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The Moment Before
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
6 posts | 1 read | 3 to read
America's global ambitions are reduced to one father, his daughter, and the two men who seek to reunite them. The unflinching story of an American-Arab's life in limbo. Tricked by the two people closest to him, Elias Haddad leaves his beloved daughter Cheryl Halia for what he believes is a short trip home to Syria to visit his dying father. Largely ignorant of Middle East politics, Elias is detained upon arrival in Damascus and conscripted into Assad's army, beginning a forty-year geopolitical odyssey from hell which culminates in his captivity in Guantanamo during America's post-9/11 War on Terror. In her search for her father, Cheryl meets John Veranda, an idealistic lawyer who risks his family's land, his marriage, and his aspirations for his hometown's future for a relationship with Cheryl neither are prepared for. Stuart Eisenstat, a dedicated federal bureaucrat, thinks he's doing an old friend a favor when he picks John's hometown as the perfect site for relocating Guantanamo detainees only to come face to face with the personal cost of America's global ambitions. As the author of both fiction and non-fiction, and the winner of 2017 Independent Publishers IPPY GOLD and 2016 Foreword Reviews INDIE SILVER, Jason Makansi's writing has been praised as "immensely readable," "entertaining, enlightening, and essential," and "relevant to today's political and cultural environment."
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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Pickpick

An interesting, timely & important story about a man who makes a trip back to Syria from the U.S. to visit his ailing father, is detained, forced into the army & eventually ends up in Guantanamo, separated from his beloved young daughter who has no idea what happened to him. At times the different stories, POVs & time frames bog it down-but it made me sad, mad & made me think. Paired with Sweet-Spice Roasted Nuts for my book tour review, link👇🏻

DebinHawaii Link to the nut recipe (so good! 😋) from the tagged book below & my review: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-book-tour-stops-here-review-of.ht...
[tagged book]Sirocco: Fabulous Flavours from the East
(edited) 6y
Nikki15 Definitely making that recipe, they look delicious 😋 6y
106 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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Hoping to finish up this #ARC tonight for a review this week. The book has nothing to do with the food--my favorite "It's been a Monday" dinner. Veggie potstickers make me happy. ?Is it Friday yet?

JacqMac Potstickers make me happy, too. I‘d also love for it to be Friday. Sigh. 6y
Cinfhen Your meals always look delicious 😋😋 6y
mydearwatson And now it‘s 11:00 at night, and I want gyoza. Thanks 😜. 6y
See All 7 Comments
AceOnRoam Yum. How cute is your sauce dish 😍 6y
Ericalambbrown Can‘t wait for the review! 6y
MinDea Mmmmmmm potstickers! 6y
ladym30 Love potstickers!! 6y
119 likes7 comments
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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#GetMovin #Sandstorm
I got a bit stuck on this prompt but I thought of these two books with characters who have spent time in Syria & the Middle East-likely places for sandstorms. In the first book it's a war correspondent involved in a traumatic event there & the tagged book has a Syrian national, living in the U.S. who goes back to Syria to see his dying father & is detained & put in the army, gets 'traded' & eventually ends up in Guantanamo.

tagged users iconCinfhen, eanderson
Cinfhen Oh wow! I think they both sound fascinating 6y
78 likes1 comment
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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Thanks for the #friyayintro tag @Crazeedi 🤗& @Texreader too! 😉

1. It's supposed to rain-so reading, chores, watching all the Golden State Killer shows I DVR'd, making soup on Sunday...the usual😉
2. Malasadas-Portuguese donuts.🍩
3. No, I can't settle & have started several. I do need to finish the tagged book for a book tour review next week. 📚📚😬📚
4. Does 'happy it's Friday' count? 😬
5. I'll tag anyone who hasn't done this but wants to.😘

tagged users iconhowjessicareads
DGRachel I saw the volcano on the news. Are you okay? Is it anywhere near you? 6y
DebinHawaii @DGRachel Thanks for checking. It's on The Big Island island so no negative impact on Oahu--where I live. 🙏🏻Thinking of everyone there--it's pretty scary. 6y
DebBates101 @DebinHawaii ahhhhhhh! Golden State Killer!! The series HLN did is excellent and after u watch that one all other shows on it will disappoint 6y
Scurvygirl @DebinHawaii ohhh that GSK!! The ID channel had a series that was good, that I got off of Amazon called “The Golden State Killer: It‘s Not Over” that came out about two months ago. Soo eerie. 6y
DebinHawaii @DebBates101 @Scurvygirl I think those are the ones I DVR'd! 😱😉👍 6y
69 likes5 comments
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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I don't know why I wanted tuna pasta salad tonight but I did-so I pretty much threw everything in my kitchen I thought would work into a bowl with canned Italian tuna & leftover pasta & seasoned it up. It needed crunch so I chopped up smokehouse almonds. It actually turned out to be pretty darn good.😋👍 The book is an #ARC for a book tour review but I realized I don't post until the week after next so I'm switching to something lighter tonight.

MinDea That looks yummy! 6y
Pamwurtzler That looks good! 6y
104 likes2 comments
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DebinHawaii
DebinHawaii
The Moment Before | Jason Makansi
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Good #bookmail day with 3 books in for book tours. The tagged book is about a Syrian father separated for 40 years from his daughter, then there's a psychological thriller fused with a coming-of-age-story set in the wilds of Alaska, & finally a foodie romance set in a cupcake shop. The 3rd book is for an Instagram tour. The coordinator needed someone to take the last spot & I needed an excuse to buy cupcakes for the pic! How I suffer for my art!😋

Harisali Hi, I am beginner to reading, can you suggest me two titles i should start with. Bdw, today I completed Origin from Dan Brown. Thanks 6y
90 likes1 stack add1 comment