The Sand Child

The story is not only a story about Ahmed, the eighth "daughter" of a rich merchant in Marrakech, socially a boy, but psychologically and authentically a girl. It is not only a shocking drama inspired by true events (!!!) that will leave you on the edge of your seat, but also, holds deep, implicit insights into the nature of gender and male chauvinism. The latter, although deeply ingrained in societies almost everywhere, happened to have manifested itself, in this story in particular, within North-African culture.

I purchased this book for a class, and Ill admit, once I picked it up, I couldnt put it down. The relationship between the characters and gender identity issues and very interesting. The only part I didnt like (and debated in class), was the multiple narrators that created a story within a story. It seemed out of sync and a little unnecessary, but thats just my opinion! A+ I'd still recommend it to anyone.

If you are interested in the a dynamic world of storytelling read The Sand Child. It takes you through many tales which weave in and out of social constructs. What constructs create a female? What constructs create a male? When I read this novel it took me through a range of emotions. It took me into arid land and it made me feel as if I was experiencing The Sand Child's world. This book question gender construction. It has all the makings of a wonderful novel. I loved it and it made me change my perspective on how I view my world.

Tahar Ben Jelloun is a master of the written word, able to weave into his novels issues of social and political concern while at the same time composing sometimes humorous, often lyrical, and always thoughtful story-lines.