The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles: A Woman's Fight to Save Two Orphans Hardback - 2009

"Powerful. Unforgettable. Hala Jaber paints heart-breaking portraits of children and families who have lost a great deal, some everything, during the Iraq war. She takes us into the lives of fearless, selfless journalists, volunteer workers, and doctors, who try at great risk to themselves to help these devastated people. Jaber's own quest to adopt two orphan children weaves through the narrative with moving detail, providing an extra, personal dimension. She brings us close to deep desires, tragedies, as well as fulfillment."
-Nahid Rachlin, author of Persian Girls

"From the midst of rubble and ash in Baghdad, Hala Jaber tells of the devastation of war, of families wiped out and of survivors' agony and pain. However Jaber's account also shows us a ray of hope through the person of Hawra, an Iraqi orphan who has lost her parents and six siblings. Told through the eyes of a journalist and written from the passion of a woman yearning to raise a family, Jaber's account is not only the personal journey of a remarkable woman but also a worthy testimony to the suffering of a people."
-Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran

"Few women will have faced or chosen the conditions and traumas that Jaber has, but many women will understand how ferociously stretched and torn she feels. Personally moving and politically thought-provoking, Jaber's book stares down war and insists on hope."
-Martha Moody, author of Best Friends and Sometimes Mine

"It is essential that we learn from other cultures. Recounting the traumas of war and sacrificed innocence in The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles, Hala Jaber brings us into this other world in a way that enlightens our understanding of ourselves. A moving and sober book; to be read and considered thoughtfully."
-Yasmina Khadra, author of The Swallows of Kabul

"Jaber maps the ancient roads of the human heart, where a childless woman longs for a baby of her own and embraces Baghdad's smallest victims instead. The result is a unique and haunting tale. Family, finally, is those who love us, and those we choose to love."
-Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and There is No Me Without You

"The beauty, courage and drama of this book absolutely floored me. Jaber finds compassion in war, love in grief and a way to mother despite childlessness. The Flying Carpet offers vital perspective on contemporary women's choices and reminds us there are myriad paths to a creative, meaningful, generative life."
-Peggy Orenstein, author of Waiting for Daisy

Hala Jaberwas born in West Africa and grew up in Lebanon, where her family still lives. She began her journalistic career in the Press Association bureau in Beirut. Twice named Foreign Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards, in 2005 and 2006, she has been honored by Amnesty International and in 2007 won the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism."