6 comments to Y62 Interviews: Hala Buck

• Peter Cassar Torreggiani

  April 22, 2021 at 5:49 pm · Reply

  Thanks, Hala, for a good interview. my thought is that bridges have two ends and one middle, which is never empty!

  I would like to see how your parents lived the middle, additionally to giving you the gift of life and nurturing you till the day they gave you away to Buck, because you were doing just that yourself.

  Naturally I’m also very interested in how the family gets to know Jesus in a gentle loving way.

  Peter CT

  p.s. Please can we have the book title again in writing and where it is available.

  • webmaster

    April 26, 2021 at 11:00 am · Reply

    Thank you for your well-considered comments, Peter. Hala’s book is available on Amazon, should you wish to purchase it. The full title is “Bridge Between Worlds: A Lebanese-Arab-American Woman’s Journey.”

  • Hala Buck

    April 28, 2021 at 7:11 pm · Reply

    Hi Peter

    Thank you for your kind remarks. Your point about bridges having two ends and a middle are at the center of my story. And a bridge only exists when there is a need to connect two entities.

    If you read my book I go into details about my mixed family life. I was blessed with parents and extended family who were open-minded and like my parents modeled for me mutual respect and love and acceptance of differences – of any form.
    As for Jesus, he is also part of the Islamic teachings, considered a prophet who came before the prophet Mohammad.

    I remember teaching at an International Summer School in Malta many years ago. Beautiful country, although summer was hot like in the Middle East.
    Wishing all the best, Hala

• John Stewart

  April 26, 2021 at 1:43 pm · Reply

  Dear Hala and Dick,
  Thanks for a wonderful conversation: lucid, vivid, making really important points. Our three outlets: website, coffee hours and YAM notes are motivated and designed to offer opportunities to share our stories and I invite all of us to speak up! And Steve – congrats on marrying and keeping a great partner!

  • Hala Buck

    April 28, 2021 at 7:15 pm · Reply

    Hi John

    Thank you for your kind remarks. I’m glad you enjoyed my conversation with Dick who did such a great job with his questions and comments.
    And YES all of us need to share our stories, it’s such a healing journey and such a vital gift to our children and grandchildren – as I said I think in the interview – our stories are our children’s and grandchildren’s stories and they need that to make sense of their life.
    Plus it was so healing for me to write mine.

    So get everyone to start sharing!

    Best, Hala

• Kevin Callahan

  July 25, 2021 at 5:52 pm · Reply

  Ms. Hala Buck,
  Our mothers were friends. My mother, Alice Ashcar Callahan was Lebanese Maronite who met my American Foreign Service father in Cairo circa 1950. I was born in Cairo and as a Foreign Service child lived throughout the Near East (Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran). Your story and Bridge book is so similar to my own. I wrote a term paper for a course on Cultures in Conflict at Georgetown School of Foreign Service on how cross cultural people, such as ourselves, could be the communication link to help bring understanding. My memories of life in Lebanon with my mother’s family are very similar to yours.

  I noticed you quoted Graham Fuller in your Bridge book. I first met Graham when I was a teenager in Saudi Arabia and later knew him as a colleague.

  I live in Arlington, Virginia and would be very interested in communicating with you.

  Best regards, Kevin