February 1 2025
Ep3: This week on Elaine’s Literary Salon, meet Children’s book author Karen Leggett Abouraya and learn about her latest international pageturner, Zamzam
Author Karen: A native of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Karen grew up surrounded by writing and books: her father was a journalist and her mother a school librarian. Karen then became an award-winning broadcast journalist for more than two decades. She began reviewing and discussing children’s books on ABC WMAL Radio in Washington, DC, and reviewed children’s books and interviewed authors for the Washington Post, New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, Children’s Literature, Washington Parent, and others.
“What impresses me most is that Karen is actively involved in disability advocacy in her home state of Maryland,” shares Jeffery James Higgins, host of the Elaine’s Literary Salon show, in his introduction of Karen at today’s event about her new book, Zamzam.
About the book: Zamzam is a young boy who enjoys life with Egyptian grandparents in Alexandria, Egypt, and American grandparents in New York City. He shares big and little differences in his daily experiences in each country – including phrases in Arabic and English — but ultimately realizes that the most important experiences are exactly the same across cultures.
What critics are saying: “Educators have an opportunity to discuss their students’ own experiences with family members from around the country or the world and have them compare similarities and differences of their cultures.” — A Book and a Hug
“Page after page weaves a message of difference into a fabric of harmony, across continents and customs, contexts and cultures, showing a seamless, integrated life that is bridged by love in both directions…The sweetness of the text is well-matched by the whimsy of the art in a way that every child can enjoy. A true pleasure to see and share!” — Andrea E. Stumpf author Memoirs of an Arabian Princess
“Conveying that even though sights and sounds and language might be different, the love is the same. The book does a good job of not othering one set or making one seem better than the other. It also weaves in Arabic words and culture.” — Anonymous Edelweiss
More about Karen: A graduate of Brown University (international relations), Karen met her Egyptian husband in Washington. They have two grown children and two grandsons, are active in many cultural exchange initiatives and have been lucky enough to visit Egypt many times — especially Alexandria, her husband’s hometown.
Learn about Karen’s books: KarenLeggettAbouraya.com.
Check out future salons — and stop in for a fabulous meal at Elaine’s in Old Town Alexandria, VA: elaines-restaurant.com
About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host 
