Before There Were Borders

"Before There Were Borders" is a coming-of-age story about an Assyrian-American female named Sara Georges, who shares her experiences growing up as a young girl in Iraq and how she dealt with its culture, patriarchy, and limitations. She tells her story to her American-born granddaughter, who is unaware of the harsh truths of her grandmother's homeland.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve in present-day America and in Iraq during the 1950's, a time when neighbors of Christianity and Islam co-existed in harmony. Because the politics back then were more forward thinking than they are today, Naziha Jawdet Ashgah al-Dulaimi was able to become the first female minister of Iraq, making her the first woman in the Middle East to be elected to a political office. 

"Before There Were Borders" includes romance, drama, and suspense with a touch of magic and superstitions, all while showing life in the Middle East through the eyes of women before society created the borders that split the Middle East up over the course of time.