Suspended Somewhere Between

Overview

Words of healing, understanding, and peace

This collection spanning a half century of writing gives a front row seat to a world in turmoil—from the forbidding valleys and mountains of Waziristan in the tribal areas of Pakistan to the think tanks and halls of power in Washington, DC. And through it all, they carry the message of hope and compassion. Throughout the range of poems from introspective and reflective to romantic and emotive to historical and political exists the optimism and faith of a young man with confidence in the future in the midst of change and uncertainty.

Reviews

"Akbar's meandering poetic journey should appeal to those who, like him, believe in the challenge of an unremitting search for life's sublime meaning." —www.dawn.com

"Suspended Somewhere Between does a remarkable job of exploring dualities and even multiplicities of the self, of the loneliness and the longing for identity that has anguished the Pakistani soul since its inception. Akbar Ahmed's voice is a vital contribution to the world of contemporary letters and he has aptly been called 'a national treasure.'" —Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies (August 2011)

"A remarkable, and at times surprising, collection of poems." —www.WritersHub.co.uk

"At their best, Ahmed's poems realign the reader towards love, even forgiveness, through their language and attention." —www.AmericanBazaarMag.com

"The collection is a treat for all those who look for sublimity in poetry." —Z.G. Muhammad, Greater Kashmir

Author Biography

Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington DC, the First Distinguished Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge Universities and is considered the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam by the BBC. He is regularly interviewed by CNN, CBS, BBC, and Fox News and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the O’Reilly Factor. He is the author of more than a dozen award-winning books, including Discovering Islam and Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam. He lives in Washington, DC.