Our Morocco: Moroccans and Expats Share Their Lives, Hopes, Dreams, and Adventures

I used this lovely collection of essays for a college class that took place over four weeks in Morocco. We read and discussed one essay most days and found that each one helped us "see" and "understand" what we were experiencing as first-time travelers and students. They were especially helpful for navigating the home-stays as well as the Fez medina. All of us found parallels to our experiences there! I would highly recommend this to anyone traveling to Morocco or who has the pleasure to interact with Moroccans -- eat in a Moroccan restaurant.

I bought this anthology for the short story written by Saeida Rouass "Morocco is", having read her other brilliant "Assembly of the Dead" and "Eighteen Days of Spring in Winter". I had no idea that all the proceeds go to The Morocco Library Project which helps to create libraries for kids in places where none exist. As I found out from foreword, some of these libraries had a transformative power in the lives of children. Again this isn't why I purchased this book, but it's a heartwarming "side-effect". The anthology is really valuable for anyone who is interested in Morocco, loves travel or just seeks for journeys beyond travel in the changed world. I was not disappointed with Saeida's story, as her other writings it's intimate, witty and showing keen observations and will undoubtedly leave you with lasting impression and desire to read more from this author! I was also pleasantly surprised with the other stories in the collection, each one showing their own very personal face of Morocco.

I bought this book for myself and bought another copy for my sister, with whom I had traveled to Morocco in early 2019. For anyone who has experienced the magic of Morocco, the book will bring back the smells, tastes, and experiences to which we have been treated. For those who have yet to be lucky enough to experience this wonderful country and its special people, it will give you just that many more reasons to go. AND the proceeds from sales of the book go to an excellent cause. Thank you, Lucas and all the other authors. I loved every minute I spent reading this wonderful compendium.

This is an amazing book full of wonderful insights into Morocco, her culture and her beautiful people. It’s a wonderfully written book full of great stories. Definitely a great gift idea for book lovers and world travelers!

Loved this book! This amazing group of writers put so many of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences of marrying into, living in, and experiencing Morocco into words.

This book is a wonderful compilation from insightful authors and adventurers to the inner Morocco. Recommend!

Sixteen stylish writers and photographers share precise observations and life-changing impacts from growing up in Morocco or living there extensively as transplants. Their experiences and observations open windows into the history, people, rewards and frustrations of this cultural crossroads.Topics and styles are varied -- encompassing philosophical reflections, personal-growth journeys, a photo essay, instructive parables ("Tales Told to a Melon" by Tahir Shah) and amusing, poignant recollections by a State Department retiree who lived in "the first and oldest U.S. diplomatic property," a Tangier building "given to the United States in 1821 by the Sultan of Morocco ... [that] became the home of generations of American diplomast." Gerald Loftus, now living in Brussels, recalls "what diplomacy was like before video conferences and email."The collection, well-curated by travel entrepreneur and Tangiers transplant Lucas Peters (a contributor), was a delightful companion during a two-week tour of Moroccan highlights. It's a guidebook, in effect, for the way Moroccans think, live and respect.Timeliness is evident in a gripping, inspiring chapter by a mother of two on the March 2020 sudden lockdown in Fez, which "arrived with the force of a tsunami" and forced residents to support each other in new ways.Writers include authors, filmmakers, scholars and journalists, including BBC veteran Richard Hamilton. All share what Morocco teaches them and how it has changed them. "We have managed to include a number of Moroccan voices -- voices that are typically glossed over, ignored or shuffled to the margins," Peters says in his intro.Highly recommended for those who admire this evocative land, have visited or plan to do so. Proceeds benefit the Morocco Library Project, a nonprofit supporting rural and urban literacy efforts by creating libraries, obtaining books and paying staff. So you can feel good while becoming enlightened.

Do not buy this book on the Kindle! It’s teeny tiny font is impossible to read and it’s impossible to increase the font size. How disappointing but at least profits go to a good cause.