Laila Halaby is the author of two novels, Once in a Promised Land (Washington Post top 100 works of fiction for 2007; Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers) and West of the Jordan (PEN Beyond Margins award winner), as well as two collections of poetry, why an author writes to a guy holding a fish and my name on his tongue. Laila has two master’s degrees (UCLA and LMU), was a Fulbright recipient, and currently lives in Tucson, Arizona where she works as a counselor, museum educator, and creative writing teacher.
Equal parts devastating and life-affirming, Laila Halaby's memoir offers wisdom and truth for everyone who has ever moved through a difficult time and shredded a skin to adapt. There are many layers to this story, all tied together by the clear, poetic language that is as musical as the birdsong that accompanies Halaby on her healing walks around Tucson. The Weight of Ghosts is a brave and remarkable achievement. -Alice Elliott Dark, author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming Beautiful and heartbreaking. -Randa Jarrar, author of Love Is An Ex- Country