Ten Books We Recommend for Arab American Heritage Month 2024
Ten Books We Recommend for Arab American Heritage Month 2024
In honor of Arab Americans, here are ten books we recommend reading during Arab American Heritage Month and beyond.
Since 2021, April has been officially designated as Arab American Heritage Month in the United States. It is a time to celebrate Arab Americans, their many contributions to US society, and to foster a deeper appreciation for Arab peoples and cultures.
Today, it’s estimated that there are roughly 3.7 million people with Arab heritage living in the US, representing countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The overwhelming majority of them are native born (born in the US) and have US citizenship. Because the US census has historically not counted Arabs as a distinct group, we have had to rely on other demographic data to estimate their numbers. This, however, is about to change: the next census (2030) will include a new category that accounts for MENA heritage.
Why is it so important to consume content created by Arabs and Arab Americans? Islamophobia is on the rise in the US - this can be traced to the War on Terror, the 2017 Muslim Ban, and the current war on Gaza. Our willingness to buy into anti-Arab stereotypes is rooted in what the late Edward Said (1935-2003) - a Professor of Literature at Columbia University in New York - called “Orientalism.” First published in 1978, Said’s groundbreaking book Orientalism explores how Western artistic and written depictions of the “Orient” (ie, the MENA region and parts of Asia) worked to both justify European imperialism and also create an “imagined geography” of MENA that, rather than depicting a “true” or “objective” narrative of the region and its peoples, functioned as an artistic-political project of producing an “Other.”
Think of it this way: for Said, the artistic and written depictions of the “Orient” were more a reflection of what Europeans wanted to see in themselves. If the Orient was barbaric, then Europe was necessarily civilized. If the women of the Orient were sensual and exotic, then European women were the exemplars of well-mannered womanhood. See how that works?
We can see this in the content we consume about the Arab world today (ex. television shows and films where they’re portrayed as terrorists, religious zealous, backwards, cartoonishly violent, and misogynistic). These are Orientalist stereotypes, but they do the work of framing our beliefs about Arabs and Arab Americans.
Below you’ll find ten books written by Arab authors or authors with Arab heritage. We love each of them for different reasons, and we really encourage you to check them out!
Reading stories written by authors of Arab heritage is an important and necessary corrective to the Orientalist framings that have long (and inaccurately) shaped our views on a diverse, complex, beautiful, and deeply misunderstood region of the world.
Look for these books at your local library, favorite independent bookstore, or buy online at Bookshop.org!
A Woman Is No Man, Etaf Rum, Harper Perrenial
Palestinian American author, family drama, debut
About: A New York Times bestseller and Read with Jenna pick, A Woman is No Man follows the lives of three generations of Palestinian women living in Brooklyn, New York. Through their intertwining stories, Rum explores the complexities of family, culture and women's agency within a conservative Palestinian immigrant community.
Why we love it: Through richly drawn characters and evocative prose, Rum offers a compelling, emotionally charged novel that's sure to resonate with readers from all walks of life.
Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America, Laila Lalami, Vintage
Moroccan American author, immigration, belonging, personal narrative
About: A Best Book of the Year for Time, NPR, BookPage, and the LA Times and written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami, Conditional Citizens is a deeply personal, intimate portrait of life as an immigrant to the US. Born in Morocco, Lalami uses her own story of migration to highlight the ways in which full “acceptance” into US society is often contingent on race, religion, and national origin. Using historical and political analyses, she pushes her readers to think through the contradictory status of certain immigrants - as both wanted and unwanted at the same time.
Why we love it: We love how Lalami uses her own experiences to explore what it means to be a citizen, an American, and an immigrant in the US. She challenges the notion of the “melting pot” to highlight how it works as an American mythos that obfuscates our ongoing legacy of white supremacy.
What Strange Paradise, Omar El Akkad, Knopf
Egyptian Canadian author, refugees, coming-of-age
About: Voted one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR, What Strange Paradise examines the refugee crisis through the lens of a nine-year-old Syrian boy named Amir, and his unlikely companion, a teenager named Vänna. Told through the intertwining narratives of Amir and Vänna, El Akkad explores the impacts of displacement, injustice, and prejudice, but also empathy, companionship, and resilience.
Why we love it: This poignant, thought-provoking novel achingly details the tumultuous life of migrants fleeing conflict. Haunting and timely, these characters and their stories remind readers of our own humanity and moral responsibilities.
This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, Saga Press
Lebanese Canadian author, novella, epistolary, science fiction, romance, collaborative
About: Co-written with Max Gladstone and a winner of the Nebula Prize for Best Novella, This Is How You Lose the Time War is a science fiction romance like no other. The story follows two time travelers working for competing interest groups, both racing to shape the multiverse through changing the past (this is the “time war” referenced in the title).
Why we love it: Where to begin? This book is perfect for sci-fi and romance readers alike. The chemistry between the two main characters is palpable, and we love the way the authors explored themes of time and cause/effect.
Out of Place, Edward Said, Vintage
Palestinian American author, memoir, coming-of-age
About: Written by celebrated intellectual Edward Said, Out of Place chronicles his life growing up in the Levant. From his early years in Jerusalem to summers spent in Beirut, Said’s memoir underscores the deeply emotional complexities of living in exile. The book also recounts the lives of both of his parents and how their family histories shaped his relationships with them. At its core, the book is about a young man “out of place” - as an exile, a student trained in Western educational systems, an American citizen, and a Palestinian Christian.
Why we love it: We can’t emphasize enough how important Edward Said’s legacy is - as a scholar, an activist, a writer, and an educator. As one of the founding figures in what is now known as “postcolonial studies,” Said’s work changed the intellectual landscape. His memoir is personal, at times funny, and provides important context for understanding how his early years shaped his political and academic thinking later in life.
Home Is Not a Country, Safia Elhillo, Make Me a World
Sudanese American author, young adult, novel in verse, speculative fiction
About: Long-listed for the National Book Award, Home is Not a Country introduces Nima, a Sudanese American teenager caught between two cultures, struggling to find her place within the complexities of diaspora, and longing for the life not lived.
Why we love it: Blending poetry and storytelling, Elhillo crafts an immersive, deeply moving exploration of identity, belonging and self discovery. Though this one's categorized as YA, we're certain it will resonate with readers of all ages.
Frankenstein In Baghdad, Ahmed Saadawi, Penguin Books
Iraqi author, speculative fiction, horror
About: A finalist for the International Booker Prize, Frankenstein in Baghdad takes place in the early years of the American occupation of Iraq following the ouster of Sadaam Hussein. Throughout the country, the violence of the Iraq War and insurgency hold sway over the population. In Saadawi’s novel, a man in Baghdad collects stray body parts from victims of this violence and uses them to make a “whole” body. While misguided, he does so in order to force officials to recognize the dead as fully human and deserving of proper burials. When the body goes missing and a number of strange murders take place throughout the city, he realizes he’s created a monster.
Why we love it: Everything about this book is brilliant - the idea, the execution, and the author’s commentary on Iraq in the early 2000s is essential reading for anyone wanting to better understand the legacy of the Iraq War and contemporary Iraqi society.
The Stardust Thief (Book One of the Sand Sea Trilogy), Chelsea Abdullah, Orbit
Kuwaiti American author, historical fantasy, debut
About: The first of a trilogy, The Stardust Thief is a fantasy of epic proportions. Drawing inspiration from A Thousand and One Nights, Chelsea Abdullah’s debut novel follows a young woman - Loulie - as she hunts and sells pieces of illegal magic. Protected by her jinn bodyguard, Loulie’s adventures with magic are not to be missed!
Why we love it: This one's for you, fantasy readers! Adventurous and feminist, Abdullah’s book is brimming with magic, betrayal, and a hint of romance (we’re hoping for more in Books 2 and 3!).
The Map of Salt and Stars Zeynab Joukhadar, Washington Square Press
Syrian American author, dual timeline, historical, refugees
About: Joukhadar’s debut novel tells the stories of two young women living eight hundred years apart. A New Yorker, Nour moves with her family back to Syria after the passing of her father, only to have civil war erupt just months later. Centuries earlier, Rawiya disguises herself as a boy to travel and apprentice with a famous cartographer. The novel follows both girls as they travel the same route centuries apart - one for adventure, the other to escape the violence of war.
Why we love it: We love the way the stories of both girls intertwine and the lyrical connections woven between the two. Within its pages, Joukhadar manages to tell both the story of contemporary Syria and pay homage to Arab history.
Other Words for Home, Jasmine Warga, Balzer + Bray
Author with Palestinian and Jordanian heritage, Middle grade, refugees, novel in verse
About: A Newberry Honor Award winner, Other Words from Home is the story of a young girl named Jude, who flees her war-torn home in Syria with her mother to seek refuge in the United States. As Jude navigates her new life in America, she grapples with cultural differences, language barriers, and the longing for her homeland.
Why we love it: Warga's prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing Jude's journey of self-discovery and the universal longing for a place to call home. The novel provides important insights into the immigrant experience and the power of empathy and human connection. Though this is marketed toward a younger audience, we confidently recommend it for readers of all ages.