The result was Lessons in Times of War and Peace, a book that Habib says has sold well among his colleagues at Lewis-Gale, hoping perhaps to gain some insight into the turmoil of life in the Middle East. Habib, who lives in southwest Roanoke County, will sign copies of "Lessons" this Saturday from 1 to 4pm at Barnes & Noble Tanglewood, where the book is available. In several chapters Habib also offers his view on medical practices here.

"I wanted to leave something for my children and tell them about their Dad," said Habib in explaining his motivation for authoring a work of non-fiction. He and his wife, Mona Sadek (also a physician at Lewis-Gale) have two young children that attend North Cross School. "In addition many of my patients and my friends ask me every day where I am from."

Habib, who likes to oil paint for relaxation, set out to describe what life was like in the war torn Lebanon of the '70's and '80's. Every day he is asked for his spin on the problems in the Middle East, and some are surprised that despite having an Arabic name he is indeed a Christian - not a Muslim. "Regardless of where we live - all humans can get along. Life is so unpredictable," says Habib, who has learned to enjoy fishing, camping and other outdoor pursuits in Virginia. "That's what life is all about.'

In his book Habib explains that Christians and Muslims "were always friends...we went to the same school, we always get along. In reality the majority get along just fine. The minority are fighting. Its all about leadership and other reasons." In Lessons in Times of War and Peace, Habib recalls his father waiting on bread lines for hours while soldiers were fed right away. "That war had an impact on millions of Lebanese," he recalls, "and every day I remember that war and what I went through." He learned not to take things like safety, freedom, education, even electricity for granted. Habib does go back to his homeland every year or so and calls it a beautiful place, caught up again in recent years by the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.

"The sound of a rifle or the explosion of a bomb in a nearby street did not stop these children from learning," writes Habib, who recounts the daily bombings he remembered as a child in Tripoli, when the aroma of flowers and sweet baklava were replaced by the smell of war. "I had a dream about a peaceful country, a safe home, a happy family and a good future." He has found all of that in America and will be happy to share sentiments from his book at Barnes & Noble-Tanglewood this Saturday from 1-4pm. "I want [readers] to get an idea of what an immigrant has to go through, to understand that this person is a human being like them and went through a lot," said Habib. "Life is short - lets get along, lets enjoy it."

Source: Our Valley

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