Khaled al-Berry, author of Life is More Beautiful Than Paradise, has an interview airing today on BBC World about his time in the Jama’a Islamiya (and, I assume, about his book?).
You can listen to the interview online.
Life is More Beautiful Than Paradise is a lovely, clear-sighted memoir about al-Berry’s adolescent years. It illuminates the attractions of Islamist groups, the sectarian tensions in upper Egypt, and has some moving moments inside an Egyptian prison. It’s hard for me to understand why it hasn’t gotten more press.
My area of expertise is giftedness in children/young people. I am writing a chapter on mentoring and the impact of mentors on gifted children/young people. The book is due to be published 2011 in Arabic, Hebrew and English. Khaled’s story is so powerful … I am wondering if mentorship played a part in both his early and then later years … I would love to ask him such questions. Is there any way I could contact him … or if he could contact me at his convenience?