Marhaba everyone, and happy Arab American Heritage Month! This month’s episode features the voices of Arabs from all over the world. In this episode, you’ll find a diversity of books from a plethora of unique perspectives. The only thing all Arabs have in common is the Arabic language. Outside of that, there are so many different ethnicities and stories of the cultures and values of all the Arab countries. From the Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, we hope each book you read gives you a new perspective on Arab cultures, struggles, and stories of resistance.
Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark is an autobiography by Sarafina El-Badry Nance, an Egyptian-American astrophysicist with a lifelong passion for the stars. In this heartfelt and down-to-Earth memoir (get it?), Nance openly discusses not only the misogyny and racism she faces within STEM fields, but her personal experiences with anxiety, intergenerational trauma, and battle against cancer. Overall, Starstruck has a strong, STEM-centered theme that shows the real-life struggles of women in male-dominated fields while adding her own personal touch. This book is highly recommended for STEM lovers, appreciators, and those who reach for the stars.
By Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas, Squire is a high-fantasy graphic novel about Aiza’s dream to become a knight of the Bayt-Sajji Empire, despite being born into poverty and a member of the marginalized Ornu people. When talks of war may finally become a reality, enrolling in the Squire Training Program may be the only way to receive full citizenship and feed her family. Through Aiza’s journey, she begins to question the lies and propaganda that has been forced into her society, and Aiza has to make a choice between her family and her pride as an Ornu or her loyalty to a country that doesn’t have her people’s wellbeing in mind. This book is highly recommended for fans of the book series ‘Legend’ by Marie Lu.
An eye-opening autobiography on activist Ahed Tamini showing her life and struggles as a Palestinian in the face of occupation. Growing up in Nabi Saleh, a small village in the West Bank, Tamimi was no stranger to occupation and violence from settlements blocking her community’s spring. After a video of her slapping a soldier who refused to leave her front yard went viral, Tamimi found herself arrested at age sixteen, battling her own anxiety and self-doubt while trying to remain hopeful in the most trying times. However, despite the police brutality she’s faced, Tamimi remains both hopeful and resilient, remaining nonviolent and true to herself. This book is highly recommended for fans of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Tagging Freedom follows the perspectives of two teenagers, showing how their paths collide in order to make a lasting change for each other and their community. Kareem Haddad spent his whole life living in his hometown of Damascus, Syria, but when he’s sent to America for his own safety, Kareem feels lost moving to a new country. In the meantime, Samira is the only Arab in her American school, trying to lay low and avoid speaking up. She’s more focused on the spirit team than what’s going on in Syria, because she doesn’t want to be the ‘odd one out’. Both Samira and Kareem are united by the fact that they feel helpless as to what’s happening in Syria, but a fateful meeting gives both power and a voice through graffiti and street art.
