Hearts Like Birds
Hearts Like Birds by Semere T. Habtemariam
Told from the perspective of a Muslim-American tracing his lineage to the first Muslim community outside Mecca that embraced Islam. He is accompanied by his Christian friend on a journey to their shared village of origin, which becomes a microcosm of the global clashes between integration, assimilation and multi-culturalism that force families and individuals to negotiate and reconcile life. The author was forced to flee his village in Eritrea as a young refugee, which impacted him deeply. Having grown up in a Judaic-Christian-Muslim culture, he feels he harbors Jesus and Mohammed equally in his heart.
Hearts Like Birds by Semere T. Habtemariam