Maurice Hines

Thoughts From Sudan Maurice Hines

In the summer of 2008, as the author prepared to embark on his graduate studies in Khartoum, Sudan, little did he know that this journey would thrust him into a whole new world. One that few Americans would see and the end of an era for the Sudanese people. The three years he spent in Sudan was a curious historical moment that would mirror what was happening inside of him.

Thoughts From Sudan is an account of this turbulent rite of passage the author, a young American convert to Islam, endured while studying Arabic in Sudan between the years 2008 and 2011. Not only was this a major transitional period in the Sudanese society, but in the author's life as well. Based on a series of monthly emails sent to loved ones, he chronicled his travels and brutally honest commentary on culture, politics, and religion in Sudan vis-a-vis his American paradigm. An atypical travel log, this book provides real-time insights into the struggles of an American Muslim and his search for spiritual knowledge while the world whips and runs around him.

His monthly correspondences feature funny stories from everyday life as an American living in Sudan. He was growing up and facing daunting experiences of faith, education, and relationships and it was happening in a different country, a different language, and a different society than he was used to. Far from empirical research, Thoughts is simply the musings of the author's younger self trying to make sense of an awkward situation.
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