Note to Authors: Don’t Do This!

Dear Reader, I am sick of being called an “Orientalist.” As if being interested in another culture were a bad thing. And, as I’ve pointed out ad nauseum, “The Jewel of Medina” doesn’t exoticize the Middle East. To the contrary, readers of my book will find that Muhammad and his followers lived grueling lives of …

In defense of PEN

Dear Reader, It was surprising to read that Lorraine Adams, author of today’s review of THE JEWEL OF MEDINA in the New York Times, has a journalism background. Good reporters check their facts before they publish, but in this case Ms. Adams has dropped the proverbial ball. First she tells the reader that my book …