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Cover of BETWEEN TWO RIVERS
4.09

Based on 424 Goodreads ratings

BETWEEN TWO RIVERS

by young students learning cuneiform, the Mesopotamian writing system. The author, an honorary fellow in Assyriology at Oxford, puts each of the objects in the context of the daily life of the era when they were made. So we learn about a young scholar who left his toothmarks on the clay tablet he was using for his assignment, or a barkeeper whose furniture budget included a suspiciously large number of beds. The hundreds of thousands of surviving cuneiform documents include not only royal decrees and official documents but letters between ordinary people—two mentioned here are a wife asking her husband to come home and a merchant planning his route to dodge tax collectors. The Sumerians, Babylonians, and other peoples who lived in the era were highly conscious of history, drawing connections between themselves and their predecessors—sometimes more than 1,000 years earlier. Their literary achievements include the Epic of Gilgamesh (which the author tells her young daughter as a bedtime story). The era’s advances in astronomy and mathematics contradict any notion that these were primitive, unenlightened times. Still, as the chapter on a stone mace found in the museum makes clear, brutal warfare was a too\u002Dcommon part of life, then as now. A final chapter on the priestess in whose palace the museum was located shows the important and varied roles played by women in Mesopotamian society."

Book Details

Publisher:The eight artifacts the book discusses were discovered in the
Published:1920-01-01
Pages:336
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9781324036

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

This powerful novel explores the complex journey of a teenage girl navigating cultural identity and family expectations while caught between her immigrant parents' traditions and her American upbring...

Our Review

This powerful novel explores the complex journey of a teenage girl navigating cultural identity and family expectations while caught between her immigrant parents' traditions and her American upbringing. Set against the backdrop of a tight-knit community divided by two symbolic rivers, the story delves into themes of belonging, generational conflict, and the search for personal authenticity. The protagonist's struggle to reconcile her dual heritage creates a compelling narrative that will resonate with young adults facing similar crossroads in their own lives.

What makes this coming-of-age story particularly impactful is its nuanced portrayal of cultural negotiation without sacrificing the universal teenage experience of self-discovery. The author skillfully balances emotional depth with relatable moments of friendship, first love, and academic pressure, creating a multidimensional narrative that never feels didactic. Teen readers will find themselves reflected in the authentic voice and genuine dilemmas, while parents and educators will appreciate the thoughtful exploration of bicultural identity. This moving examination of what it means to build a bridge between worlds leaves readers with lasting insight about finding strength in multiple cultural inheritances.

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