Customer Reviews

Kisses From a Distance (Bridge Between Cultures Series)

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"Kisses From A Distance" compels a comment on how I was moved to
recommend this touching and true tale of two immigrants with
millions of others, who have come to America with promise and dreams
of a better life at the cost of leaving language, family and friends
behind for an unknown future, touted to have streets paved in gold.

An amazing story told well. A must read for those with
immigrant parents or grandparents, but Mr. Ellis' story
should appeal to everyone. A lesson in the history and
culture of Lebanon is an added plus. We hope to see more
from Mr. Ellis.

This book is both fascinating and thought provoking. As an Arab American I found this detailed account of the Ellis Family's journey to America especially interesting, but it's also certain to appeal to readers whose family came from any land. Raff Ellis captures both the history and traditions of Lebanon while describing in detail the trials and tribulations his family encountered trying to immigrate to America to make a new home. Although "Kisses From a Distance" is a very personal account which obviously is a labor of love for Ellis, he does not suger coat the story. It's well written and rich with detail. I enjoyed this book very much and I highly recommend it.

Raff Ellis has done an incredible job of chronicling the struggles, courage and dreams of immigrants coming to America in the early 20th century.
After discovering numerous letters written to and from his mom he was able to put together this historical and fascinating sequence of events that led to his fated life as an American. His eloquent writing style makes this story interesting, enjoyable and a great lesson in American history.
This is a must read for anyone, but especially for those who've had family members migrate to America from foreign lands.

I teach a course, Writing Your Memoirs, in which I not only encourage and instruct students in writing their own stories, but to read the stories of others. I read a lot of published memoirs---in fact, it is one of my favorite genres---and provide my students with bibliographies of Recommended Reading.

Raff Ellis' "Kisses from a Distance," the life stories of his immigrant parents who came to America from Lebanon, is a book I'm definitely adding it to my Recommended Reading list. It's a good story, very readable. It is obviously a long labor of love, good writing, and much research.

Especially interesting is the way this author interweaves the past, the lives of his parents, and the present, his commentary on the research, talking with relatives and others in Lebanon who knew his parents. I hope he will now write of his childhood growing up Lebanese-American, and bring the story up to the present.

I highly recommend "Kisses from a Distance" to everybody who likes to read memoirs, is interested in the immigrant experience, and who appreciates history and good research.

Raff Ellis's story of his family's immigration experiences can be read as if it is an engrossing novel in today's market of published written works. Combining his miraculous discovery after the death of his mother, of a cache of over 200 letters, extensive research and visits to Lebanon, the author is able to tell in narrative form the family's trials and tribulations. I found myself continually referring to the family trees to keep track of all of its members and their interactions.

The highlight of the story for me was in the fact that I discovered more about one of Raff's brothers, Al, (like how he got his name) with whom I worked for 5 years in our parish in Andover, MA. This past June I also visited him in South Africa where he is pastor of a mother parish with three "outstation" Zulu parishes. I came to realize that we all have family and personal backgrounds that make us who we are. Don't miss this fascinating tale of one family that journeyed to America, becoming a part of the whole of our nation of immigrants. You won't be able to put it down. The story will be circulating in Andover and wherever else it finds its way. Pass it on, for that is what storytelling is all about!

Kisses From a Distance filled some of the "blanks" about my immigrant family who came here Lebanon in the early 20th century. Like the book, my own grandmother was left by her mother in a convent at age 2 with an aunt (the mother superior)to enable her mother to immigrate to America. At age 14 my grandmother also was "kidnapped" against her aunt's wishes from the convent by relatives who brought her down from the mountains to the port of Beirut for transport American. Grandmother had been promised in marriage to my grandfather, a peddler, who she literally met at the altar. Although the harshness of life here caused them to loose two of their nine children, many of their offspring became millionaires and philanthropists who helped create St. Jude's Children's Hospital together with another Lebanese man named Danny Thomas.

When I brought my daughter some homemade "hummus" the other day at school here in Illinois, I told her of the author's reference in his book to his father on his deathbed, who was awakened by his son's kiss on a morning after the son had consumed large amounts of garlicky hummus---his father opened his eyes, saying: "John, too much garlic".

That sums it up. It's a close book about immigrants: their industry, simplicity, focus, humor, criticisms, and dreamm, The American Dream.

Bill Haddad

I loved the colorful detail of Raff Ellis's family history. Such knowledge of before and after emmigration is rare. A bonus to the story is his family being from the former fuedal lords and their story being told from a view point rarely seen. Well written, it speaks to the immigrant experience of the late 19th and early 20th century in America for any ethnic group. As a descendent of Lebanese immigrants from the same period I am proud that our story is now fully presented better than I ever think it has been before. The afterword portion at the end was a treat as Raff discusses full on the racial prejudices that face arab Americans and his experiences with these prejudices. It was true vidication for me and my familie's upbringing here as Arab Americans. Only the highest praises, I strongly recommend his book for any students history class! Thanks Raff!

"Kisses From a Distance" was recommended by a friend and I'm thankful to her for that! It's a very readable memoir, touched with humor and filled with first-hand stories handed down to Raff Ellis. His narrative flows easily and the photos add much interest. I drew many connections to my own Irish great-grandparents' experience. They immigrated to NYC during the Irish Potato Famine. I just wish I had the treasure trove of letters and photos that Raff has. They are priceless. All Americans are descended from immigrants, so we can all identify with "Kisses From a Distance," no matter our ancestors' ethnicity. Kudos to Raff for this labor of love.

I so much enjoyed this book so much I found myself slowing down towards the last pages because I didn't want it to end! Someone recently said facts are numbers, dates, and events . . . the "story" is something else altogether. As a first born child of immigrant parents, it brought my own family history to life while helping me to fill in many gaps. "Kisses From a Distance" is filled with many interesting historical facts . . . but the author's true gift is his ability to bring the past to life in an objective and hearfelt way as he tells his family's "story!" Liked it so much bought several copies to give to others.