Having read Sabeeha Rehman’s memoir “Threading My Prayer Rug”, I was eager to read her new book co-authored with Walter Ruby. Being Jewish and having worked for years in Muslim nations, interfaith relations, especially between Muslims and Jews, is of great interest to me. I found this book to be very informative and hopeful.

Parts 1 and 2 provided the background stories of Sabeeha’s relationship with Pakistan and Walter’s with Israel, along with historical and political facts and cultural values.

I enjoyed their back-and-forth narration style, especially in Parts 3 and 4. These are the parts that get to the heart of it - the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and portions of the Tanakh and Quran that may be considered offensive. Sabeeha and Walter write openly of topics they agree and disagree on. They discuss what they have found in common in their faiths. I appreciated the honest and respectful sharing of their beliefs, even when they did not agree.

An open mind is needed as it will challenge many beliefs you may have grown up with. It gave me a lot to think about. In fact, I have read the book twice now. Essential reading for anyone interested in interfaith activities.

Going into this book I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Relations between Jews and Muslims can be strained at times, and this book really showed how intertwined the history of these two cultures are. Following the lives of Sabeeha, a muslim; and Walter, a Jew, we learn how the history of their cultures and countries Israel and Pakistan) affect them throughout their lives. We also get to see how it affects their friendship with each other.

I loved learning all the intricate details of Sabeeha's faith and culture. As a Jew it was nice to read how close our two faiths are in style and belief. More often than not I think we focus more on our differences than on our similarities, which is a shame since we have far more in common than not. Both writers did a fantastic job really illustrating their perspective on the others people, while still maintaining respect for one another.

The thing I liked least about the book was the organization of the book. Most chapters start off with a question of some kind and while we eventually always get to the answer, it would of been more constructive to address the question first then go down a rabbit trail. This disorganization did at times leave me frustrated or simply scratching my head in confusion.

Overall I would enjoy reading this again while taking time to do research along the way. I am interested in both authors and plan to pick up some of their other books and some books that were mentioned in here, in the future.