Please comment on my book, The Crying Tree, talks of mine which you’ve attended, questions you have, or other reading suggestions you have for people. This is your space to let others know what you are thinking.
Please comment on my book, The Crying Tree, talks of mine which you’ve attended, questions you have, or other reading suggestions you have for people. This is your space to let others know what you are thinking.
December 27th, 2011 at 6:46 am
From the moment i read the first page i knew it was a book i would not put down simply because it doesn’t feel like reading – you are there with the characters.It is very rare that i find a book that i end up thinking about the people throughout my day- the decesions they will make, what will happen to them, who will be there for them.Having lost a son through the horrors of murder what amazed me was the accuracy of feeling, emotions, how the mind processes anger, hate and forgiveness.It is a remarkable story of truth – that everyone has there share of secrets and often as these unfold and spill out there will always be pain but for those who choose to dig deeper and stick it out for the ride – there is salvation. The Crying Tree is one of those treasures i will go back to again and again and each time it will teach me something new.
December 4th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Thank you for your comment, Michelle. I have to say that I felt very much like you until I learned more about the real costs of capital punishment. And, of course, I am not simply speaking of the fiscal costs. The emotional tolls on everyone must be counted into the equation, as well as the inherent inequities and inaccuracies of the process. It often strikes me that people who fear the government the most, often are the strongest proponents of allowing that same government to kill its citizens. Puzzling.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:40 pm
Hi Naseem
Just finished The Crying Tree. Wow, does it evoke a lot of emotion and thought into the whole death row process. In Australia we no longer have capital punishment and I have to say in some cases I would have been a proponent for bringing it back, but having read the book, I’d have to think very strongly about whether it was the right thing to do after all.
Thank you for an compelling read.
August 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am
Thank you for coming to the talk, Gwen. It was a wonderful evening with very good people. And thank you for sharing your story with me. I too was in a very similar situation – only my mother could not make the decision for herself. Her stroke was sudden and catastrophic and she was left with no way to communicate her desires, and with no living will, or advanced directive, we had to rely on our own hearts for guidance, do we try to save her life or let her go? These choices are being made across world every day, and my newest work is taking me deep into this question. Again, thank you for writing. I hope you enjoy The Crying Tree.
August 20th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Naseem,
I just attended your talk in Manzanita, what a treat! You are a gifted story teller and I can’t wait to read your book.
I felt compelled to write after you shared the theme for your next book. Just the few words you spoke brought me to tears. Last summer I found myself standing next to my mother’s hospital bed, across from the doctor, having to communicate, support, and accept her decision to not pursue medical treatment and receive only end of life care. Since she was having difficulty communicating, my role was an active one, rather than a passive one.
It is hard to share or explain the impact that this experience has in one’s life. The time spent with a loved one at the end of life is both a gift and a trial. With your gift of story telling and ability to hear what is real in people’s lives, I know you will create a book that will speak with honesty and integrity about this difficult time of life and death.
I look forward to reading of others that have lived with this burden. Thanks for sharing your gift and ability to help us see others and the world in new ways.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:21 am
Joyce.
I have heard from many readers like you, who have lost someone to a violent crime, and yet somehow found the courage to pick up a book that promises to reach into some very dark and personal places. Loss, particularly violent loss, is so difficult to cope with, let alone learn to accept and live with, but there are those that have been through the fire and come out stronger. My intention was to show that possibility, and to give hope for us all as we each struggle with issues of forgiveness. Life is so incredibly brief and fragile. How much better to spend it in the company of hope, rather than anger and despair.
Thank you for writing,
Naseem
August 11th, 2011 at 11:12 am
About a year ago my sister-in-law gave me The Crying Tree as a gift. It is a signed edition from a reading she attended in Portland. I set the book on my night stand to wait in line for reading. Within couple of weeks of getting this gift, a beloved girl in my life, the 20 year-old daughter of one of my dearest friends was brutally murdered by a stranger here in Philadelphia. When I eventually got around to reading the jacket on The Crying Tree I put it right back down again – it was way too close to home. I picked it up again last week and decided to just read until I couldn’t take it anymore. Two days later I put it down – tear stained and finished.
This story beautifully captures so much of the truth of family life, motherhood and the unfathomalbe reality of living each day after the murder of a child. I so appreciate the notion that forgiveness is the only real alternative to absolute soul destroying anger and hatred.
On a lighter note, this book felt so real and so familiar in part because I grew up in the rural midwest and in high school moved to Salem, Oregon.
Somehow this book was just for me and just when I need it. Thanks to you for the brilliant work and my sister-in-law for the lovely gift!
August 1st, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Thank you Lorraine. I am glad you enjoyed The Crying Tree. I recently reviewed debut author Yvvette Edward’s book A Cupboard full of Coats. I highly recommend it. In fact, it has just been shortlisted for the Booker Prize — I am a very critical reader – this book is worth your time.
July 29th, 2011 at 10:45 am
This book was just loaned to me by a friend and i absolutely loved it. I am desperate to find a book similar. Fantastic.
July 27th, 2011 at 7:17 am
Thank you so much, Sue. If you have ever heard Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland, then you should know that the last pages of the book were writen and paced to match the timing and emotional content of the last few minutes of that beautiful piece of music. Thank you for writing. Naseem
July 16th, 2011 at 9:12 am
I loved this book -it has so many levels. It has resonance for us all both in terms of what we assume to be true and also how society punishes or forgives. Well as how individuals respond. The final scenes under the crying tree were so powerful as the ambience of the scene is retold in contrast to Shep’s funeral. Beautifully crafted I will not forget this book.
thanks
Sue
June 30th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Thank you Susan, for taking the time to write. It means more to me than I can express that you and others found meaning in The Crying Tree. I too was profoundly effected by the characters and their struggle to come to grips with one another and the pain of their loss. I thank you, and will look forward to hearing from you again once my next book comes out….
June 15th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Last night Naseem Rakha attended our book club of current and past members of a school district. We had read her first novel The Crying Tree. She told us how the book came to be, her writing style, the rigors of being an author. She gave us much insight into the characters and the whys and wherefores of their actions. The book kept us all enthralled, and we are impatiently waiting for the next one! Thank you again Naseem.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Thank you so much for such a wonderful book.
April 21st, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I just finished your book. I usually visit the websites of the authors after reading any novel, but have NEVER been compelled to comment before. I loved your story-it was written amazingly well and the subject matter compelling. Strangely enough, I had just finished John Grisham’s recent novel, “The Confession” so the whole death penalty subject was so fresh and clear in my mind. I am an avid reader; since I was a kid; and can’t imagine my life without being into a good book at all times. I just wanted to compliment you and say I would read any book that you authored.
April 14th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Thank you, Barbara. Your comments means a great deal to me. Yes, I think TCT would make a wonderful movie. I have heard that everywhere I go — SO MOVIEMAKERS – there you go…
April 12th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I love reading your book (still in the middle) and hope to hear you speak in the Portland area. From personal experience, having been the victim or arson, I understand the power of forgiveness. Your book shows that journey so well.
Thanks for a wonderful gift, a book that speaks to my heart, with characters who are so believable that I don’t want the book to end. I would be surprised if this book doesn’t become a movie some day soon.
Barbara Blossom
March 15th, 2011 at 11:55 am
This afternoon I finished The Crying Tree and have sat for an hour or so just thinking about what I have read and the profound effect it had on me. I have never been moved to try to contact an author or to make any public comments about what I have read. But now I feel I must say thank you Ms Rakha for the spellbinding read. I can’t wait to read more from you.
Sue Marshall
Derbyshire, England
February 24th, 2011 at 7:23 am
Ms. Rakha,
I am the co-chair of the Central Catholic High School auction this year. We are hoping to offer a sign-up event featuring local writers whom we are familiar with through NPR. You and Ketzel Levine came to mind. CCHS is an inner city high school offering a college prepartory
program. Fifty-one percent of our students are on financial aid and many would otherwise not have the opportunity to go to college if not for the college scholarships our graduates receive. Would you be interested in participating in a benefit reading? Please email me or call me at 503-280-9780. I look forward to hearing from you. Kate Bennison
February 18th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
I am sitting in a leather chair. A fire burning in small wood stove. I have a cup of coffee beside me, and to my right is a view of the big and bountiful southern Oregon Coast. It is raining out, which is perfect as I prepare for tonight’s keynote speech at the South Coast Writers Conference in Gold Beach, Oregon. And this, dear friends, is one aspect of one writer’s life. So was the last minute laundry I did before I left the house yesterday, and the fly-by-night packing – there are certain things that do not leave my suitcase anymore. Spare phone charger? Check. Toiletries – always there. Spare running clothes? Check. Old New Yorkers just waiting to be read – yes, always there, still waiting….
The problem is that “the writer’s life,” once published, now becomes “the promoter’s life.” We writers, attending your book clubs, writing groups, bookstore chats, conferences, library gigs, are one person promoters of the dying art of reading. We have a book out there, people are eager to hear about it (sometimes) and we think it is important to try to get our little darlings into the hands of people who will appreciate them.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate doing this. (Well a part of me does, but I ignore her.) But though it is a part of the writer’s life, it is not writing, which is, in fact, what writers, at least this writer, wants to do more than talking about writing, or reading my writing, or Skyping about writing or teaching writing or any of the hundreds of other things we do that is related to writing, but IS NOT WRITING.
We are writers because the writers life, the real writers life, is this magical place we slip into when we give ourselves the space, faith and time to write. To really write. To write without hesitation or question or judgement. To let our mind and hands run free to create, explore and define new worlds.
A writer lives twice. Once in the act act of living, again in the act of taking our life stories and writing them down one word at a time while at the coast, or in the car, or sitting in a Laundromat or a coffee shop or airport or where ever you see writers living out their oh-so-glamerous lives.
February 4th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Thank you, June. It is always nice to hear from readers in other countries. If you can, shoot me a picture of you with the book somewhere in Australia and I will post the shot!
February 4th, 2011 at 2:39 am
thoroughly enjoyed your book and hope that your future books will be as good. Our library here in hervey bay in australia had it on show and so i decided to give it a read and am glad i did
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:22 am
Thank you Karen. I am working on my second book – to be to the publisher this year, out the next. If you sign up for my newsletter that will keep you in the loop on what I am working on.
Cheers, Naseem
January 3rd, 2011 at 4:15 am
Received The Crying Tree for Christmas. Once I started reeding, couldn’t put the book down. Great book, and reccommended to others. Issues in the book thought proviking and good topics of conversation. Have your any other books coming out? Thanks for a great read.
Karen
December 25th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Thank you so much, Sandra. I am so happy the characters had such meaning for you, and that the experience of reading so tangible. Readers like you, make writing even more of a joy that it already is. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.
December 20th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Dear Naseem Rakha,
I am just an ordinary grandmother who THANK GOD has enjoyed a “normal” life with children and grandchildren. My life has always included books and luckily enough my husband worked for publishing firm for 40 years which I profited immensly.
This is the very first time I have commented on a book but I just had to tell you how it effected me. I could actually see and feel their dispair as if they were part of me – I have never experienced this before. THANK YOU – I honestly couldn`t put the book down and read 1 day and 1 night until I had it finished. An AMAZING book which will stay with me for a very long time.
Yours sincerely,
Sandra Schmitz
November 26th, 2010 at 6:08 am
Thank you for writing Priscilla. I am so happy you found The Crying Tree, and hope you will share it with other parents of LGBT children. I also wanted to share a recent article I wrote for the Guardian entitled Outing Homophobia’s Deadly Consequences. You can find it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/26/gay-rights-homophobia-discrimination
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:09 pm
As the mother of a gay son, I read your book practically in one sitting and cried openly at the end. Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful book about gay children. It was beautifully written and one of the best books I have read in a long time.
November 19th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Thank you for taking the time to write me, Linda. I am glad The Crying Tree had meaning for you. Please thank your library for me – i appreciate their having the book for their patrons.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I had read nothing about your book when I picked it up from my local library. Had know idea that it had received so much attention and acclaim. I just felt I must tell how much I enjoyed your book and how it kept at me till I finished it.
I hope this is just a start for you and that you will be writing others.
I haven’t written others writers, this is a first for me.
Thank you for a thought provoking book.
Sincerely,
Linda Simonson
November 17th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Thank you and your book club for reading TCT – and checking out the readers guide. As for Tab Mason. He suffered from Vitiligo – an auto immune disorder that comes from the loss of the cells that produce melanin. First, you should know that it was not a conscious decision to give Tab this disorder – he came with it fully furnished when he first appeared in the story. I had no idea why his hand was white, I just continued to write. As the story progressed, and as people (like my editor) asked what was up with the white hand, I began to wonder myself – and this is what I have determined that my sub-conscious – that diabolical puzzle maker – was up to. IDEA ONE: Auto immune disorders strike people from the inside out, that is, it is the human body attacking itself. Tab Mason was a man running from him past – or if not running – attempting to create a life so separate from his past, he could deny it ever existed. Of course one can’t do that, and the secrets he held were slowing destroying him from the inside out. The disease was simply a manifestation of this. IDEA TWO: Tab Mason was a man who had to control everything in his life – he dressed impeccably, his home was immaculate, he knew exactly how many pencils he had in his pencil holder and always had them sharpened. Everything had a place and he was in control of it all – except he wasn’t. HIs skin was simply a metaphor for the fact control – over anything – is an illusion.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Sorry you found the language in my novel offensive, Delores. My characters were quite expressive – I agree. But, that is who they were. An author rarely has control over what characters say or do. That is the power of story and storytelling – it needs to take on a life of its own. The issues I dealt with – hate, murder, prejudice, homophobia, prison, death row, they elicited strong emotions. I am sorry you needed a brain flush – but to me the dialogue and thoughts were real.
November 17th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Our book club discussed the Crying Tree today and we all thoroughly enjoyed the read. We discussed the questions at the end of the book and had a question about the symbolism of Tab Mason’s skin disorder.
Can you please enlighten us as to your vision of this? Thank you so much. We had a very spirited discussion and we wish you well. Keep writing. You have such a gift.
November 17th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I checked out “the Crying Tree” from the local library and thought it would be the kind of book I like to read. It had a good story, but the cursing was terrible. I felt like I needed a “brain flush” when I finished. I don’t speak that language nor anyone in my circle of family and friends. Why can’t someone write a good story without all the bad language? I have read many wonderful novels that did not include all the uncalled for expletives.
I the author writes another book, I’ll be sure not to read it.
November 8th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Thank you, Douglas. I am truly moved by your story and journey. I have heard from many people like you and your sister, who have been haunted by the violent death of a loved one. No one can ever know what that must really be like for the people left behind, but it is true that violence can reverberate on and on, continuing its path of destruction in subtle and not so subtle ways. I am glad to hear you and your sister are forging a path that leads to more hope and light. Thank you for writing,
November 8th, 2010 at 6:26 am
Thank you, Marcia. That is one of the greatest compliments you could give a writer.
November 6th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Your book is amazing. As I was reading your words, I could actually FEEL them. I am forever affected. Thank you for sharing your God-given talent.
October 22nd, 2010 at 11:11 am
When I was 12 my older brother was murdered by a neighbor. The guy was nuts, we knew he was nuts, but we didn’t know how nuts. Anyway, the guy killed my brother and then himself, so there really wasn’t any one to “forgive.” Still, your book really helped me understand that I needed to do this anyway.
Billy’s murder killed my family. Just ate it up. My mom insisted on us all moving, so we did. But it didn’t help at all. In fact I think it made things worse. We felt so alone. And my dad, he had always been kind of a loner, but then he just kind of disappeared out of our lives, always working or when he was home, just sitting in the basement watching the TV. My mom and he eventually divorced. Then last year my mom killed herself. I was really mad and really sad. But I am tired of being mad and sad.
My sister and I (she was seven when this all happened,) both live in Florida now – as far away from where we grew up in southern CA, that we can get. We spend time together, and recently took a class called A Course in Miracles. It talks about forgiveness too. It was there that someone said we should read your book. We both did, and we have been talking about it non stop for about a month. We have both decided to move forward with our lives, without being angry about our past. To do this we did what your character Irene did. We wrote letters. First to the man who killed Billy, then to our dad and finally to our mom. We read the letters to each other. (That was the hardest part.) Then we went to the beach and put them in bottles. Hoaky, I know. But I have to say that knowing my words are out there floating around, and that someone may read them someday – it makes me feel free. I don’t know why, but I thought you should now. Karen and I say, THANK YOU.
October 18th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Hi Matt,
As I remember, Target chose The Crying Tree as a Breakthough author pick back in April or May. I did not hear about the boycott until you brought this up. I am sorry to say I missed the boat on it entirely. The good news is, people who bought my book were getting a very PRO acceptance message – unlike what Target itself has been doing.
October 18th, 2010 at 11:42 am
What, if anything, did you do about your link to Target in the middle of the campaign against them for support of anti-gay politicians? Loved your book!
October 18th, 2010 at 8:37 am
The Crying Tree is a moving book and a compelling read that makes us question on a very deep level what justice is all about. The strength that is required to offer forgiveness, and real justice, is at the heart of Naseem’s work. One can only hope that more people are affected by the accessibility of fiction and its ability to reach people on levels that mere fact and rhetoric often can’t. This book offers the opportunity for people to explore the idea that there is something else out there, beyond “an eye for an eye”, that can help people heal from all manner of loss and injustice. The death penalty merely perpetuates a terrible cycle. It resolves little or nothing. Naseem’s beautiful work, both in this book and in her many fine op-ed pieces elucidates how futile the death penalty is as a means of justice.
October 18th, 2010 at 8:05 am
I just read your book last night, and I wanted to tell you how much it moved me. I read all of the time, and am most drawn to books with characters that feel real. You characters are living inside of me. I could not stop reading, and was so sad when the book ended – not because of the ending, which was surprising and beautiful and nothing I anticipated. I was sad because I wanted to keep on reading about these people. PLEASE tell me you will write a sequel.
October 5th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Last November (2009) I heard Naseem Radha speak about forgiveness and had an epiphany regarding death of a loved one, resultant anger and what it can do to one’s life. Barely three month’s earlier I had lost my partner of over 27-years (and wife of 10 months) to a rare cancer. That journey with cancer covered six years of nine surgeries, pain, mistakes, loss. But after Naseem’s talk I realized that I had to forgive cancer, the medical establishment for heel-dragging, mistakes (there were mistakes), and insurance/financial roadblocks.
It literally was as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and spirit. No amount of anger could change a thing, let alone bring my beloved back from the grave.
Then I read “The Crying Tree” and was again moved by the enormity of the destructive power of guilt (did I do enough), and anger to ruin lives, families, and by extension whole communities, while being impressed with the power and necessity of forgiveness in order not to be just one more victim of tragedy.
Nearly a year after my partner’s death, while visiting San Diego I called the last surgeon’s office at UCSD Thornton and related to his staff that I forgave cancer, the mistakes that were made, things over-looked, and I could literally feel the apprehension on the other end of the line. It felt like that person was waiting for the “lawsuit shoe to drop.” That said, I thanked them for all their kindnesses that they extended to both of us during the process.
I have no idea how it affected them, but I felt stronger, freer, empowered, and able to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of my partner in a way which brought healing.
F. Suzanne Moore, Eureka, CA
October 3rd, 2010 at 12:42 am
This book is a must read for all, especially for those of us who work on behalf of peace and social justice. It makes us think deeply about issues that prevent us from growing spiritually and evolving as individuals and as a society: failure to communicate; family/group secrets; and unconscious past conditioning. Naseem is able to speak through each of the major characters with such authenticity that she forces us to examine and explore what love and forgiveness really means for each of us on different levels – for us as individuals; for us as participants in our relationships with loved ones; and for us as members of a broader community. Her narrative is so compelling that I felt it would be an ideal way for our community to continue exploration of topics that was initiated in the Campaign for Love and Forgiveness by our local PBS station (KEET-TV) with funding from the Fetzer Institute. Following some phone calls and e-mails, we were able to invite Naseem to Arcata almost a year ago for readings and discussions at Humboldt State University’s annual Campus Dialogue on Race, at a local bookstore, and for a Sunday morning service at our local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. One of Naseem’s presentations is now available via the Humboldt Digital Scholar website at:
http://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/handle/2148/539
Those community conversations of a year ago have continued in book clubs throughout our area.
September 28th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
This past summer I made a quick trip to Taiwan. I was with a few others folks from Murder Victims Families for Human Rights. We were there to help the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty. Before leaving home I started searching for The Crying Tree in Mandarin. I hoped to give a copy to a famous TV personality whose 17 year old daughter was kidnapped and murdered. There were no Mandarin copies anywhere, so I call Naseem. She informed me that she had just gotten three copies in Twainese and gave me an autographed copy to take.
I never did meet the mother of the murdered teen but I was able to give the copy of The Crying Tree to her attorney who graciously accepted it.
The rest of the story—-Everyone in the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty had already read the book and were raving how wonderful it is. It is a very popular book in Taiwan. They sent Naseem a photo of their book club each holding their copy of The Crying Tree.
September 28th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
The Crying Tree greatly moved me and I commend Naseem on her passion and sense of justice. This book shines a light on the death penalty issue and gives voice to the victims of crimes and to those who are forced to “execute” laws in a flawed justice system.
Her richly drawn characters and complex storytelling creates a page-turning mystery that unfolds with a surprising twist. I look forward to her next book. This is an author who doesn’t shy away from fear or controversy.