Cover of Sweet Dates in Basra

Sweet Dates in Basra

"In this story of love and search for identity, Jessica Jiji succeeds fully in capturing passions, depth of feeling, and strong relationships beyond ethnic and religious differences."

—Naim Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon

Read more

Jessica Jiji's Sweet Dates in Basra is a compelling, poignant, and unforgettable tale of friendship and family, set in Iraq during the second world war. A dramatic departure from Jiji's previous novel, Diamonds Take Forever, Sweet Dates in Basra brilliantly captures the atmosphere of a volatile Middle East during the previous century and pays tribute to the lost traditions of a once-idyllic world.

Genre
historical fictionromancewar and military
Themes
jewishreligiondiversityfriendshipislam
Setting
middle eastiraq
Audience
adult
Length
medium · 368 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked Sweet Dates in Basra? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Sweet Dates in Basra. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. A Thousand Veils Shares middle east, iraq, historical fiction
  2. One Hundred and One Nights Shares historical fiction, iraq, middle east
  3. Saffron Dreams Shares middle east, fiction, historical fiction
  4. The Sirens of Baghdad Shares middle east, iraq, fiction

“People who read Sweet Dates in Basra tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Dalai Lama, My Son: A Mother's Autobiography
  2. Arabesques
  3. The Virgin's Knot
  4. A Bride for One Night: Talmud Tales

“If you want more of the same (historical fiction about jewish), start with these.”

  1. Sand Queen
  2. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq
  3. Escape from Saddam: the Incredible True Story of One Man's Journey to Freedom
  4. A History of Iraq

“If it was the iraq that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Gardener of Baghdad
  2. Daughters of Iraq
  3. Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied
  4. Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend
  2. Growing Up Ethnic in America: Contemporary Fiction About Learning to Be American
  3. Finding Father Christmas
  4. Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914