Heartfelt thanks to Jenn Wood, Michael Monagan, and Gaili Schoen whose steady encouragement and invaluable feedback guided me throughout the research and writing of this book.

Thanks to Cynthia, Len, and the gang at Shut Up and Write who kept the flame of dedication alive through the long months of the pandemic.

I am also grateful to Tania Casselle and Annemarie Kolb for their early, honest insights that helped shape the narrative’s direction.

It was an honor to meet Ghada, Zeineb, and the wonderful members of the American Spaces Tunis book club (Emna, Faten, Nennoos, Nesrine, Yassine, Yesmine, and Oumayma) whose warm welcome, easy laughter, and genuine curiosity reminded me of why I set out to write this story in the first place. Thank you for joining our workshops and making them such a joy.

Finally, special thanks to my family—PSL, SML, and JIC—for your unwavering love and laughter, my life’s most cherished gifts!

← Chapter 77 |