Having now read both of the books Crescent and Fencing with the King, it was an absolute joy to get the chance to chat with Diana Abu Jaber, the author of both of these books. I loved both of her books that we've read in class, she writes like a poet. There is so much fluidity, atmosphere, and mystery in all of her stories. Because of this element of mystery that is often presented in her novels, it was incredibly enlightening to talk to Abu Jaber. She was a very gracious person to converse with. She gave extremely elaborate and thoughtful answers to each of the questions asked by the students. My favorite part was when she told us the real story of her own uncle that lived in a cave in Jordan. It was so exciting to learn about how, in her book Fencing with the King, the character of Musa was inspired by this personal story of hers. From talking with Abu Jaber, I was fascinated to discover just how much her stories and novels, especially Fencing with the King, pull from her own life and experiences. So many of the main plot points and details are from her life, such as her father being the King of Jordan's favorite Fencing partner and having an uncle who is obsessed with regaining the family knife. Despite Fencing with the King having the most story references to her actual life, Abu Jaber confessed that the character that she connects with the most out of all her novels is Sirine, the main character in her book Crescent. She said this was because Sirine is a cook and that is something she herself has a passion for as well. It almost seems she feels that cooking takes up a larger part of her being than writing. It was such a pleasure to get to chat with such a talented and accomplished writer like Diana Abu Jaber. (324)
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