Nuseibeh, N.S.: Namesake

'A wonderful book about the deep backstories and the tangled histories of N. S. Nuseibeh's own multiple identit[ies]' MARK HADDON

'Explores vulnerability, fragility, anxiety, and ambivalence as ways of beautifully coming to terms with the wounds and worries of the world' HOMI K. BHABHA

N.S. Nuseibeh's ancestor was none other than the legendary Nusayba bint Ka'ab al Khazrajia who fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad at the dawn of Islam. In Namesake, Nuseibeh draws on Nusayba's stories, comparing her experience as an Arab woman today to the distant past, to discover what courage looks like in the context of interminable conflict.

Intimate and thoughtful, these linked essays offer a remarkable exploration of heritage, gender and the idea of home, and demonstrate how connecting with our history can help us understand ourselves and others today.