The European Renaissance never happened. The Ottomans were not stopped at the gates of Vienna. Ferdinand and Isabella failed in their attempt to defeat the Moors. Imagine a world turned upside down. Northern Europe is the basket case. The Middle East is the centre of the developed and "civilised" world.

Acts is a reflective, personal journey, a moving story of loss, love and transition. It is about Marwan the boy and Marwan the man - and not so much the wider socio-political implications of the world he finds himself in, although these glimpses offer a thought-provoking dimension. The story is uplifting as Marwan's humanity shines through: the book itself is like a meditation on isolation, which links the reader with Marwan: to keep the focus on him keeps the reader's focus narrow - so there is a real empathy there. One loves Marwan as Marwan himself loves...

...and through Marwan's story we ask a simple question; how would we behave if we were dealt the same hand as the Lebanese in the 1980's or the Palestinians and Iraqi's now? Acts of Faith takes us on a journey of hope amid chaos and brutality in a world so very similar to the one that we feel so comfortable in, except that it might very well be we who are the extremists.