Why a book?
No one has written a nonfiction best-seller in English about Jordan today! Help me be the first writer to publish the story of Jordan today from the people’s own perspective. By doing so, you will learn from each character portrayal the different political, social and economic structures of Jordan while painting a descriptive scene of local surroundings.
Jordan has been an oasis of peace amid the war torn Middle East for decades. How do different generations of men and women live and think about issues we so often only see in the news whether it’s about politics, religion, society or modernization amid an ancient but urbanizing culture? How are Syrian refugees impacting daily life and culture in Jordan? How do children and youth use Internet and social media to reconcile globalization?
What will this book project accomplish?
Reports and trends show that people, youth especially, are disengaging from understanding global cultures as opposed to seeking that empathy and understanding. In America, history, current events, and geography are the most under-performing subject area. Nevertheless, those same youth read the most of any of their previous generations, downloading e-books and purchasing print material at a rate that surpasses their parents and elders. The world will get a glimpse into how people see and feel. The book will give a different perspective of the Middle East in general and will serve as an outlet for their voices. I am confident that if we provide an engaging, multimedia description that engages readers in those voices, we can connect mainstream audiences to a greater understanding of the Middle East and specifically, Jordan.
How will your contribution help?
For $5,000, we can fully research, interview, and photograph one interview subject in Jordan to write a chapter for the book. Our goal is to raise funding from this campaign to complete the additional chapters to use as a sample to engage additional investment funding for the other chapters. Not only does your gift directly empower us to research and write, but it gives a marginalized voice a platform to shine for the first time in their life!
How will I bring it to life?
A photographer has committed to partner with me to create an accompanying photo essay for each narrative, and a two-staff translation and research team has pledged to begin working once funding is available. The ensemble result will defy traditional academic, historical, and political writing, to result in an engaging story and photo narrative in English.