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"Expatriates in
Turkey take up the pen to fight prejudice"
"Reminiscent of Lady Mary Wortley Montague's TURKISH EMBASSY LETTERS."
--Sirin Tekeli
"Daring and delightful."
"Funny, moving and
unusual."
--Patricia Linderman
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INVITE EDITORS TO YOUR BOOK CLUB... Liven up your next book club event with author appearances! If your book club is reading Expat Harem and would like to arrange an event with the editors, please email. Where logistics preclude a personal appearance by the editors, your book club can opt for virtual readings, presentations, and group discussions through internet. Online discussions are possible over email. Audio and audio-visual conferencing can be done via Skype. BOOK CLUB STUDY GUIDE for Tales from the Expat Harem Send us questions from your own book group! 1. The title of the book is purposefully anachronistic and titillating. What was your initial response to it? What did you think was meant by ‘harem’ and what did you envision when you read ‘expat’? How have your perceptions changed while reading the tales? 2. In Diane Caldwell’s tale “Dancing My Way Home”, a psychoanalyst in her fifties walks away from her stable Seattle existence and livelihood to pursue an Istanbul life filled with dance, and the long hours and low pay of an English instructor. After years of suppressing her innate urge to move to music, Diane answered the question: “What does it mean to ‘live well’?” What does it mean for you, and what priorities in life have you already reassessed or do you imagine yourself reassessing like Diane in the future? 3. Few people who travel or live abroad are immune to the ravages of culture shock – the moment when one realizes she is now operating in an alternate reality. How much of what we assume is ‘reality’ is simply the cultural conditioning of our own expectations? Which woman experiences the greatest or least culture shock, and what does that reveal about her cultural background? 4. Which story do you think demonstrates the deepest immersion in the Turkish culture, and why? Which tale reveals the biggest change in the woman herself, and why? Conversely, which storytellers do you sense are at the beginning of their understanding of the culture – and in what ways do you envision them being transformed in the future by their brush with Turkey? 5. In Maureen Basedow’s tale of archaeology and gender relations at ancient Troy, what did you find more surprising – the social norms she was warned about at the start of the piece, or the way the villagers accommodated a lone Western woman in their midst? Why? 6. In reading the book, what did you learn about Turkey, the culture and the people, that was most unexpected? Which stereotypes about Turks or Muslims have been challenged? 7. Have the tales made you consider trying a life in a foreign culture? 8. How has your knowledge and opinion of Islam changed after reading these stories? How do they compare to what you have learned about Islam from various media sources or personal experiences? 9. A majority of the contributors are from the United States. Can you detect any difference between their experiences and those of the other nationalities? What do these American women share as a national group? 10. Which Turkish personality characteristics do you find most striking? 11. How do characteristics of Turkish women compare to those of the foreign writers? 12. Compare Turkish family and friend relationships you have read about with those of your own culture. |
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