Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace

Can a Christian and a Muslim work through their differences to find peace? Patricia Raybon (I Told the Mountain to Move) and daughter Alana Raybon try to do just that by sharing their thoughts in alternating passages. Alana’s conversion to Islam causes estrangement for a decade before the two agree to start talking. The process proves difficult, and the authors seem to find it easier to share thoughts with the reader than with each other. Patricia hurts over a lost daughter who has turned from her Christian roots; Alana resents her mother’s judgments (which she feels are influenced by news reports) and the assumption that she doesn’t know God too. By examining their motives, recognizing prejudices, and putting faith first, the women discover that their approach toward each other in love is more important than solving any conflict. Some areas aren’t explored, like details about Alana’s conversion and how Patricia and her husband feel about their grandchildren being raised as Muslims. This interfaith encounter illustrates how deeply love and difference are rooted. Agent: Ann Spangler, Ann Spangler and Associates. (Apr.)