The Heroine Next Door by Zeena Nackerdien Review

The Heroine Next Door by Zeena Nackerdien:

Publisher: Book Venture (January 7, 2015) Category: Modern Day Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Health Tour Dates: October/November, 2015 ISBN: 978-1941736-272 ASIN: B00TIMY97G Available in: Print & ebook, 154 Pages The emotionally-wounded survivors of the 9/11 attacks include a fifty-year old, South African Muslim scientist, Leila, who lost her fiancée, Khalid, on that fateful day. She is the narrator of a story threading together the lives of four South African Muslims navigating a technologically advanced and increasingly-complicated world. Initially tentative in pursuing her dream to aid patients with HIV/AIDS and other diseases (following deaths of loved ones to these illnesses) in the face of adversity encountered as a US immigrant, Leila finally asserts herself in middle age to carve her own identity and provide possible solutions to the management of diseases rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Praise for The Heroine Next Door by Zeena Nackerdien:

"As a scientist turned patient advocate and writer, Nackerdien is intensely interested in building relationships with people from different cultures through storytelling and education. It is that drive that is palpable in this novel THE HEROINE NEXT DOOR - the author's dichotomous life as experienced in apartheid-South-Africa and a Western world responding to the digital information age and emergent diseases: she knows terror, especially as a Muslim woman. She incorporates all of this In THE HEROINE NEXT DOOR, surprisingly her debut novel, by creating a fictional character, Leila, emerging from the darkness cast by personal and political upheavals, who gains a sense of her own identity and contributes knowledge gained in the USA to improving the management of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other illnesses in South Africa. One of the many shining aspects of Zeena's luminous novel is her sharing the sensibilities of immigrants whose new life in a new country must sort out not only language and dress barriers but also religious or spiritual belief differences. In electing to focus on that turning point moment in history - the 9/11 tragedy - as the stimulus for altering life perspectives she manages to give us all a better sense of understanding and at least a different point of view - both healing factors in a nurturing a wound worthy of comparison to Amfortas' wound in PARSIFAL. Highly recommended." -Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer, Hall of Fame "I am able to identify with both the notion of being personally and/or emotionally uprooted on and after 9/11 as well as the concept of being utterly overwhelmed by life in NYC. Zeena Nackerdien's work rings a personal note with both natives and those making the journey to establishing themselves in the metropolis."-Curt, Amazon Reviewer " What a haunting story. We all remember that fateful day. We are introduced to Leila, a brilliant woman whose life is turned upside down on September 11, 2001 when her fiance is killed in the attack. Through a series of Facebook posts we are taken on a journey that explores Leila's past, her relationships with family and friends, and her background in the field of science. Heartwarming and raw, you will find yourself in a great story of triumph. Zeena Nackerdien has written a wonderful story, highly recommend this read!"- Sierra Klein, Amazon Reviewer

About Zeena Nackerdien:

Zeena Nackerdien is a dual US and South African citizen. She obtained a PhD degree in Biochemistry from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Zeena has been a research chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland and a senior research associate at The Rockefeller University in New York. She is the author of several publications in scientific journals and two poetry collections, “Mist Over Peace” and “Scatterlings.” As a scientist turned patient advocate and writer, she is intensely interested in building relationships with people from different cultures through story-telling and education. Zeena currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Website: http://www.heroinenextdoor.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zeenasbooks Google+: https://plus.google.com/105525451604342478576/posts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/zeena-nackerdien/9/175/b6a Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/zulu2/zeena-nackerdien/

Buy The Heroine Next Door by Zeena Nackerdien:

Amazon Book Venture Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Follow The Heroine Next Door by Zeena Nackerdien Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Oct 1 Review & Giveaway SolaFide Self-Publishing Oct 5 Interview, Excerpt, & Giveaway Ajoobacat Blog Oct 6 Review & Excerpt Infinite House of Books Oct 7 Interview Father, Writer, & Logistical Wizard Oct 14 Review Father, Writer, & Logistical Wizard Oct 15 Interview Cassandra M's Place Oct 16 Review & Giveaway Avenue Books Oct 19 Guest Post & Excerpt Lady of Books Oct 22 Guest Post, Excerpt, & Giveaway What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov 2 Guest Post & Excerpt Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 3 Review Teddy Rose Book Reviews Oct 1 Review & Giveaway SolaFide Self-Publishing Oct 5 Interview, Excerpt, & Giveaway Ajoobacat Blog Oct 6 Review & Excerpt Infinite House of Books Oct 7 Interview Father, Writer, & Logistical Wizard Oct 14 Review Father, Writer, & Logistical Wizard Oct 15 Interview Cassandra M's Place Oct 16 Review & Giveaway Avenue Books Oct 19 Guest Post & Excerpt Lady of Books Oct 22 Guest Post, Excerpt, & Giveaway What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov 2 Guest Post & Excerpt Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 3 Review
 

My Review:
"The Heroine Next Door" by author Zeena Nackerdien is the story of a woman named Leila. Leila is deeply affected by 9/11 in New York City.   It is a truly sad story about the loss of the love of her life on that horrible day. It is the story of how she goes on to help people that were affected by disease. This is the kind of book that will take you back to that day and the days after and how each of us dealt with the horror. I give this book a 4/5. I was given this book for a review and these are all my opinions.