What could stephen dau have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you. Stephen dau attended university of pitsburg, johns hopkins university, and bennington college. Originally from western pennsylvania, stephen dau attended the university of pittsburgh before working in postwar reconstruction in the balkans and international philanthropy. Jonas is fifteen when his family is killed during an errant u. Buy the book of jonas by stephen dau from amazons fiction books store. Its not that i didnt like the book of jonas, its that i just feel like i didnt get it. Go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons. Buy the book of jonas book online at best prices in india on. In his debut novel, dau chronicles the human cost of war with the alternating stories of jonas, a teenager who loses his family in an american. Jonas is a teenage boy from a deliberately unspecified country. An exceptional debut novel about a young muslim war orphan whose family is. He learns that babbage once wrote to alfred tennyson to correct two lines from one of tennysons poems, which babbage felt lacked scientific accuracy. Best adult books for young adults, 2012 dau sketches jonas brilliantly, empathetically, writing with spare, clear language in the third person, a point of view encompassing the distance necessary for emotional clarity. The book of jonas is a 2012 debut literary novel by american writer stephen dau.
Stephen dau has captured on the written page the trauma and schism that occurs inside. Mandated to see a therapist, jonas begins to explore what happened. Its the story of a boy, jonas, from a middle eastern country presumably iraq where his village is destroyed in a us military raid. Buy the book of jonas by stephen dau online at alibris. The book of jonas by stephen dau 2012, hardcover for. The book of jonas an exceptional debut novel about a young muslim war orphan whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong, and the american soldier to whom his fate, and survival, is bound. Dau sketches jonas brilliantly, empathetically, writing with spare, clear language in the third person, a point of view encompassing the distance necessary for emotional clarity.
Excerpt from the book of jonas by stephen dau, plus links. War is an exercise in the triumph of action over empathy. February 09, 2012 a central metaphor lies at the heart of this debut novel. What is the effect of this layering of different perspectives and time frames. An exceptional debut novel about a young muslim war orphan whose. The book of jonas by stephen dau, 9780452298972, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The narrative of the book of jonas proceeds in short chapters, jumpcuts between jonas s present life, his past, christophers journal entries, his interactions with his therapist, and chapters devoted to roses efforts on behalf of the families of soldiers missing in action. Stephen dau is originally from western pennsylvania. The book of sunnys bookshelf photo by judy solomon. Best adult books for young adults, 2012 dau sketches jonas brilliantly, empathetically, writing with spare, clear language in the third person, a point of view. Kindle store go search todays deals vouchers amazonbasics.
The book of jonas by stephen dau great pick for 2020. Kindle store go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. Read free book excerpt from the book of jonas by stephen dau, page 3 of 4. Download read the book of jonas 2012 by stephen dau in. Adjusting to his new life in america proves more difficult than jonas originally thought.
Stephen dau unraveled a thoughtprovoking narrative, which surprised me from time to time, and definitely kept me hooked. Like that book, the book of jonas is a tale obsessed with the way war can fracture memory and cauterize the place where love can beginif only our news had such radical belief in the power of empathy. Read free book excerpt from the book of jonas by stephen dau, page 4 of 4. Its a novel about about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when foreign disaster appears at our own doorstep. The book of jonas by stephen dau begins on a fateful night when the family of jonas, a 15 year old muslim is killed by americans. In addition to his debut novel, the book of jonas, his work has appeared in the pittsburgh postgazette, mcsweeneys, and msnbc, among other places. Though ive never been in the situations stephen dau describes, every word rings true ntinued. Dau tells of a young muslim whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong and the american soldier to whom his fate is bound.
He is taken in by an international relief organization and adopted by a christian family in pittsburgh, pa. Told in spare, evocative prose, the book of jonas is about memory, about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when foreign disaster appears at our own doorstep. This, thinks jonas, tells you everything you need to know about both the man and the invention of forms. The book of jonas, a novel written by stephen dau and published in 2012. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. It is a rare and virtuosic novel from an exciting new writer to watch.
Would you try another book from stephen dau andor simon vance. In his debut novel, dau chronicles the human cost of war with the alternating stories of. This is a book where the main characters arent quite what they seem, which certainly is confusing from time to time, but that doesnt detract from the power of the story. The book of stephen dau has written a most enigmatic and satisfying novel that delivers a story of loss as publicly broad as it is personally intimate. For those in search of another side of the story, stephen dau s the book of jonas could not be more timely. Stephen dau s the book of jonas is one of those rare, shattering, lingering, breathtakingatunexpectedmoments debut novels that arrive so perfectly formed youre left both haunted wondering what you could possibly read next to dispel the terror and. A topten favorite book of 2012 from sam sacks of the wall street journal a booklist editors choice. And by so deftly exploring the inner lives of jonas, christopher, and rosethe torments each has sufferedthe book of jonasoffers a nuanced and deeply reflective novel about the effects of war that are still unfolding around us. In daus debut fiction, younis, a perceptive, observant boy in a nameless central. The book was published in english on march 15, 2012 by blue rider press. The book takes its name from the book of jonah of the hebrew bible and features themes of war and its effect on others. This is one of those books that starts in the middle and cryptically works its.
An exceptional debut novel about a young muslim war orphan whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong, and the american soldier to whom his. Buy the book of jonas book online at low prices in india. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store. An exceptional debut novel about a young muslim war orphan whose family is killed in a military operation gone wrong, and the american. In moments, dau s riffs on the young mans life recall the dense beauty of michael ondaatjes the english patient. Christopher and jonas each commit acts that would seem to invite judgment, but stephen dau is much more interested in investigating the causes of their actions. When jonas meets rose, a shocking and painful secret gradually surfaces from the past, and builds to a shattering conclusion that haunts long after the final page. Told in spare, evocative prose, the book of jonas is about memory, about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when foreign disaster appears at our own. Stephen dau is a 45yearold american author, born in penselvanya. The book of jonas is a compelling novel that describes the human cost of war and the longlasting effects on the human mind. The book of jonas is a great combination of emotional drama and compelling mystery. Download or read the book of jonas 2012 in pdf, epub formats. The book of jonas by stephen dau is about many things the effects of war, the refugee experience, the negative effects of repression, what its like to be related to an mia soldier but its mostly about the truth.
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