful and surprising moments  are those when we discover something unexpected - and there have most certainly been a wealth of those!  While we have had an incredible line-up of speakers, events, and cultural experiences, we’ve also found some time to explore.  One of those moments came in Rabat, after an extraordinary lecture on Religious Education and Islam with Dr. Khaled Saqi, the former director of the Mohammed VI Institute of Quranic Readings and Studies.  More on that session later!  After his session concluded, a few of us decided to stretch our legs and walk back to the hotel rather than hop on the bus.  We strolled down the main streets of Rabat, enjoying the architecture and peeking in the shops along the way.  A few blocks from the hotel, we discovered a small bookstore.  While it looked like most (all) of the books were written in languages other than English, we still couldn’t resist stopping in to browse.  One of the more interesting elements of the store was the fact that it seemed to sell books, a small selection of office supplies, and . . . perfume! 

The perfume kiosk at the bookshop.

I am still thinking about that surprise.  But an even more unexpected surprise was in store for me.   I strolled to the right of the perfume kiosk to check out one of the book displays.  And there, in front of me: Several of Khaled Hosseini’s books.  Including The Kite Runner.  The book my students just finished reading was front and center, right at eye level.  In French, the title is Les cerfs-volants de Kaboul: 

At a bookshop in Rabat: Les Cerfs-Volants De Kaboul

While I knew millions of copies of The Kite Runner have been sold and it has been translated into many different languages, I found myself thinking of my students at home, knowing that the book they just read is sitting here, so many miles away.  There’s something magical about seeing real evidence that people are reading the same book thousands of miles away.  I couldn't resist taking a photo.  I decided my Pio World Lit students should see it too, so I put together a quick Instagram post and added it.   

In the middle of another full day of activities, I glanced down at my phone to see that one of my 12th grade students replied to my post:  “Elif Shafak was the author we did our project on!”  

Student comment on book display!

 And just like that, I realized that some of my students, thousands of miles away, were not only seeing The Kite Runner bookshop display that I had just marveled at, but even looking more closely at that photo.  My student recognized Elif Shafak, an author that he chose to research just a few months ago as part of our “Overlooked, Underreported, and in the Gaps'' research project.  Shafak was “overlooked” in their sphere, but sits front and center here in Morocco.  Wow!  Bookshops, books, and author's names can tell the story of a place and help us understand what people are reading in places far from home and around the world.  Since the photo, I’ve started to notice that Eli Shafak's books are on display in quite a few other bookshops as well. Mental note: Add Elif Shafak to my books-to-read queue!