Bilal's Bread

A remarkable story of the power of the individual voice to banish fear and isolation, this novel distills many divisive issues into a richly rewarding evocation of the immigrant experience in America's heartland.

After fleeing Iraq, the Kurdish Abu family have settled in the United States. Salim, the eldest brother, has been deeply damaged by the torture he suffered at the hands of the Iraqi police, and his psychotic rages are becoming increasingly violent. At only 16, the youngest son, Bilal, holds the family secrets close, revealing nothing. But his conflict is deepened by his own sexual awakening, and he begins to direct his rage and frustration on his own body through cutting. A powerful story of a clash of cultures and the power of the individual voice.

Sulayman X is a novelist living in Bangkok, Thailand, where he is an editor and writer for "The Bangkok Post,"