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Essay / Analysis of Insect Wings by Geraldine Brooks
He gave her his coat and she told him the story with partisan unity. After walking or a block, Sava took her to this museum where there was a couple, Serif and Stela, and their baby, Hebib. “Lola looked up and recognized her. It was the young wife who offered him coffee when she came to collect the laundry” (78). The couple welcomed Lola into their home and offered her shelter. They gave her the Muslim name Leila, dressed her in Muslim clothes and told her she was here as a servant to help Stela with the baby. After weeks, Lola got used to living with Serif, Stela and Habib and was less afraid of being caught by German soldiers. One day, Serif returned from the library and had taken with him the Haggadah, a Jewish book. Stela was worried about having the book in her home, so Serif returned it to the mosque library where it would likely not be found by the Nazis. Then they had traveled "out of town, to a beautiful house with a high stone wall" (89), where Lola said goodbye to Stela and the baby and she and Serif walked in the dark. After reading the chapter “The Wing of an Insect,” I would recommend People of the Book to students who are interested in the events that occurred during World War II. Also, students who are majoring in history or English and enjoy reading about the religion of the Jews.