Book Review: Whispers from the East by Ilham Badreddine Mahfouz

"Through art, the truth is delivered for the viewer to experience."--artist Ilham Badreddine Mahfouz.

The world is full of art whether you have an artistic eye or not.  Everything has a shape and unique characteristics.  Art connects people emotionally, bonds  groups through symbols as well.

I got myself a copy when I found out that Ilham Badreddine Mahfouz wrote a book called 

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because she is a beautiful woman inside out.  Her art is a representation of her feelings and thoughts.  Her art reminds you that there is still pain and problems, yet there is still hope.  Whispers from the East * is a combination of combining the emotions and memories of  Ilham's life  with art.   Ilham includes her thoughts on the suffering of the Syrian people.  By using art, Ilham is able to convey the feelings of pain and suffering greater.  We are a visual society.  We like to see the world in terms of pictures and abstracts.  Perhaps, Ilham is correct in saying "Abstract art appeals to me for the mystery and imagination of expression it affords."  

With each art in the book, Ilham gives a reflection of thoughts and emotions.  She shows despite how humanity is fragile, humanity can succeed once we understand the pain of each other.  

 I highly recommend this book if you truly want to get a worldly view through the abstract of art.

*contains affiliate links

Glamour's New Body Image Survey

In a stunning new survey done exclusively by Glamour, young women recorded an average of 13 brutal thoughts about their bodies each day (some had as many as 35, 50 or even 100!).   300 women of all sizes from across the country were asked to note every negative or anxious thought they had about their bodies over the course of one full day.  

The results shocked us—97 percent admitted to having at least one “I hate my body” moment.   Some of the comments recorded were, “You’re bigger than her, fatty,” “Your stomach is fat. That is why you are alone,” and “Oh my God, look at her waist and legs! We’re the same height. She looks like a model. I look like a lumpy sock.”   

We need to look at ourselves in a better light.  If not for us, but for other females like our daughters and nieces.

To see the full survey results, click here.