Beautiful cover ~ intriguing book

"Throughout my childhood I struggled to answer the simplest of questions: where are you from? I was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents who moved to Lubbock, Texas, when I was six months old. During my childhood, my parents would uproot me every few years, from Texas to South Carolina to Virginia. Living in the American South, I was far from the image of a Southern belle, and yet the summers I spent in the Middle East only emphasized my American identity and made it clear to me that I would also never exactly be an Arab poster child." 

Barefoot in Baghdad: A Story of Identity -- My Own and What It Means to Be a Woman in Chaos is a memoir by Manal M. Omar, published in August 2010.  New books in my library system are seven-day books, meaning I'll need to put aside The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, even though I'm only halfway through it.  From what I've read so far, I think this book will be a quick read.  And this note at the beginning of the book makes me even more curious:

"Barefoot in Baghdad takes its title from a popular Iraqi-Turkmen proverb that says, 'Walk barefoot and the thorns will hurt you.'  It is often used as a warning to those who challenge societal norms."

I love the cover!  The library book I'm holding has been processed, with corners and spine taped to keep the paperback cover sturdy and a library barcode added, but it still has that new book smell and no one -- absolutely no one! -- has paged through it yet.

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Katy F. at A Few More Pages.  Click this link to read other book beginnings.