The Mystical Land of Myrrh by MaryAnn Shank | Motivated Savages

The Mystical Land of Myrrh

by MaryAnn Shank

A forbidden African country. A young woman, searching.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

From the author:
I heard President Kennedy’s call: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

So as soon as I graduated, I rushed to join the Peace Corps, to save the world.

I was so naive.

In 1967 I was sent to a country I had never even heard of: Somalia. Somalia did not need my childish notions of saving the world. What it needed was teachers. Somalia wanted to join the world, politically and economically, and knowing English was the key. So my job was to teach English.

After three months of intensive training in New York, I stepped into a world that I was woefully ill-prepared for, a world of wonderment, a world on the brink of a massive war, a world that both detested and loved westerners.

I found golden earrings and a million memories when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Somalia. Listen to the stars dancing over Somalia and hear tales of warriors and camel herders, songs at the wells and melodies in every footstep.

THE MYSTICAL LAND OF MYRRH is not a novel. It is not a collection of short stories. It is tales based on memories of a time long gone, a time that will never come again.

The story is told through Moira, a young Peace Corps Volunteer, who stretched her senses to soak in every story, every song that was around her. Her missteps tossed a beautiful young woman into a whipping circle, and denied her students the futures they had worked so hard to obtain.

Moira was shaken to her very core when she stumbled on The Ritual, female circumcision, carried out in a hidden hut in the bush country, the Ritual that rips all feelings of sexual pleasure from between a young girl’s legs.

Through it all the Somali Goddess Arawello spreads her protective arms, reaching through wars and famines to reach her people. Once Arawello brought Peace by turning men into eunuchs, and may do so again.

PRAISE FROM EARLY REVIEWERS!

“What I love most is the way you brought Islam into this. There is such a stigma against Islam in the West, I think the delicate and peaceful way that this was deliberately added to the text is very captivating, and alluring. I LOVE it!

“I am horrified just reading about it (“The Ritual”). Horrified because your description is so vivid. This has evoked such deep emotion in me; I am so proud of you for putting pen to paper so eloquently and doing this Ritual justice in all of its darkness.”
Heather C. Cumming, Executive Director and Founder
Simwatachela Sustainable Agricultural and Arts Program, providing an extensive network of human relief programs throughout East Africa

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“It is a captivating read and shows a unique perspective. Nicely done!”
Barb Dickinson, Manager at WeMoon and We Moon Date Book: Gaia Rhythms for Womyn, the premier date book for earth conscious women throughout the world

“Mesmerizing and fascinating …”
Patricia Duggan, International Fashion Designer

Book Details:

• Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical biography, LGBTQ+
• Format: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook