About Finding Lalla’s Anna:
Born to a globetrotting diplomat father and haunted by the silence of her absent mother, Anna’s childhood is a tapestry woven from fragments of different cultures. Guided by the unwavering love and wisdom of her Malian grandmother, Lalla, Anna seeks solace in ancestral traditions as she navigates a life marked by loneliness and displacement.
But years of nomadic existence take their toll, leading to emotional burnout in the bustling heart of New York City. Facing fractured relationships and the ghosts of her past, Anna embarks on a transformative journey. Fueled by resilience and Lalla’s enduring spirit, she confronts long-buried truths, mends broken bonds, and finally discovers the courage to embrace her true self.
Finding Lalla’s Anna is a captivating memoir of cultural identity, family, and the unwavering strength of love. It’s a poignant exploration of belonging, self-discovery, and the power of ancestral wisdom to heal even the deepest wounds.
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Author Bio:
A student and a teacher of Mali Ancestral Oral Tradition, and Philosophy of Life, Anna Dao was born in Paris and spent her formative years in Mali, France, New York, Belgium, Canada with her father a diplomat from Mali. She completed her education in Canada and for several years afterwards lived in Mali, working for various United Nations agencies. During this period, she produced and hosted a Public-Affairs talk show in French, Affaires Publiques, and wrote a column for a weekly newspaper, Le Républicain. She immigrated to the United States in 1993.
Anna received Honorable Mention in the inspirational Writing Category from Writer’s Digest for How Did It All Begin? The Story of the Universe According to Ancient Malian Tradition.
Her short story, A Perfect Wife, was selected by the University of Florida for inclusion in an African Humanities course. The story was also published in Opening Spaces: An Anthology of Contemporary African Women’s Writing and Women Writing Africa 2: West Africa and the Sahel. Originally written in English, the story was also translated into French.
Anna lives in New York. Finding Lalla’s Anna is her first book.
She is currently working on her next non-fiction book – a collaboration with a fellow artist who was shaped by his Haitian grandmother. The work in progress is tentatively titled: Life Lessons from our grandmothers: Baba and Lalla.
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