"The Almond" by Nedjma

Another $2 treasure from Books-A-Million. This is about a Muslim's sexual self-discovery, a poetically written piece of erotica that gives insight into the Muslim world a divorced peasant woman's point of view.

Sensuality and spirituality abound. I enjoyed page 122 in which the main character thinks about "the beggars who stretch out their hand toward God and are rebuffed by distracted and stingy people. I gave bread every Friday to the old people covered with blisters and dressed in rags at the entrance to the mausoleums."

Is this what it means when we ask "Give us this day our daily bread?"

And then, check out 230-231 as Driss, who is dying, coming to God in prayer. It is too long and at points vulgar to repeat hear, but it begins "God of the butterflies and elephants, You know I am worthless. You gave me Maari, Abou Nawas, Jahiz, Mohamed Ibn Abdillah, Moses, and Jesus, and I don't know how to be grateful...."