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Editorial Reviews
Review
Journey through the quintessential immigrant's tale
Raff Ellis' 'Kisses from a Distance' delves into the lure of migration, a subject that resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today
Lebanese-American author Raff Ellis' "Kisses from a Distance" unfolds like a quintessential immigrant's tale. It follows a Lebanese story that is as relevant and familiar to today's Levantine audience as it would have been 100 years ago. Over the book's 311 pages, which are peppered with relevant and exhaustively researched history, Ellis tugs readers along on a journey down the snow-capped mountains of Lebanon, over land, across seas and oceans and into many strange and distant ports. The story anchors in New York and allows readers to experience the anxious excitement of the wide-eyed immigrant as he steps off the boat and sets foot in a new country for the first time.
The genesis of Ellis' family epic came after the death of his mother, when he discovered more than 200 letters among her personal affects. The letters from friends and family span 60 years, starting in 1925. They begin with traditional Lebanese greetings, and many kisses: "Kisses from a distance ... We kiss your cheeks ... I kiss you many times from this distance," thus inspiring the title of the book.
The real-life dramas unfolding between the pages of these letters, especially in the last half of Ellis' book, make for a very compelling read, turning "Kisses from a Distance" into a veritable page-turner.
The author's visits to Lebanon, his meticulous research and his tenacious quest to trace his family's roots - and those of all the characters involved in this complex story - further enrich the narrative. The well laid-out book, which is Ellis' first full-length effort, is divided into 41 chapters ranging from four to 12 pages.
As expressed in "Kisses from a Distance," the subject of migration resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today, more so than at any time since WWI. Once again, many of Lebanon's youth are seeking work in foreign lands to escape the instability and uncertainty in their home country. And one suspects that when and if they return, they too, like Toufic [the author s father], will be both disappointed and dismissive. -- -- --Hani Bathish, Beirut Daily Star
By describing the odyssey of his Lebanese immigrant forebears to the United States in the early twentieth century, Raff Ellis has prefigured the saga of all immigrants of that era and thereafter. Change the name of the country of origin, or the date, or the variety of hardships in steerage encountered en route or the societal prejudices that were waiting in America, and you have what every immigrant of those years would instantly recognize. Regardless, Ellis has created not an exercise in nostalgia but a serious and disciplined historical study.
This book has something for all whose personal or family history includes immigration. And, since we are a nation of immigrants, this includes all of us. -- -- --Dr. Sam Hazo, International Poetry Forum, Pittsburgh
Raff Ellis' book Kisses From A Distance brought tears to my eyes. It is beautifully written and the story of every family whose members courageously left their homes and families in the Middle East before and at the turn of the 20th century as did my parents. In a way it is every immigrant's story, seeking a better life for their families, enduring incredible hardships. Ellis traced his heritage and found individual greatness and kindness. I wish there would be less demonization of the Arab world today and more understanding of its great people. I know Ellis' book will help that bridge. -- -- --Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers columnist
Raff Ellis' 'Kisses from a Distance' delves into the lure of migration, a subject that resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today
Lebanese-American author Raff Ellis' "Kisses from a Distance" unfolds like a quintessential immigrant's tale. It follows a Lebanese story that is as relevant and familiar to today's Levantine audience as it would have been 100 years ago. Over the book's 311 pages, which are peppered with relevant and exhaustively researched history, Ellis tugs readers along on a journey down the snow-capped mountains of Lebanon, over land, across seas and oceans and into many strange and distant ports. The story anchors in New York and allows readers to experience the anxious excitement of the wide-eyed immigrant as he steps off the boat and sets foot in a new country for the first time.
The genesis of Ellis' family epic came after the death of his mother, when he discovered more than 200 letters among her personal affects. The letters from friends and family span 60 years, starting in 1925. They begin with traditional Lebanese greetings, and many kisses: "Kisses from a distance ... We kiss your cheeks ... I kiss you many times from this distance," thus inspiring the title of the book.
The real-life dramas unfolding between the pages of these letters, especially in the last half of Ellis' book, make for a very compelling read, turning "Kisses from a Distance" into a veritable page-turner.
The author's visits to Lebanon, his meticulous research and his tenacious quest to trace his family's roots - and those of all the characters involved in this complex story - further enrich the narrative. The well laid-out book, which is Ellis' first full-length effort, is divided into 41 chapters ranging from four to 12 pages.
As expressed in "Kisses from a Distance," the subject of migration resonates deeply for nearly every Lebanese family today, more so than at any time since WWI. Once again, many of Lebanon's youth are seeking work in foreign lands to escape the instability and uncertainty in their home country. And one suspects that when and if they return, they too, like Toufic [the author s father], will be both disappointed and dismissive. -- -- --Hani Bathish, Beirut Daily Star
By describing the odyssey of his Lebanese immigrant forebears to the United States in the early twentieth century, Raff Ellis has prefigured the saga of all immigrants of that era and thereafter. Change the name of the country of origin, or the date, or the variety of hardships in steerage encountered en route or the societal prejudices that were waiting in America, and you have what every immigrant of those years would instantly recognize. Regardless, Ellis has created not an exercise in nostalgia but a serious and disciplined historical study.
This book has something for all whose personal or family history includes immigration. And, since we are a nation of immigrants, this includes all of us. -- -- --Dr. Sam Hazo, International Poetry Forum, Pittsburgh
Raff Ellis' book Kisses From A Distance brought tears to my eyes. It is beautifully written and the story of every family whose members courageously left their homes and families in the Middle East before and at the turn of the 20th century as did my parents. In a way it is every immigrant's story, seeking a better life for their families, enduring incredible hardships. Ellis traced his heritage and found individual greatness and kindness. I wish there would be less demonization of the Arab world today and more understanding of its great people. I know Ellis' book will help that bridge. -- -- --Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers columnist
Product Description
"Kissess from a Distance" chronicles a Lebanese immigrant experience - based on a cache of more than 200 letters discovered after the death of the author's mother.
The tale begins with the kidnapping of the author's grandmother from a remote convent in 1895. It chronicles her subsequent unhappy marriage and her husband's tragic attempt to find success in America. Their particular story plays out against the struggle and suffering of the lebanese people through years of oppressive Ottoman rule and the ravages of World War I.
Employing traditional lebanese proverbs and folk tales, "Kisses from a Distance" weaves the author's extensive research and visits to Lebanon into a compelling narrative.
The tale begins with the kidnapping of the author's grandmother from a remote convent in 1895. It chronicles her subsequent unhappy marriage and her husband's tragic attempt to find success in America. Their particular story plays out against the struggle and suffering of the lebanese people through years of oppressive Ottoman rule and the ravages of World War I.
Employing traditional lebanese proverbs and folk tales, "Kisses from a Distance" weaves the author's extensive research and visits to Lebanon into a compelling narrative.
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82% buy the item featured on this page: Kisses From a Distance (Bridge Between Cultures Series) $16.15 |
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