The Art of Arab-American Literature

      Home to Amani is a growing idea rooted in heritage and defiance. She was born to a Palestinian family in diaspora and raised in the United States, living between two worlds. Amani attempts to fit into American culture, distancing herself from her heritage, but eventually comes to be drawn to the culture and struggle of her people. Her return to the Middle East during college reflects a deep longing for belonging and connection. Amani’s journey illustrates how home can be both a physical place and an emotional anchor—a space between memory and aspiration. For her, home is less about geography and more about identity.      Gabe, raised in a multicultural, diasporic environment, embodies the tension between inherited displacement and a desire for rootedness. As a son of a Palestinian-American mother, his concept of home is less experiential and more narrative. Gabe's search for home is one of the inside; he struggles with being without the clear cul...

  Etaf Rum provides a tragic yet insightful tale in her book “A woman is no man”  She highly focuses on the role of women Etaf Rum provides a devastating but eye-opening narrative in her novel A Woman Is No Man, weaving her life experiences into a gripping tale that unfolds to show the silencing of women in traditional societies. While the book is fictional, Rum has openly admitted that much of it is based on her own life. This adds a chilling weight to the story—particularly the murder of Isra, the main character, at the hands of her husband. Not only is her murder a personal tragedy; it is emblematic of the violent consequences of being silenced in a world where women are supposed to submit and be quiet. Rum's decision to end the novel on such a tragic note reflects the devastating truth that not all women survive these oppressive systems. It's a shocking reminder that silence, fear, and shame can kill. Rather than offering a neatly wrapped-up ending, Rum forces readers to w...

  Brett Underwood  Professor Esa  4/9/2025  Arab-American Literature  When Andrea Shelal-Esa writes, ". food is such a great human connector, it's so intimate. Let the food be a metaphor for their experiences," she speaks to the deep power of food in human culture, particularly when it is employed as a vehicle for storytelling and identity creation. This is borne out in her writing, which often puts food center stage as something greater than just a source of sustenance. It becomes a powerful vehicle to express emotions, memories, and experiences beyond words. Food has an extraordinary ability to transcend words and communicate complex emotions. Food can be a history, culture, and journey personal to each person. In Andrea Shelal-Esa's writing, food is utilized as a metaphor that represents the people's experience, especially that of Arab women, who bring recipes but more importantly the essence of their culture along with them. When these women immigrate to the...