Taste the Sweetness Later: Two Muslim Women in America

Taste the Sweetness Later: Two Muslim Women in America was informed by more than 200 hours of personal interviews, Author Connie Shoemaker shares the stories of two women living in the grip of murderous dictators. Nisren, a Kurdish Iraqi whose childhood is plagued by Saddam Hussein's "eyes that are watching" is married to an interpreter for the U.S. Army. She escapes to America with her family after anti-US factions threaten to kill her husband. Eman, a Libyan growing up in the shadow of madman Muammar Gaddafi, persists in her dream of higher education by fighting for a scholarship that will take her from her sheepherding family of 22 siblings to graduate study in the United States. Nisren grows up and marries in Baghdad, Iraq, haunted by Saddam Hussain's "eyes that are watching." As a Kurdish woman, she suffers the poverty that results from the dictator's numerous forays into war, UN sanctions, and restrictions against the Kurds. Soon after the U.S. invades Iraq, her husband Raad is becomes an interpreter for the US Army. As anti-U.S. sentiment develops after the invasion, Raad's twin brother, also an interpreter, is assassinated. The family is warned they are next, so they obtain a refugee visa to come to the United States. While her husband works to support the family, Nisren learns English, enrolls the children in school, and, in spite of depression and PTSD, discovers the strength to defend her choice to wear her native dress in the face of the rude gestures and shouts of "go home to your own country." US citizenship is awarded to the whole family just in time for Nisren and Raad to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Eman, a bright young Libyan woman, attacks all the obstacles that block the path to her goal of a scholarship to study in the United States. In spite of cultural restrictions on women and loyalty to her family, she persists with guidance from her grandmother's words: "Swallow it now, and taste the sweetness later." After a six-year struggle, marriage and a baby, the scholarship is awarded just at the time of the revolution against Dictator Muamar Gaddafi. Amidst bombs, air strikes and blockaded roads, Eman, husband Sami, and son Saif fly from Tripoli to the United States. In spite of economic hardship, Eman becomes fluent in English, gives birth to a second son, and conquers her lack of technology background to receive an M.S. in computer science. She has achieved her goals but does not want to take her family home to Libya until it is safe. Will it be possible for her to stay in America with a new US President who is tightening immigration restrictions?Nisren and Eman speak to readers in an intimate conversation encompassing values that all women share: relationships with their husbands, education to better their own and their children's lives, and the freedom to make individual choices. Sharing their stories is a step toward bridging the social and political chasm that divides America today. Just as ignorance of another person condemns us to the bondage of fear, knowledge frees us and makes us more able to function correctly. Nisren and Eman display the courage, determination, and unwavering hope that are essential to the true spirit of America. Their stories serve as inspiration for anyone who faces difficult and seemingly insurmountable hardships. The wisdom of Eman's sheepherding grandmother sums it up: "Swallow it now, and you will taste the sweetness later."Taste the Sweetness also includes The women's stories are set against the backdrop of historical and cultural information. Bonus: Discussion Questions to stimulate conversation about immigration issues.