The Book of Jonas, Stephen Dau
The Book of Jonas, Stephen Dau
1 Rating(s)
List: $16.99 | Sale: $11.89
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The Book of Jonas

Author: Stephen Dau

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 5 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/15/2012


Synopsis

Jonas is fifteen when his family is killed during an errant U.S.
military operation in an unnamed Muslim country. With the help of an
international relief organization, he is sent to America, where he
struggles to assimilate—foster family, school, a first love. Eventually,
he tells a court-mandated counselor and therapist about a U.S. soldier,
Christopher Henderson, responsible for saving his life on the tragic
night in question.

Christopher's mother, Rose, has dedicated her life to
finding out what really happened to her son, who disappeared after the
raid in which Jonas's village was destroyed. When Jonas meets Rose, a
shocking and painful secret gradually surfaces from the past, and builds
to a shattering conclusion that haunts long after the final sentence. Told
in spare, evocative prose, The Book of Jonas is about memory,
about the terrible choices made during war, and about what happens when
foreign disaster appears at our own doorstep. It is a rare and virtuosic
novel from an exciting new writer to watch.

About Stephen Dau

Stephen Dau worked for ten years in postwar reconstruction and international development prior to studying creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Bennington, where he received an MFA. His work has appeared in McSweeny's, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on MSNBC, and elsewhere. The Book of Jonas is his first novel. Orginally from western Pennsylvania, he currently resides in Brussels.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Laura on May 17, 2012

The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau is the story of 15 year old Younis. His village in an unnamed Muslim, middle eastern country is destroyed under questionable circumstances by American military. Recovering in the hospital he is visited by an interfaith agency who offers him the opportunity to be plac......more

Goodreads review by Maggie on September 12, 2012

I was looking at a display of books for sale, reading the back cover of "The Book of Jonas" when the author happened to walk by. He stopped and said, "Great book." I recognized him as the author and said, "Really? I heard the author is kind of pretentious." "Oh no," he replied. "He's nice and charming......more