# Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story - Hardcover

by **Jordan Salama** (Author)

**Inspired by family lore, a young writer embarks on an epic quest through the Argentine Andes in search of a heritage spanning hemispheres and centuries, from the Jewish Levant to turn-of-the-century trade routes in South America**

One Thanksgiving afternoon at his grandparents' house, Jordan Salama discovers a large binder stuffed with yellowing papers and old photographs--a five-hundred-year wandering history of his Arab-Jewish family, from Moorish Spain to Ottoman Syria to Argentina and beyond.

One story in particular captures his attention: that of his great-grandfather, a Syrian-born, Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrant to Argentina who in the 1920s worked as a traveling salesman in the Andes--and may have left behind forgotten descendants along the way. Encouraged by his grandfather, Jordan goes in search of these "Lost Salamas," traveling more than a thousand miles up the spine of South America's greatest mountain range.

Combining travelog, history, memoir, and reportage, _Stranger in the Desert_ transports readers from the lonely plains of Patagonia to the breathtaking altiplano of the high Andes; from the old Jewish quarter of Damascus to today's vibrant neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. It is also a fervent journey of self-discovery as Salama grapples with his own Jewish, Arab, and Latin American identities, interrogating the stories families tell themselves, and to what end.

### Author Biography

**Jordan Salama** is the author of _Every Day the River Changes_, a _Kirkus Reviews_ Best Book of the Year. His work has appeared in _National Geographic_, _The New York Times_, _Smithsonian_, _Scientific American_, and on NPR's _All Things Considered_. He lives in New York.

**Number of Pages:** 240

**Dimensions:** 1.02 x 8.43 x 5.59 IN

**Publication Date:** February 20, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 27.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 27.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story - Hardcover

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