Author Lilas Taha Speaks at Georgetown University in Qatar

Critically acclaimed writer Lilas Taha discussed her award-winning book, Bitter Almonds, at a recent event at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q). The public talk, which was held on Wednesday, January 24, was followed by a book signing and reception.

Bitter Almonds (published by HBKU Press) is a captivating work of historical fiction which tells the story of a family of Palestinian refugees who fled to Syria from Jerusalem in 1948. The book follows the lives of Omar and Nadia as they confront the challenges posed by war, societal expectations, and injustice to find love and their own place in the world.

The novel was selected as the focus of this year’s ‘One Book, Many Conversations’ program for its relevance to the GU-Q community and the high quality of the writing. During her time in Qatar, Taha also hosted a creative writing workshop with the GU-Q community and conducted research for her next book.

“One Book, Many Conversations is an annual GU-Q library reading and discussion program that encourages everyone to read the same book at the same time to create a GU-Q community-wide book club,” explained Director of the Library, Donna Hanson. “The aim is to promote a reading habit, foster a sense of community, and engage readers in the thoughtful reading of a text by a major international author.”

Taha was born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father and immigrated to the United States following the Gulf war. She holds a master’s degree in human factors engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and brings her professional interests and Middle Eastern background together in her novels. Bitter Almonds is Taha’s second book and won the best multicultural fiction award at the International Book Awards last year. An Arabic translation of Bitter Almonds has recently been released.