Overview

This hilariously uplifting memoir follows an Arab-American woman's merry life as she shimmies her way from getting dumped by her tattoo-artist boyfriend to coming to grips with being single, ample, and 30. In the tradition of 'Bridget Jones's Diary' but true, this unique story is filled with colourful characters such as Rosie, the corn-rowed truck-driving belly dancer; Fahed, cologne-doused rich loser; Too-Tall Mary, a member of an amateur belly dancing troupe; and Gimmel, the author's Jewish great-uncle. While searching online for a sexy sheikh to save her from her lacklustre existence, Soffee finds a belly dancing class in a catalogue and, against the wishes of her Lebanese-American extended family, enrols in an attempt to find her roots and heal her heart. Her life will never be the same as she discovers the riotous world of American belly dancing, a warm and welcoming subculture where younger and thinner are not necessarily better. Surprised to find happiness among the zils and trills of attending classes and performing in moose lodges and county fairs, she finds true love along the way.

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9781556524585

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Reviews

By the last chapter you, too, will be glad to have a tush to push and a belly to wiggle. -- First For Women, June 30, 2003. For anyone that has been in this dance form and done any performing, you will relate. -- Zaghareet!, May/June 2003. A rediscovered sense of passion. -- Variety. Winningly charming and funny. -- Salem Press.

Broken-hearted Anne needs something to take her mind off her ex. She's been through the rock n' roll phase, the punk scene, the heavy metal experience and the grunge groove, and now she's ready for something really different. And what could be more unexpected than a Lebanese American girl, brought up in the cultural melting pot of Richmond, Virginia, embarking on a course in belly dancing of her own free will? Her family are disgusted! Anne snake-hips her way into the Jewels dance troupe, playing such esteemed venues as the Bon View Convalescent Centre, the Richmond Bicycle Association and the Three Chopt Bar and Grill, determined to find a dark-skinned, mono-browed partner to share the rest of her life with. One gorgeous Arab man after another fails to meet Anne's rigorous standards of genetic perfection - after all, it's her future children she has in mind - and third-favourite wife amongst the harem is out of the question. What's a girl to do? An hilarious and oh-so-girly romp through the cultural minefield of Arab-American manners and sensibilities. Absolutely delightful. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Anne Thomas Soffee earned an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a teacher of emotionally disturbed children. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.

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