17 Of Hyenas, Serpents, and French Philanthropists

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Note on Translation and Transliteration vii
4. Dabdoub Family Tree ix
5. Introduction 1
6. Part I
7. 1 Of a Land Called Amerka, or How Ammo Hanna Was Saved by al-Khadr 17
8. 2 Of the Hallowed Ridge, or How Jubrail Learned to Profit from Christmas 23
9. 3 Of the Toils of Yousef and Rosa, or How the Bethlehemites Acquired Their Names 29
10. 4 In Which Bethlehem Gets a New Street 38
11. 5 Of Unruly Markets and Underwater Ships 48
12. 6 Of Sunken Eyes in a Casket, or How Bethlehem Came to Be Covered in Dust 54
13. 7 Of Mechanical Wonders on Near and Distant Shores 59
14. Part II
15. 8 In Search of Amerka 79
16. 9 Of Troubles on the Trocadéro 89
17. 10 Of the Decline of Hosh Dabdoub, or How Jubrail’s Schooling Came in Useful 98
18. 11 Of a Street Named Rosario 104
19. 12 By the Truth of al-Khadr, I Went and Came Back! 111
20. 13 Of White Cities and Bronze Medals 116
21. 14 Of Fertility Potions and the Dizzying Heights of Success 127
22. Part III
23. 15 Of Weeping Icons, Ghostly Armies, and Visions of the Virgin 143
24. 16 Of the Enchanted Palaces of Bethlehem 149
25. 17 Of Hyenas, Serpents, and French Philanthropists 157
26. 18 Of the Resurrection of Jubrail Dabdoub 166
27. Epilogue 173
28. Author’s Commentary 183
29. Acknowledgments 203
30. Glossary of Arabic Terms 205
31. Notes 207