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You can learn a great deal about somebody from the books they read. Take a listen to storytellers and celebrities as they invite you inside the library of their life. Which books make them cry? What is currently on their bedside table? Which novel do they wish they had read as a child? Which books could they not do without?
Episodes
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
In the fifth episode of Books of My Life season two, host Hareth Al Bustani interviews Kuwaiti-Palestinian author and academic Shahd Alshammari.
Alshammari has a profound relationship with literature – she credits it with saving her life. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at a young age, she has overcome great physical and mental obstacles to become a beacon of inspiration, strength and hope through extensive writing about disability and gender in the Arabian Gulf.
Her memoir Head Above Water shines a powerful light on the rarely heard non-Western narratives exploring illness, and she brings a crucial female Arab voice to the conversation.
In this episode, Alshammari discusses how the classics and Arabic literature drove a passion for life, the importance of destigmatising mental health and the need for more representation of people living with disabilities.