Heartlines

Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River is a historical mystery—filled with court scenes, cold winters, and buried secrets. But what struck me most wasn’t the murder or the suspense. It was Martha’s relationship with her husband, Ephraim. Martha Ballard is a force of nature. She’s a healer, a midwife, a record-keeper, and a woman who doesn’t […]

If you know me, you know I don’t often read romance books. The shallow characters, lack of depth in conversations, and over-the-top sensuality in many of them usually turn me away. And don’t even get me started on the tropes! For me, romance novels serve as palate cleansers—something light and fun to read after diving

Three Palestinian women. Three timelines. Three points of view. 1990. Palestine. Sixteen-year-old Isra is married off to Adam, an older man who lives in Brooklyn, New York. It’s an arranged marriage that marks the beginning of her new life—and the loss of the one she knew. 1990. Brooklyn. Farida, Adam’s mother, lives with the couple

What My Mother Taught Me About Money (And Why It Still Matters Today) With Mother’s Day around the corner, I find myself thinking a lot about my mom. I’ve been meaning to write about her for a long time—not just a blog article, but maybe even a short e-book to capture the lessons she taught