Celebrate this year's Arab American Heritage Month with these books

April is Arab American Heritage Month, where the history, achievements and contributions of Arab Americans are celebrated across the United States.

As the number of books on race, immigration and gender banned by the US Government continues to rise – over 10,000 books were banned in public schools between 2023 and 2024 alone – it’s more vital than ever to support Arab American authors and read their books.

Behind You Is The Sea, Susan Muaddi Darraj (Swift Press)

Susan Darraj’s debut adult novel weaves together the stories of several Palestinian American families in Baltimore, split into several short stories covering events at different times.

From Escorting the Body where Marcus Salameh carries out his Baba’s wish to bury his body in Palestine where he realises his Baba was not as cold-hearted as he thought, to Behind You Is The Sea where Maysoon Baladi has an affair with snooty Dalia Ammar’s husband while cleaning her house, the stories are a refreshing take on the everyday lives and problems of Palestinian families in America.

It is also important that these are the stories of Christian Palestinian families, who are often underrepresented in literature.

The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami (Bloomsbury)

Longlisted for this year’s prestigious Women’s Prize, Moroccan-American author Laila Lalami’s latest offering is a dystopian novel set several decades in the future, where people are imprisoned for their perceived desire to harm someone.

One of them is historian and mother Sara, the most law-abiding citizen you could know, but the US’s AI surveillance system deems her high risk for harming her husband, by collecting data from her dreams.

She’s sent to a women’s detention centre where she must lower her risk score by being as “good” and subordinate as possible. Sara soon realises this will not be easy.

The Coin, Yasmin Zaher (Footnote Press)

This bizarre but clever novel is the story of a young and wealthy Palestinian woman who has moved to New York and teaches at a middle school for underprivileged boys, using teaching methods that are unconventional and often misunderstood.

The protagonist has a fascination with dirt and cleanliness, following an intense cleaning ritual but never quite able to reach one spot in the middle of her back which plays on her mind. She strikes up a friendship with a homeless swindler and together they come up with a scheme of buying and selling Birkin bags.

You will finish The Coin wondering what you have just read, but in equal measure, be blown away by its brilliance.

Dearborn, Ghassan Zeineddine (Tin House)

Previously described by The New Arab as a 'mini encyclopaedia of how Arab-Americans live in the US', Dearborn is both a unique and deeply moving collection of ten short stories about Arab-Americans set in the Michigan city of Dearborn, famed for its large Arab population.

From ‘Yusra’ where a butcher from east Dearborn dons a hijab, niqab and heels each Friday and goes to the nearby city of Hamtramck to live a double life, to ‘Money Chickens’ where a father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS by hiding their earnings in frozen chickens, these wild but comical stories are ones you won’t forget in a hurry.

Alligator & Other Stories, Dima Alzayat (Picador)

This unique collection of nine short stories is centred around the lives of Syrian immigrants and refugees living in the United States and no story is quite like the other.

The experimental ‘Alligator’ uses different mediums from witness transcripts and TV show scripts to internet forum posts, to piece together the murder of a Syrian couple in America in 1929.

Zayat gives us an insight into the lives of the first wave of Syrian immigrants to the United States and how they were often perceived by white Americans as being the “good immigrant.”  

The Night Before Eid, Aya Khalil (Little Brown)

In this heartwarming picture book for children, Zain’s Teta has come from Egypt to spend Eid in America with the family.

She passes on the centuries-old tradition of baking ka'ak the night before Eid to her grandson, who is excited to take them to school the following day.

Zain doesn’t just learn how to make ka'ak, he also learns about the Ramadan and Eid traditions his family would partake in back home in Egypt, the biggest one of all being to share and give to those you love.

Mama in Congress, Rashida and Adam Tlaib (Harper Collins)

With some help from her son Adam, Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib recalls her journey of becoming the first Muslim woman in the US Congress.

Adam tells his younger brother Yousif his mum’s story, from growing up in Detroit as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants with 14 brothers and sisters, to how she got involved in community activism and politics.

A great picture book to introduce children to social justice, activism and how elections and governments work.

Dear Muslim Child, Rahma Rodaah (Harper Collins)

With vibrant illustrations by Palestinian illustrator Aya Ghanameh (author of These Olive Trees), Dear Muslim Child is a love letter to Muslim children in the West reiterating their place in the world, teaching them to love themselves, have confidence in themselves and take pride in their faith.

A necessary book for young Muslim children living in countries where Islamophobia may make them feel anxious or unsure.

Wishing Upon the Same Stars, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman (Harper Collins)

A touching middle-grade novel about a 12-year-old Palestinian American girl called Yasmine Khoury, who is upset that she has to leave behind the familiarity of her Arab Christian community in Detroit for a completely new school in San Antonio, Texas.

At first, she feels like the odd girl out, but soon makes friends with her Israeli American neighbour, Ayelet.

When Yasmeen’s grandmother’s home in Jerusalem is destroyed by Israelis, forcing her to leave and come to Texas to live with them, Yasmeen starts to have a greater understanding of how what happens between Israelis and Palestinians affects her.

Will this affect her friendship with Ayelet?

Yousra Samir Imran is a British Egyptian writer and author based in Yorkshire. She is the author of Hijab and Red Lipstick, published by Hashtag Press

Follow her on X: @UNDERYOURABAYA