I'm in Seattle, Where Are You?: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-05-25 11:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mortada Gzar
- ISBN：1542016584
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Summary
An award-winning Iraqi writer creates a new world for himself in Seattle in search of lost love。
As the US occupation of Iraq rages， novelist Mortada Gzar， a student at the University of Baghdad， has a chance encounter with Morise， an African American soldier。 It’s love at first sight， a threat to them both， and a moment of self-discovery。 Challenged by society’s rejection and Morise’s return to the US， Mortada takes to the page to understand himself。
In his deeply affecting memoir， Mortada interweaves tales of his childhood work as a scrap-metal collector in a war zone and the indignities faced by openly gay artists in Iraq with his impossible love story and journey to the US。 Marginalized by his own society， he is surprised to discover the racism he finds in a new one。 At its heart， I’m in Seattle， Where Are You？ is a moving tale of love and resilience。
As the US occupation of Iraq rages， novelist Mortada Gzar， a student at the University of Baghdad， has a chance encounter with Morise， an African American soldier。 It’s love at first sight， a threat to them both， and a moment of self-discovery。 Challenged by society’s rejection and Morise’s return to the US， Mortada takes to the page to understand himself。
In his deeply affecting memoir， Mortada interweaves tales of his childhood work as a scrap-metal collector in a war zone and the indignities faced by openly gay artists in Iraq with his impossible love story and journey to the US。 Marginalized by his own society， he is surprised to discover the racism he finds in a new one。 At its heart， I’m in Seattle， Where Are You？ is a moving tale of love and resilience。
Reviews
Charlene
，
I waded in and was refreshed Perhaps you want to know about immigration or homosexuality or Arabic life or read intriguing literature。 Read "I'm in Seattle， Where are you？" This story is about love， friendship and war as mixed and frightening as it is poignant and pure。 I intend to read othe authors who have bee translated by William Maynard Hutchins to discover how the poetic prose appears in English。 I gave four stars more for my own lack than any issue with content or execution。 I waded in and was refreshed Perhaps you want to know about immigration or homosexuality or Arabic life or read intriguing literature。 Read "I'm in Seattle， Where are you？" This story is about love， friendship and war as mixed and frightening as it is poignant and pure。 I intend to read othe authors who have bee translated by William Maynard Hutchins to discover how the poetic prose appears in English。 I gave four stars more for my own lack than any issue with content or execution。 。。。more
Azizi
，
I picked this book primarily because I love Seattle and miss living there。 Thus I tend to read anything that has this lovely city as its setting。 While Seattle definitely was an integral part of the plot， it was a minor character at best。 This memoir centers around Mortada， a gay man from Iraq， who faces the violence of war in his country。 He focuses specifically on the torture and de-humanization that gay men suffer at the hands of religious extremism and homophobia。 Eventually， he makes it to I picked this book primarily because I love Seattle and miss living there。 Thus I tend to read anything that has this lovely city as its setting。 While Seattle definitely was an integral part of the plot， it was a minor character at best。 This memoir centers around Mortada， a gay man from Iraq， who faces the violence of war in his country。 He focuses specifically on the torture and de-humanization that gay men suffer at the hands of religious extremism and homophobia。 Eventually， he makes it to the US （Seattle specifically） and attempts to reunite with Morise， a US soldier that he had a romantic relationship with in Iraq。This is a well written book that provides tremendous insight into the atrocities visited on Iraqi civilians by the hands of US soldiers， religious extremists， and terrorists。 The stories that Gzar shares feel unimaginable and are tough to read; however， they are important。 I can't say that this was one of my favorite books， but I do think that it's recommended reading。 。。。more
Jessica
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As indicated by the 1 star， I did not like this book。 Other reviewers have hazarded a guess that something gets missed in translation， and maybe that's the case， but to me it seemed like the author's writing style was just too pretentious for my tastes。 It's a memoir， but nothing he describes sounds like anything I've seen or heard in real life - not the way people act， the things they say， etc etc。 For instance， no way do I believe that he was not ready to talk to his housemates， so instead spo As indicated by the 1 star， I did not like this book。 Other reviewers have hazarded a guess that something gets missed in translation， and maybe that's the case， but to me it seemed like the author's writing style was just too pretentious for my tastes。 It's a memoir， but nothing he describes sounds like anything I've seen or heard in real life - not the way people act， the things they say， etc etc。 For instance， no way do I believe that he was not ready to talk to his housemates， so instead spoke out loud to relate his history to a dog， a cup， a shoe， or the tip of his nose。 Nor do I believe he never noticed a dog in the house where he lived even though he could recall the spot on its face。 The translation may have been an issue， too， because there were scenes where I literally just did could not comprehend what was going on （like a bunch of grunting and the sound of sirens from behind a closed door while he is being introduced to a new acquaintance）。I gave 2 stars instead of 1 because this book did at least give me a glimpse of what it was like to live in Iraq during the American occupation。 （Although， if I was already familiar with life in Iraq during that time period and then read this book， maybe I would be just as confused by it as I was by his writing of life in the U。S。）I applaud the author for putting his story out here like this， but I'm afraid his style of writing was just a major turn off for me personally。 。。。more
Robert Mynatt
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Great read， interesting perspectiveLiked the story a lot。 Perhaps the only complaint was the story device used， which I'm not a particular fan of stories being told to another character。 It just messes with the flow。 But otherwise， it was a nice， romantic， and very sweet story that had an interesting way of seeing the world。 Great read， interesting perspectiveLiked the story a lot。 Perhaps the only complaint was the story device used， which I'm not a particular fan of stories being told to another character。 It just messes with the flow。 But otherwise， it was a nice， romantic， and very sweet story that had an interesting way of seeing the world。 。。。more
Anne C。
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This was a difficult book for me。 This is the brutal telling of bigotry， intolerance， unimaginable violence toward homosexuals perpetuating in an authoritarian country by fundamentalists。 First， the writing is culturally alien to me。 It probably is what I think Arabic writing is which is so different from the rational writing-and thinking-I am most familiar with。 Second， the subject matter is not one that I am naturally drawn to， but the last third of the book makes it worth reading。
Jill Myers
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Complex and interestingWhat first struck me about this book was the complexity of emotions and the beautiful storyline。 I loved the author's use of inanimate objects to develop and tell the story。 It was an intimate glimpse into a world I did not know about。 Well done Complex and interestingWhat first struck me about this book was the complexity of emotions and the beautiful storyline。 I loved the author's use of inanimate objects to develop and tell the story。 It was an intimate glimpse into a world I did not know about。 Well done 。。。more
Kevin Sutherland
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I have to agree with many of the reviews: There is something lost in translation。 It's mainly in the conversations between characters， which are stilted and in which the conversant Mortada feels like a completely different person that the one who narrates the story。However， the conversations are short and basically serve only as bridges between the narrative sections， which are very much compelling。 I'm not one to finish books that don't draw me in and for that reason I almost put this one down。 I have to agree with many of the reviews: There is something lost in translation。 It's mainly in the conversations between characters， which are stilted and in which the conversant Mortada feels like a completely different person that the one who narrates the story。However， the conversations are short and basically serve only as bridges between the narrative sections， which are very much compelling。 I'm not one to finish books that don't draw me in and for that reason I almost put this one down。 But once I hit chapter 4 or 5 and realized that the majority of the narrative was well written （and translated）， it was hooked。 。。。more
Du
，
There were aspects of this book that I liked a lot。 It felt fresh and it felt unique （maybe not original， but certainly unique）。 I liked the nonlinear story and the fish out of water backdrop。 Unfortunately， the nonlinear story leads to inconsistent prose and a feeling that something was missing。 There are awkward transitions， which jar the reader。 That said， the cast of characters and the development of the author really support the book。
Priya Verghese
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Poignant story。Painful in its truth， this story was disturbing and eye-opening。 I couldn’t quite relate to the tragicomic style of writing but am glad I read it。
Jenna Bachman
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2。5。 It breaks my heart to rank this so low when the premise is so interesting and Gzar is writing about some truly painful experiences。 However， the way this is written makes it really hard to follow。 Gzar "tells" his story to different people at different times and so it often becomes unclear when he's starting to talk to someone about the past and when he's just talking in the present day of the story。 This made it super hard to follow。 Because he's literally telling his story， the narration 2。5。 It breaks my heart to rank this so low when the premise is so interesting and Gzar is writing about some truly painful experiences。 However， the way this is written makes it really hard to follow。 Gzar "tells" his story to different people at different times and so it often becomes unclear when he's starting to talk to someone about the past and when he's just talking in the present day of the story。 This made it super hard to follow。 Because he's literally telling his story， the narration is also heavily focused on telling rather than showing， which detracted from the story。 There are some lines that show some reflection and could be good， but the structure here just takes away from it。 。。。more
Arlene Gutierrez
，
Confusing This book was very difficult to read because I couldn’t tell when the author was reliving the past， or living in the present。
Beverly Hallfrisch
，
I enjoyed it， but it reads like a fever dream。 Like a dream， the story will escape me quickly; not to be remembered。
Tamara Niemi
，
Amazon's First Reads current run of grim offerings continues to disappoint。 I am guessing that this is largely due to the translation， but the translation is all I have。 Like others， I really wanted to enjoy this book， and held out to 75% before I just skimmed to the end。 Amazon's First Reads current run of grim offerings continues to disappoint。 I am guessing that this is largely due to the translation， but the translation is all I have。 Like others， I really wanted to enjoy this book， and held out to 75% before I just skimmed to the end。 。。。more
Jim KABLE
，
From the fog of war and its aftermathSurely one of the great anti-war visions of the 21st century。 While in 2003 I taught my senior high university entrance class in western Japan the Ian Serraillier 1956 published novel The Silver Sword - and remembered a sweet and innocent girlfriend from my teen years 17 to 19 - in Australia - who was born in Baghdad - Mortada Gzar was living through George W Bush’s war unleashed on Iraq and US cousins and British kinfolk too were involved in that conflict。 I From the fog of war and its aftermathSurely one of the great anti-war visions of the 21st century。 While in 2003 I taught my senior high university entrance class in western Japan the Ian Serraillier 1956 published novel The Silver Sword - and remembered a sweet and innocent girlfriend from my teen years 17 to 19 - in Australia - who was born in Baghdad - Mortada Gzar was living through George W Bush’s war unleashed on Iraq and US cousins and British kinfolk too were involved in that conflict。 I’m in Seattle， Where are You？ Another favourite city - but the truths about so many things in this work of genius translated so beautifully， too - are what gives it the power of being called a classic。 。。。more
Kristi Duarte
，
This is one of the most boring books I've ever read。 While parts of the story are interesting， it's written in a way that puts you to sleep， literally。 This is the second book in a row I've read about Iraq， and I much prefer the other one， "Take What You Can Carry。" I feel for the author， and what he had to go through because of his homosexuality， but oh my god， this novel is just terribly boring。 This is one of the most boring books I've ever read。 While parts of the story are interesting， it's written in a way that puts you to sleep， literally。 This is the second book in a row I've read about Iraq， and I much prefer the other one， "Take What You Can Carry。" I feel for the author， and what he had to go through because of his homosexuality， but oh my god， this novel is just terribly boring。 。。。more
Sarah Tregear
，
Feels like this book should have been so much more。 Maybe it was lost in translation as the story of Mortada’s life is really fascinating as a gay man in Iraq around the fall of Hussain， his chapters on working collection scrap metal are beautifully written but lots of the book doesn’t make sense or is disjointed。
Carla （literary。infatuation）
，
Don’t be fooled by the discouraging reviews on Goodreads， this memoir is BEAUTIFUL。 A lyrical memoir on scavenging for casings and bullets in land-mined Iraq’s desert as a punishment for being gay; growing up under Saddam Hussein and inter-racial love。 A memoir about uprooting yourself for love， longing for your lover and friendship within the LGTBQIA community。 It is written like a novel and Gzar’s incredibly painful life will rival any author’s creative fiction。 This is my favorite book of the Don’t be fooled by the discouraging reviews on Goodreads， this memoir is BEAUTIFUL。 A lyrical memoir on scavenging for casings and bullets in land-mined Iraq’s desert as a punishment for being gay; growing up under Saddam Hussein and inter-racial love。 A memoir about uprooting yourself for love， longing for your lover and friendship within the LGTBQIA community。 It is written like a novel and Gzar’s incredibly painful life will rival any author’s creative fiction。 This is my favorite book of the year。 。。。more
Shelly
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Didn’t flow well at all， couldn’t finish it。 Like others have said （that I now see） I think some of the flow and story got lost in the translation 。
Stephen Clynes
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Mortada Gzar is a novelist born in Basra， Iraq and this is his memoir。Mortada has an unusual writing style for his memoir。 He goes back and forward in time and between his life in Iraq and America。 He tells his story to the reader as though he is telling his life story to another person or object。 His memoir is centred upon his falling in love with an African American soldier he meets in Baghdad and later moves to Seattle to make a life with him。I liked Mortada’s story highlighting the cultures Mortada Gzar is a novelist born in Basra， Iraq and this is his memoir。Mortada has an unusual writing style for his memoir。 He goes back and forward in time and between his life in Iraq and America。 He tells his story to the reader as though he is telling his life story to another person or object。 His memoir is centred upon his falling in love with an African American soldier he meets in Baghdad and later moves to Seattle to make a life with him。I liked Mortada’s story highlighting the cultures within Iraq and Seattle。 He makes a big story about his homosexuality and the differences between gay culture in Iraq and America。 However his memoir is very easy to relate to regardless of your gender or sexuality。 Love of all types happens between people and his book is essentially a love story。 The tension slowly but steadily builds as Mortada searches high and low around Seattle to find the love of his life Morise。 In the final pages there is a surprise ending that simply tugs at your heart。I liked how Mortada explained his teenage life around Basra collecting scrap metal from battles staged in the desert， observing an abandoned tank shake and meeting a three legged woman。I liked reading about Mortada’s university life in Baghdad， where he met Morise and their relationship flowered。 I liked the historical perspective of his memoir when Mortada wrote about the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003。 He explained the cultures and prejudices within Iraq， not just the looking down at the people of Basra by the people of Baghdad but the differences between Shi’i and Sunni Muslims。I liked his observations of the gay scene in Seattle and the colourful and lively people he met。 I also liked his use of nicknames and how he shared a house with the Three Monkeys and was befriended by the Three Monks。I am pleased that I read a copy of I’m in Seattle。 Where Are You？ - I was irritated by the backwards and forwards in time。 I think Mortada wrote his memoir in this format to hook the reader in early with the love interest but I feel this was unnecessary as there were so many varied and enlightening things that happened to him before he met Morise。 With his rambling story telling writing style it was so easy to forget this was a memoir/true story and think I was reading a regular mystery novel。 As memoirs go， I’m in Seattle was not an inspirational read but an interesting and personal insight into another world。 I found this to be a NICE read but I found nothing special or outstanding。 Looking through the highlights I made on my Kindle， I found there was not a memorable quote I could use in my review。 When I finished reading this book I felt as though I had met Mortada and got the measure of the man。 It was a case of “nice to have met you” and I think that I’m in Seattle is an OKAY 3 star read。 。。。more
Sarah
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DNF about a chapter in。 The way this story is written/translated does not work and hard to understand what is going on。Life is too short to read things you're not into。 DNF about a chapter in。 The way this story is written/translated does not work and hard to understand what is going on。Life is too short to read things you're not into。 。。。more
Linda Crawford
，
Painful honesty at it's best。A lot like life。 At times heartbreaking， hopeful， informative， confusing but unforgettable。 His insight on a variety of subjects are guaranteed to open up minds。 Painful honesty at it's best。A lot like life。 At times heartbreaking， hopeful， informative， confusing but unforgettable。 His insight on a variety of subjects are guaranteed to open up minds。 。。。more
Madis Mysteries
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After kicking this year off strong by reading From The Ashes & Real I had to get more into memoirs。 My favourite thing about memoirs are reading ones written from different diverse perspectives。 This book readily fit into that category。This book is a powerful depiction of love and self worth in an incredibly difficult time。 It showed how difficult the immigration process is and in particular the necessity of immigrating to a country that pushed you out of your home in the first place。 This book After kicking this year off strong by reading From The Ashes & Real I had to get more into memoirs。 My favourite thing about memoirs are reading ones written from different diverse perspectives。 This book readily fit into that category。This book is a powerful depiction of love and self worth in an incredibly difficult time。 It showed how difficult the immigration process is and in particular the necessity of immigrating to a country that pushed you out of your home in the first place。 This book had very similar *feels* as untamed which even though it was not my favourite I know many of you loved！This book was translated from Arabic to English and I think some of the beauty in the storyline got lost in translation。 At times it felt a little choppy but overall it didn’t detract too much from the story！ 。。。more
Carrie
，
This book was just strange。 Maybe the translation made it excessively convoluted。 I nearly gave up on it numerous times， but I stuck it out to see if there really was a Morise at all。 The story was slow， and the beginning and the end were the only portions that held my interest。
Carey Elliott
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Do not like the story or the characters in the story。 Did not bother to finish reading
Jak Luke
，
Did not finish。I got the book for free as part of my Amazon prime。 I only made it to the end of the first chapter。 The passages were jumpy and some of the sentences seemed out of place or as if they had come from no where。 The first couple of paragraphs Ahmad the word ‘pollution’ in 4 times， but that may be down to the translation。 I was really hoping for a real life， gay romance， but it was just an odd experience for me personally。
Jeff Hanson
，
Like Hari Ziyad's "Black Boy Out of Time"， "I'm in Seattle Where are You？" provides a unique but distanced view into what it means to be gay and different and living in America。 But where Hari's approach is to relate his story through the distance of intellectualism and analysis， Gzar's approach is to provide that distance through artistic vision， drawings and magic realism。 But Gzar's approach is particularly effective， particularly giving weight to the PTSD-like trauma of an Iranian war refuge Like Hari Ziyad's "Black Boy Out of Time"， "I'm in Seattle Where are You？" provides a unique but distanced view into what it means to be gay and different and living in America。 But where Hari's approach is to relate his story through the distance of intellectualism and analysis， Gzar's approach is to provide that distance through artistic vision， drawings and magic realism。 But Gzar's approach is particularly effective， particularly giving weight to the PTSD-like trauma of an Iranian war refugee adjusting to life in Seattle， his need to tell his story， and the horror of the things he witnessed in Iran。 When he first arrives in Seattle， as a reader you are a bit confused as to just what kind of situation he is living in， but you begin to realize as the story goes on how damaged he is and shocked by all he has endured。 But he is also compelled to tell his story， and tell of his one great love。 In the end， as Mortada slowly adjusts to his life and comes to terms with his loss， the truth can finally be seen clearly。 Overall a masterful achievement in memoir writing。 。。。more
Rebecca Puderbaugh
，
I chose this book for my March Amazon Prime Book of the Month free book。 This is a moving memoir。 The reason I give it only four stars is because at times jumping back and forth in history made it difficult to understand the circumstances and I found myself rereading paragraphs at times。 The plot， and storyline is unique。 A very educational and emotional read for me。 I highly recommend reading this if you are interested in any stories of life before immigration to the USA in the war zones of the I chose this book for my March Amazon Prime Book of the Month free book。 This is a moving memoir。 The reason I give it only four stars is because at times jumping back and forth in history made it difficult to understand the circumstances and I found myself rereading paragraphs at times。 The plot， and storyline is unique。 A very educational and emotional read for me。 I highly recommend reading this if you are interested in any stories of life before immigration to the USA in the war zones of the Middle East。 。。。more
Beverly Manring
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I found it hard to follow and didn’t attach to any of the characters。
Sandy Bradbrook
，
Profound description of life as a homosexual in Iraq ， and elsewhere？This is at the same time an illuminating story with lots of disturbing facts about mistreatment。 There lots of very profound statements that make one stop and think。I am so glad I read it but also I am very sad about the attitudes that must exist in religiously controlled societies towards various minorities。An education。
Dotty
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