"Love in a Torn Land..." is almost coming to an end, yet this memoir is still thrilling and amusing. Joanna al-Askari has decided to marry Sarbast. By accepting Sarbast's proposal, Joanna has left her family in Baghdad and has moved to Bergalou, approximately 225 miles north of Baghdad. Joanna and Sarbast's marriage and relationship with one another are growing stronger as they are overcoming their obstacles. Sarbast is a Peshmerga, a Kurdish freedom fighter, and because Joanna married him, she is also a Peshmerga. During this time, Iraqis and Peshmergas are fighting against one another. Life as a Peshmerga is risky, dangerous, and life threatening. Frequently the Iraqis would use poison gas chemicals to attack the Peshmergas, once it nearly caused Joanna to lose her eye sight. "Yes! I knew it! I now recognized the unpleasant odor I had heard about from the survivors of previous chemical attacks: rotten apples, onions, and garlic. Sarbast was right. We were under chemical attack!... Feeling that I was about to explode, I was forced to breathe in the foul gases. My eyes were beginning to feel the effect of the gas, as well. I felt as if my eyes had been set on fire. The pain was so intense that hot needles probing my eyeballs could not have hurt any more" (208-209).
Jean Sasson uses similes and metaphors to thoroughly explain the smell of the chemical attack, Joanna's mood, pain and emotions. Since the beginning of this memoir, Sasson have done an excellent job with text, language, and imagery. I enjoy her writing because of the easy and vivid language, and also because I can easily visualize the events happening. When I read this memoir, it is like a movie playing in my head. Sasson's language, clear descriptions, characterizations, and images are all effective.
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