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Dearborn
Spanning several decades, Ghassan Zeineddine’s debut collection examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan. In ten tragicomic stories, Zeineddine explores themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more.
In Dearborn, a father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans.
By turns wildly funny, incisive, and deeply moving, Dearborn introduces readers to an arresting new voice in contemporary fiction and invites us all to consider what it means to be part of a place and community, and how it is that we help one another survive.
In Dearborn, a father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans.
By turns wildly funny, incisive, and deeply moving, Dearborn introduces readers to an arresting new voice in contemporary fiction and invites us all to consider what it means to be part of a place and community, and how it is that we help one another survive.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2023
About the author
Ghassan Zeineddine
3 books39 followersGhassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
June 20, 2023
Dearborn, Michigan, has a rich history with roots in the automotive industry. Henry Ford lived in Dearborn and Ford’s corporate center is located there. It is home to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, created by Henry Ford. It was also once a closed community, the mayor forbidding African Americans to live there. And today, it is home to the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States.
These stories are set in the Muslim community of Dearborn, immigrants who fled decades of war. They dream of returning to Lebanon, missing their life before the war. Their children have no affiliation to the old country; some leave the community while others stay, trying to be good Muslim children.
The male children are expected to get an education and have a successful career, with their faces on billboards. The girls are expected to live at home and remain virgins until they marry a professional Muslim man.
Food plays an important role as a touchstone to tradition and the past and as cultural identity, with many being vegetarians. (I love Lebanese food!)
After 9-11, the community is stressed. Men shave off mustaches so they don’t look like Saddam Hussein. They worry about Homeland Security accusing them of supporting terrorist organizations, so they fly American flags and wear sports team shirts. They had survived civil war and invasion and now they contend with ICE and FBI agents.
Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was to reminisce about the past.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
The rich cast of characters have stories that are heartbreaking and hilarious.
A burly butcher secretly dresses in women’s clothing underneath an niqab, finally able to embrace his female side. He finds acceptance with a woman friend.
My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all butchers; the cleaver runs in our family like a curse.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
A father dreams of returning to Lebanon, hiding illegal earnings in frozen chickens.
A woman helps a young wife escape an abusive husband.
A failed writer finds wealth and fame as a reader of Qur-‘an audiobooks.
In a marriage agreement, a woman agrees to support the Spartans (Michigan State’s football team) if the man converts to Islam. (Michiganders understand the importance of the Michigan State vs. University of Michigan devotion!)
A teenage boy’s uncle visits and tells glorious stories of his life as a sniper, only to be revealed as a fraud.
The stories offer insight into this particular community, filled with the specifics of its culture and heritage, while revealing universal concerns and challenges that transcend ethnicity.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
These stories are set in the Muslim community of Dearborn, immigrants who fled decades of war. They dream of returning to Lebanon, missing their life before the war. Their children have no affiliation to the old country; some leave the community while others stay, trying to be good Muslim children.
The male children are expected to get an education and have a successful career, with their faces on billboards. The girls are expected to live at home and remain virgins until they marry a professional Muslim man.
Food plays an important role as a touchstone to tradition and the past and as cultural identity, with many being vegetarians. (I love Lebanese food!)
After 9-11, the community is stressed. Men shave off mustaches so they don’t look like Saddam Hussein. They worry about Homeland Security accusing them of supporting terrorist organizations, so they fly American flags and wear sports team shirts. They had survived civil war and invasion and now they contend with ICE and FBI agents.
Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was to reminisce about the past.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
The rich cast of characters have stories that are heartbreaking and hilarious.
A burly butcher secretly dresses in women’s clothing underneath an niqab, finally able to embrace his female side. He finds acceptance with a woman friend.
My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all butchers; the cleaver runs in our family like a curse.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
A father dreams of returning to Lebanon, hiding illegal earnings in frozen chickens.
A woman helps a young wife escape an abusive husband.
A failed writer finds wealth and fame as a reader of Qur-‘an audiobooks.
In a marriage agreement, a woman agrees to support the Spartans (Michigan State’s football team) if the man converts to Islam. (Michiganders understand the importance of the Michigan State vs. University of Michigan devotion!)
A teenage boy’s uncle visits and tells glorious stories of his life as a sniper, only to be revealed as a fraud.
The stories offer insight into this particular community, filled with the specifics of its culture and heritage, while revealing universal concerns and challenges that transcend ethnicity.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
July 12, 2024
“We were easily susceptible to bouts of nostalgia. A song by Fairouz, the smell of home cooking, a Lebanese film on TV could trigger our melancholy. Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was reminiscing about the past. They preferred our life in Dearborn because the city, with all its Arabic restaurants and grocery stores and mosques, reminded them of home while having the conveniences of America. But an imitation of home was inferior. We wanted the real thing.”
🏡
A heartfelt and complex collection of stories that highlight the nuances of identity, memories, and culture in the Arab-American community of Dearborn. Ranging from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each story adds a layer of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment, to build a mosaic of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, hope and nostalgia, that is such a pivotal foundation of the immigrant experience. Dearborn is a masterclass in expressing the vast array of emotions that one feels towards their homeland and the land in which they’ve resettled, and how many truths regarding love, belonging, and inter-generational relationships can exist at once. Filled with diverse perspectives and experiences that truly bring to life a fascinating city, and the vibrant lives that inhabit its limits.
🏡
A heartfelt and complex collection of stories that highlight the nuances of identity, memories, and culture in the Arab-American community of Dearborn. Ranging from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each story adds a layer of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment, to build a mosaic of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, hope and nostalgia, that is such a pivotal foundation of the immigrant experience. Dearborn is a masterclass in expressing the vast array of emotions that one feels towards their homeland and the land in which they’ve resettled, and how many truths regarding love, belonging, and inter-generational relationships can exist at once. Filled with diverse perspectives and experiences that truly bring to life a fascinating city, and the vibrant lives that inhabit its limits.
August 29, 2023
This was a stellar collection. Every story was a hit but my favorites were Speedoman (alternating views from husbands and wives POV of a new Lebanese man that comes into the community center pool scene with a pink robe and bulging package in a speedo); I Have Reasons to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist (a woman is fixated on her neighbors); and Yusra (a butcher cross-dresses for a few hours a week, wearing a niqba and heels).
Each of the stories had a great premise though - there's a family that stores their saved money in ziplocked bags in chickens rather than trust the banks. A recounting of a love from a Titanic survivor. A woman who is obsessed with the morbid nature of deaths.
All of them center Lebanese Dearbornites in Michigan, many of whom have never left the small town or who have arrived there and recreated a sense of their previous life in this new town.
I loved seeing mention of characters from other stories too, like breadcrumbs throughout the book, that show how small and interwoven this town is.
Each of the stories had a great premise though - there's a family that stores their saved money in ziplocked bags in chickens rather than trust the banks. A recounting of a love from a Titanic survivor. A woman who is obsessed with the morbid nature of deaths.
All of them center Lebanese Dearbornites in Michigan, many of whom have never left the small town or who have arrived there and recreated a sense of their previous life in this new town.
I loved seeing mention of characters from other stories too, like breadcrumbs throughout the book, that show how small and interwoven this town is.
November 7, 2023
Last summer I visited Dearborn, Michigan for the first time. As an Arab American I had been hearing about this place for years. The largest Muslim population in the United States. This always seemed like a strange place for this population to land on, as a small town in Metro Detroit isn't typically the obvious guess.
When I arrived I was surprised just how Arab this place was. Here in the Chicago area I'm used to seeing small communities of Arab culture that dominate a few streets or a strip mall but this was the entire town. Every street had business signs in Arabic, mosques and maronite churches, and people from across the SWANA region walking the streets. Nearly everyone I saw was Arab. I saw few white or Hispanic people and the few Black people I saw were Muslims. This was a mindblowing experience. I'm used to being one of the only or the only Arab person and grew up with very little Arab culture around me so to see something like this really was a unforgettable sight and one that could only exist in Dearborn.
For as Arab as Dearborn is I want to stress that it is equally American. Strip malls with lawyers and bail bondsmen, unwalkable stroads, and long stretches of 20th century suburban homes. You'll go to a grocery story and sure, half of it is what is typically corralled off on a shelf in the "international section" but the other half has the same soda, cereal, and frozen pizza you'll find at any other American grocery store. My favorite descriptor for how it feels to be in Dearborn from my visit was seeing a woman in a hijab driving a Polaris Slingshot.
A book about this place should be written. So when I saw that Ghassan Zeineddine had done so this year I set out to read it. This is a collection of 10 fictional short stories. Each tell the story of a different character, their dreams, hopes, ambitions, and fears. Varying in length and set in various time periods of the town's history these story paint a picture of people not unlike most other Americans. If you are an immigrant to this country or come from a family where your near family came to this country you will see many parallels as the immigrant experience has many similarities across cultures.
The characters and plots are vivid and highly memorable. You would hope as much coming from a creative writing professor from Oberlin College, which Zeineddine is. While Zeineddine is not from Dearborn he has spent his life living in the US and Middle East, including Dearborn. This experience informs his characters. He is a Lebanese American and so are all of his characters. This is fitting as Lebanese make up the largest portion of the Arab population that inhabit Dearborn but there are also many other ethnicities with their own experiences in this city too. I Listened to an interview where Zeineddine addresses this criticism but it is still worth mentioning.
While there is a split on male and female protagonists the majority of them are male. As an Arab man of Lebanese and Palestinian background I found many of these characters relatable or at least easily relatable but I could see that not being the case for others, especially if they are looking for a version of themselves that they know exists in Dearborn.
These stories are typically light in subject matter. Sure there are descriptions of war trauma or paranoia but those subjects typically color a character's background rather than dominate the content of the story. These stories are usually romances or a romanizations of daily life and struggles in Dearborn. I enjoyed this as it is a light that Arab Americans aren't typically painted in and it was refreshing to see.
While I overall really enjoyed these stories my main issue is that a lot of these stories start to tread the same ground after a while. Most all of these stories are domestic stories. Husbands and wives, son and daughters with their parents. These characters looking to make it in America or prove themselves to their parents. Many of the stories have protagonists who are creatives who wish to peruse their craft, typically writing. Write what you know but after a while it is clear this is one man's take on Dearborn. While this book could have been ten short stories all from different authors I probably would still have my issues with it; as the stories would probably vary in quality and content a lot more dramatically than they do here. I guess that's just the nature of a short story collection.
Like I said at the beginning, I'm just a guy who's visited Dearborn once, and it was this year. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of someone who grew up in Dearborn and has lived there for decades, seeing it's changes. I feel that I share a similar romanization of Dearborn as Zeineddine but is that what is mostly associated with it? Either way, I think the main thing Zeineddine has done here is greatly succeeded in showcasing the humanity of Arab Americans something we rarely see and something that is desperately needed at our current moment.
When I arrived I was surprised just how Arab this place was. Here in the Chicago area I'm used to seeing small communities of Arab culture that dominate a few streets or a strip mall but this was the entire town. Every street had business signs in Arabic, mosques and maronite churches, and people from across the SWANA region walking the streets. Nearly everyone I saw was Arab. I saw few white or Hispanic people and the few Black people I saw were Muslims. This was a mindblowing experience. I'm used to being one of the only or the only Arab person and grew up with very little Arab culture around me so to see something like this really was a unforgettable sight and one that could only exist in Dearborn.
For as Arab as Dearborn is I want to stress that it is equally American. Strip malls with lawyers and bail bondsmen, unwalkable stroads, and long stretches of 20th century suburban homes. You'll go to a grocery story and sure, half of it is what is typically corralled off on a shelf in the "international section" but the other half has the same soda, cereal, and frozen pizza you'll find at any other American grocery store. My favorite descriptor for how it feels to be in Dearborn from my visit was seeing a woman in a hijab driving a Polaris Slingshot.
A book about this place should be written. So when I saw that Ghassan Zeineddine had done so this year I set out to read it. This is a collection of 10 fictional short stories. Each tell the story of a different character, their dreams, hopes, ambitions, and fears. Varying in length and set in various time periods of the town's history these story paint a picture of people not unlike most other Americans. If you are an immigrant to this country or come from a family where your near family came to this country you will see many parallels as the immigrant experience has many similarities across cultures.
The characters and plots are vivid and highly memorable. You would hope as much coming from a creative writing professor from Oberlin College, which Zeineddine is. While Zeineddine is not from Dearborn he has spent his life living in the US and Middle East, including Dearborn. This experience informs his characters. He is a Lebanese American and so are all of his characters. This is fitting as Lebanese make up the largest portion of the Arab population that inhabit Dearborn but there are also many other ethnicities with their own experiences in this city too. I Listened to an interview where Zeineddine addresses this criticism but it is still worth mentioning.
While there is a split on male and female protagonists the majority of them are male. As an Arab man of Lebanese and Palestinian background I found many of these characters relatable or at least easily relatable but I could see that not being the case for others, especially if they are looking for a version of themselves that they know exists in Dearborn.
These stories are typically light in subject matter. Sure there are descriptions of war trauma or paranoia but those subjects typically color a character's background rather than dominate the content of the story. These stories are usually romances or a romanizations of daily life and struggles in Dearborn. I enjoyed this as it is a light that Arab Americans aren't typically painted in and it was refreshing to see.
While I overall really enjoyed these stories my main issue is that a lot of these stories start to tread the same ground after a while. Most all of these stories are domestic stories. Husbands and wives, son and daughters with their parents. These characters looking to make it in America or prove themselves to their parents. Many of the stories have protagonists who are creatives who wish to peruse their craft, typically writing. Write what you know but after a while it is clear this is one man's take on Dearborn. While this book could have been ten short stories all from different authors I probably would still have my issues with it; as the stories would probably vary in quality and content a lot more dramatically than they do here. I guess that's just the nature of a short story collection.
Like I said at the beginning, I'm just a guy who's visited Dearborn once, and it was this year. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of someone who grew up in Dearborn and has lived there for decades, seeing it's changes. I feel that I share a similar romanization of Dearborn as Zeineddine but is that what is mostly associated with it? Either way, I think the main thing Zeineddine has done here is greatly succeeded in showcasing the humanity of Arab Americans something we rarely see and something that is desperately needed at our current moment.
Read
February 6, 2024The Amerie’s Book Club selection for the month of February is DEARBORN by Ghasssan Zeineddine!
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and join me and Ghassan Zeineddine on my IGLIVE (@Amerie) at the end of February 2024. Bring your questions!
Loves and losses, triumphs and regrets—Ghassan Zeineddine explores these and more in his short story collection about the inner lives of the Arab American residents of Dearborn, Michigan, AKA the Arab American Capitol of the United States. At times tender, sad, wistful, and hilarious, there always exists a sense of endearment throughout the collection, whether from myself or between the characters, themselves. There is struggle and tension, yes, but there is perpetual love as Dearborn’s Arab American citizens navigate family, marriage, sexuality, and nostalgia—not to mention ICE and the IRS. Zeineddine’s deft characterization and sense of place left me feeling as if at any moment I could put the book down, jump on a plane, and meet in real life my new Dearbornean friends.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #Dearborn #GhassanZeineddine @ZeineddineG @tin_house
📚
ABOUT GHASSAN ZEINEDDINE
Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and join me and Ghassan Zeineddine on my IGLIVE (@Amerie) at the end of February 2024. Bring your questions!
Loves and losses, triumphs and regrets—Ghassan Zeineddine explores these and more in his short story collection about the inner lives of the Arab American residents of Dearborn, Michigan, AKA the Arab American Capitol of the United States. At times tender, sad, wistful, and hilarious, there always exists a sense of endearment throughout the collection, whether from myself or between the characters, themselves. There is struggle and tension, yes, but there is perpetual love as Dearborn’s Arab American citizens navigate family, marriage, sexuality, and nostalgia—not to mention ICE and the IRS. Zeineddine’s deft characterization and sense of place left me feeling as if at any moment I could put the book down, jump on a plane, and meet in real life my new Dearbornean friends.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #Dearborn #GhassanZeineddine @ZeineddineG @tin_house
📚
ABOUT GHASSAN ZEINEDDINE
Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
March 30, 2024
4.5
This didn’t give me that full 5 star feeling but it was excellent!
This didn’t give me that full 5 star feeling but it was excellent!
July 5, 2023
An impressive debut collection of interrelated stories set in Dearborn, Michigan in the Arab-American community. Home and belonging, desires, identity, migration, rites and rituals, religion devout or secular, generational conflicts, war trauma, sexuality, honest work and cons, and more are in these moving and warm and sometimes funny stories.
Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for an ARC.
Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for an ARC.
December 28, 2023
Review to come.
April 15, 2024
I absolutely loved this collection. The stories were so intimate and all involved so much self discovery and family love.
March 16, 2024
Ich fand es stilistisch ein bisschen schwerfällig, aber ich wusste vorher nichts über den Libanon und nichts über libanesisches Leben in den USA, deshalb hab ich es trotzdem gern gelesen.
September 23, 2023
Goodreads needs .25 and .5 stars because this was truly a 4.25-4.5 read for me.
A collection of short stories usually isn't my jam because typically 1-2 are great and the rest are mediocre, however 'Dearborn' is my exception because out of ten stories I found nine of them to be top tier (and the the other one 'just' good). Zeineddine does a stellar job of writing stories that, while being concentrated in the Arab community of Dearborn, are diverse in its portrayal of characters, intent, and outcome. The characters swing between being the religious devout vs. religious ambivalent, swindlers vs. brutally honest individuals, and the macabre obsessed vs. naive dreamers.
He writes with a balance of sympathy and humor for the characters, I felt for each of them without having the slightest idea where their respective story would end. The common thread that I felt throughout the book were the characters' longing to be something other than what they were, or where they were - either reminiscent about their past or longing for a different future than what was expected.
Here's my breakdown of mini-reviews for each tale:
The Actors of Dearborn: Great start to the collection, Youssef, Rocky, and Uncle Sam were all dynamic characters in their own way and this story helped set the stage for Dearborn.
Speedoman: One of shorter stories, but told in alternative group views (husbands/wives) and I was SHOOK when I found out how much he was charging for his calendars - and they paid it! That he was able to dupe them into buying his calendar because of how it made them all feel nostalgic....beautiful. I like that this story also crosses into Hiyam, LLC.
Money Chicken: The ending to this one was probably the most shocking to me for some reason. It seemed so unfathomable that after everything that happened, he wouldn't take up his father's offer of finally moving to Lebanon and instead returns to his prison cell to give Billy a foot massage. (That was a weird sentence to write BTW). Hits home the extent of his obsession with continuing his life in America, even at the detriment of himself.
Marseille: One of quiet favorites.....Titantic survivors whose story of first love right and marriage before boarding the ship is more enthralling than the famous sinking itself - expertly told and moving.
I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist: Another favorite from the collection. My heart broke for Badria at the end of this one. All the things unsaid to Lulu. *tear*
Zizou's Voice: Interesting tale because it went up and down for Zizou, Vegas odds on if he would succeed as an author. I wasn't sure until the very end that it wasn't going to happen for him, and felt acute sadness when he questioned if even Mira's potential future success as a writer would be enough for him.
In Memoriam: The was my least favorite, but still a solid story in it's own right. I just didn't personally connect to this one as much.
Hiyam, LLC.: Loved this story because on the surface it seems rather mundane, but Hiyam is an older remarried woman that experiences a series of emotions in the period of just days (maybe it just one day). And I am wildly curious if at the end of the story she stays content with her second husband who offers security and devotion, or if she calls her ex-husband back. (Don't do it Hiyam! They are ex's for a reason.)
Yusra: Was glad to see LGTBQA+ representation, as this is certainly a difficult area of acceptance (lack of) in Arab culture. This was also one of the happier endings, woot woot.
Rabbit Stew: I didn't know what to make of this one until I was done with it. Conflicted over how I felt about Uncle Ramzy, and unsure about the trajectory of the main character as well. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long, because as soon as I got to the description of Amer skinning the rabbit I recognized the ease of which he was readily narrating that horrific action and knew something changed in him. Or was brought out. Either way, that was an unnerving ending that I enjoyed.
All that to say, if you haven't read this book you should. Not only is it a great collection, the book also has the perfect amount of paperback 'floppiness' - great floppy factor here.
A collection of short stories usually isn't my jam because typically 1-2 are great and the rest are mediocre, however 'Dearborn' is my exception because out of ten stories I found nine of them to be top tier (and the the other one 'just' good). Zeineddine does a stellar job of writing stories that, while being concentrated in the Arab community of Dearborn, are diverse in its portrayal of characters, intent, and outcome. The characters swing between being the religious devout vs. religious ambivalent, swindlers vs. brutally honest individuals, and the macabre obsessed vs. naive dreamers.
He writes with a balance of sympathy and humor for the characters, I felt for each of them without having the slightest idea where their respective story would end. The common thread that I felt throughout the book were the characters' longing to be something other than what they were, or where they were - either reminiscent about their past or longing for a different future than what was expected.
Here's my breakdown of mini-reviews for each tale:
The Actors of Dearborn: Great start to the collection, Youssef, Rocky, and Uncle Sam were all dynamic characters in their own way and this story helped set the stage for Dearborn.
Speedoman: One of shorter stories, but told in alternative group views (husbands/wives) and I was SHOOK when I found out how much he was charging for his calendars - and they paid it! That he was able to dupe them into buying his calendar because of how it made them all feel nostalgic....beautiful. I like that this story also crosses into Hiyam, LLC.
Money Chicken: The ending to this one was probably the most shocking to me for some reason. It seemed so unfathomable that after everything that happened, he wouldn't take up his father's offer of finally moving to Lebanon and instead returns to his prison cell to give Billy a foot massage. (That was a weird sentence to write BTW). Hits home the extent of his obsession with continuing his life in America, even at the detriment of himself.
Marseille: One of quiet favorites.....Titantic survivors whose story of first love right and marriage before boarding the ship is more enthralling than the famous sinking itself - expertly told and moving.
I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist: Another favorite from the collection. My heart broke for Badria at the end of this one. All the things unsaid to Lulu. *tear*
Zizou's Voice: Interesting tale because it went up and down for Zizou, Vegas odds on if he would succeed as an author. I wasn't sure until the very end that it wasn't going to happen for him, and felt acute sadness when he questioned if even Mira's potential future success as a writer would be enough for him.
In Memoriam: The was my least favorite, but still a solid story in it's own right. I just didn't personally connect to this one as much.
Hiyam, LLC.: Loved this story because on the surface it seems rather mundane, but Hiyam is an older remarried woman that experiences a series of emotions in the period of just days (maybe it just one day). And I am wildly curious if at the end of the story she stays content with her second husband who offers security and devotion, or if she calls her ex-husband back. (Don't do it Hiyam! They are ex's for a reason.)
Yusra: Was glad to see LGTBQA+ representation, as this is certainly a difficult area of acceptance (lack of) in Arab culture. This was also one of the happier endings, woot woot.
Rabbit Stew: I didn't know what to make of this one until I was done with it. Conflicted over how I felt about Uncle Ramzy, and unsure about the trajectory of the main character as well. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long, because as soon as I got to the description of Amer skinning the rabbit I recognized the ease of which he was readily narrating that horrific action and knew something changed in him. Or was brought out. Either way, that was an unnerving ending that I enjoyed.
All that to say, if you haven't read this book you should. Not only is it a great collection, the book also has the perfect amount of paperback 'floppiness' - great floppy factor here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2023
Such a refreshing slice of Americana.
April 18, 2024
So good.
December 2, 2023
I'm not Arab, but I live in a multi-generational Arab household and am tangentially part of the Arab community in my city. My husband and stepsons are Arab and so is my son. I'm a part of it, and I'm not a part of it. Nothing to cry over, though it's not always simple. It doesn't compare to the alienation of immigrating to the states after the states in/directly bombs your home country.
I loved every story in here. I laughed, I cried, I related. I've been to Dearborn a lot over the years, but not in a long time. My own household feels immensely similar to the stories in here, and the material and social culture of the book needed no intro for me. I connected to the characters who find both comfort in the comparative orthodoxy of belonging, and who chafe at it too.
The stories are varied and emotionally expansive. I'm especially impressed with Ghassan Zeineddine's understanding of women's feelings; I can't remember the last male writer (I yearn to say man writer like the GOP calls it The Democrat Party. The noun-ing of non-nouns. The Gerund Option Party?) the last male writer who seemed to get women's feelings, feelings specific to being a woman under patriarchy, like Zeineddine does. Some reviewers found aspects of the book repetitive, but I'm not enough of a fiction buff to distinguish between thematic resonance/a coherent book of short stories and repetition. Whenever I read too many reviews, it scrambles me up a bit, I become reactive. Reading this, I was stirred by the emotions of loss, alienation, devotion, love, delight. To readers who weren't, I wonder, how could they miss all that, when it is right there, unhidden?
I work for a company that EDI training a couple of years ago, like many of you probably, and since then, I've thought a lot about what are the actual mechanics of dismantling racism (no super concrete answers from me yet). But I know it'll take more than a book to explain every meaningful cultural distinction. It might take real life, 3-D relationships, and it might take time. It'll probably take more than a book to make someone realize, permanently and vividly, that other people are just as much people as you are a person. It'll certainly take more than a book to counteract the effect of decades of CNN's (et al) version of the Middle East. But they say it's never too late to start, though, and this book might be a good way to do just that.
I loved every story in here. I laughed, I cried, I related. I've been to Dearborn a lot over the years, but not in a long time. My own household feels immensely similar to the stories in here, and the material and social culture of the book needed no intro for me. I connected to the characters who find both comfort in the comparative orthodoxy of belonging, and who chafe at it too.
The stories are varied and emotionally expansive. I'm especially impressed with Ghassan Zeineddine's understanding of women's feelings; I can't remember the last male writer (I yearn to say man writer like the GOP calls it The Democrat Party. The noun-ing of non-nouns. The Gerund Option Party?) the last male writer who seemed to get women's feelings, feelings specific to being a woman under patriarchy, like Zeineddine does. Some reviewers found aspects of the book repetitive, but I'm not enough of a fiction buff to distinguish between thematic resonance/a coherent book of short stories and repetition. Whenever I read too many reviews, it scrambles me up a bit, I become reactive. Reading this, I was stirred by the emotions of loss, alienation, devotion, love, delight. To readers who weren't, I wonder, how could they miss all that, when it is right there, unhidden?
I work for a company that EDI training a couple of years ago, like many of you probably, and since then, I've thought a lot about what are the actual mechanics of dismantling racism (no super concrete answers from me yet). But I know it'll take more than a book to explain every meaningful cultural distinction. It might take real life, 3-D relationships, and it might take time. It'll probably take more than a book to make someone realize, permanently and vividly, that other people are just as much people as you are a person. It'll certainly take more than a book to counteract the effect of decades of CNN's (et al) version of the Middle East. But they say it's never too late to start, though, and this book might be a good way to do just that.
June 23, 2023
A stellar collection of short stories that explores the growing and thriving Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. These characters were so memorable as they lived their lives, fought for their dreams, or forged new ones. And, the little easter eggs of characters that had appeared or will appear was so much fun to find.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
April 12, 2024
This is a short story collection centered on Arab Americans (mostly Lebanese) in the town of Dearborn, Michigan.
I have a hard time with short story collections. I am more of a long format readie and get sort of bored halfway. THIS WAS NOT THAT. I was rapt for each story, each completely different from the last, but with a common thread throughout of home, of culture, of the specter of the FBI/DHS knocking on your door. These were all *SO GOOD* and I don't even know how to pick a favorite. I was equally transfixed by the story of an elder woman looking out for her younger neighbor as I was the story of Yusra - a story of identity and being trans. The snippets were just enough and I really truly enjoyed this collection.
instagram.com/encyclopedia_britanika
I have a hard time with short story collections. I am more of a long format readie and get sort of bored halfway. THIS WAS NOT THAT. I was rapt for each story, each completely different from the last, but with a common thread throughout of home, of culture, of the specter of the FBI/DHS knocking on your door. These were all *SO GOOD* and I don't even know how to pick a favorite. I was equally transfixed by the story of an elder woman looking out for her younger neighbor as I was the story of Yusra - a story of identity and being trans. The snippets were just enough and I really truly enjoyed this collection.
instagram.com/encyclopedia_britanika
July 11, 2024
A collection of really high quality short stories, set in Dearborn, MI, a city with the largest Arab population outside of the Middle East, and 20 minutes from my home.
Lots of walks of life covered here, all characters of Lebanese heritage. There was just one story I skipped over because of it's sexual explicitness, and the very last story I had to fast forward through a butchering scene. Other than that I thought it was very interesting to be immersed in this society within a society. My favorite stories were Marseille and Zizou’s Voice.
Lots of walks of life covered here, all characters of Lebanese heritage. There was just one story I skipped over because of it's sexual explicitness, and the very last story I had to fast forward through a butchering scene. Other than that I thought it was very interesting to be immersed in this society within a society. My favorite stories were Marseille and Zizou’s Voice.
June 4, 2024
I was incredibly moved by this collection of stories set within the Lebanese American community in Dearborn, MI.
These stories are bittersweet, funny, and compelling in their depiction of family and displacement and obligation and missed dreams. It’s hard to pick a favorite. It was especially satisfying to follow the cameos of various characters appearing in other stories, which helped to paint such a rich portrayal of the community.
And of course, these stories made me miss my home and good Lebanese food, the equal of which I have not yet found outside of Metro Detroit.
These stories are bittersweet, funny, and compelling in their depiction of family and displacement and obligation and missed dreams. It’s hard to pick a favorite. It was especially satisfying to follow the cameos of various characters appearing in other stories, which helped to paint such a rich portrayal of the community.
And of course, these stories made me miss my home and good Lebanese food, the equal of which I have not yet found outside of Metro Detroit.
May 14, 2024
An excellent story collection. Ten tales about Arab Americans living in Dearborn, Michigan. These characters live and breathe in funny, sad, shocking stories. I hope the author expands at least one of these stories into a full novel. I delayed finishing the book as long as I could because I didn’t want it to end.
April 10, 2023
Rep: Lebanese & Lebanese American cast, Yemeni American & Black side characters, bi mc, genderfluid mc
CWs: Islamophobia, racism, racial slurs, mentions of anti-Blackness, mentions of past torture, animal death
CWs: Islamophobia, racism, racial slurs, mentions of anti-Blackness, mentions of past torture, animal death
February 14, 2024
I simply did not know Dearborn, Michigan is an Arab-American enclave. I’m happy to know it now though. The writing is completely absorbing and evocative. Many incredible and diverse stories and topics included in this collection, all explored with heart and humor. I can’t pick a favorite, all are fantastic.
I would have enjoyed more overlap in the stories or characters. Some of this is tough to read, lots of triggers: domestic violence, Islamophobia, graphic violence, just to name a few. It was heavy at times.
Such darn good writing in here about a community I knew nothing about. Write so much more, I will read it all.
I would have enjoyed more overlap in the stories or characters. Some of this is tough to read, lots of triggers: domestic violence, Islamophobia, graphic violence, just to name a few. It was heavy at times.
Such darn good writing in here about a community I knew nothing about. Write so much more, I will read it all.
March 25, 2024
So many engaging short stories packed into one outstanding book 📚
June 16, 2024
Thank you @LibroFM for the gifted audiobook! #LibroFM
Fun Facts:
• April is Arab American Heritage Month.
• Dearborn, Michigan has the largest Muslim population in the United States per capita and the largest mosque in North America.
• As of 2023, Dearborn, Michigan, has become the largest city with an Arab majority in the US, with 55% of its 110,000 population claiming Middle Eastern or North African roots in the latest census.
What Worked: Two voice actors rocked their portrayals of all these different characters. Each story was rich with people, and the narrators did a fabulous job of bringing them all to life in each of the different stories. The variety of stories the author includes make sure to portray a vast array of the lives in this Muslim community.
What Didn’t: Like all short story collections, there are some that readers are going to like more than others. Not every story can be on the same level, which is why I typically steer clear from collections of stories, essays, or poetry. However, I am glad that I didn’t let that prejudice stand in my way this time. I am confused on why the author (or publisher) chose to use that final story as the last one to end the book. I wish the book ended on a less emotionally ambiguous note. If you get it, let’s chat.
Rating: Really Liked It
Fun Facts:
• April is Arab American Heritage Month.
• Dearborn, Michigan has the largest Muslim population in the United States per capita and the largest mosque in North America.
• As of 2023, Dearborn, Michigan, has become the largest city with an Arab majority in the US, with 55% of its 110,000 population claiming Middle Eastern or North African roots in the latest census.
What Worked: Two voice actors rocked their portrayals of all these different characters. Each story was rich with people, and the narrators did a fabulous job of bringing them all to life in each of the different stories. The variety of stories the author includes make sure to portray a vast array of the lives in this Muslim community.
What Didn’t: Like all short story collections, there are some that readers are going to like more than others. Not every story can be on the same level, which is why I typically steer clear from collections of stories, essays, or poetry. However, I am glad that I didn’t let that prejudice stand in my way this time. I am confused on why the author (or publisher) chose to use that final story as the last one to end the book. I wish the book ended on a less emotionally ambiguous note. If you get it, let’s chat.
Rating: Really Liked It
November 7, 2023
Strong beginning, wobbly between 1/2 and 3/4, then very strong finish.
My main issue overall is that sometimes these read like linked stories and sometimes not. Some could stand alone, but some don’t. I prefer when a collection goes all one way or another, and I feel like this collection just isn’t sure what it is.
Otherwise, excellent.
My main issue overall is that sometimes these read like linked stories and sometimes not. Some could stand alone, but some don’t. I prefer when a collection goes all one way or another, and I feel like this collection just isn’t sure what it is.
Otherwise, excellent.
November 22, 2023
I loved this collection of short stories, all centered around the lives of Arab people (primarily Lebanese Americans, but other national origins as well) in Dearborn, Michigan. The characters and plots of the stories are diverse, memorable, and wholly believable. My favorite stories were Yusra, Marseille, Rabbit Stew, and I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor is a Terrorist.
August 25, 2023
Being a Michigander, I was very interested in reading this book named after a Michigan city with an interesting and somewhat checkered past, now known as home to a large Arab-American population.
The writing was excellent. I was drawn into each story and found myself truly connecting with the characters and caring about the outcomes. Some of the scenes in the book surprised me by being quite explicit. I skipped several paragraphs of “Rabbit Stew” because I did not want those images in my mind!
Despite some shocking scenes, I’m giving this book 5 stars. The writing was really great, and Dearbornites might enjoy the frequent mentions of familiar places.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
The writing was excellent. I was drawn into each story and found myself truly connecting with the characters and caring about the outcomes. Some of the scenes in the book surprised me by being quite explicit. I skipped several paragraphs of “Rabbit Stew” because I did not want those images in my mind!
Despite some shocking scenes, I’m giving this book 5 stars. The writing was really great, and Dearbornites might enjoy the frequent mentions of familiar places.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
July 3, 2023
Tin House publishers gave me a pre-publication copy of this book and I thank them for that.
I’m so impressed with this collection of short stories that take place in Dearborn, MI. All the characters are part of the Lebanese diaspora and either immigrated to Dearborn during the war with Israel or the Civil War, or they are the children of these immigrants who were born in the US. The characters are so richly drawn that they will stay with me a long time. There is humor and sadness and a realness to these stories that make them unforgettable. I highly recommend this book, which will be released in September.
I’m so impressed with this collection of short stories that take place in Dearborn, MI. All the characters are part of the Lebanese diaspora and either immigrated to Dearborn during the war with Israel or the Civil War, or they are the children of these immigrants who were born in the US. The characters are so richly drawn that they will stay with me a long time. There is humor and sadness and a realness to these stories that make them unforgettable. I highly recommend this book, which will be released in September.
June 5, 2024
I appreciate the author’s love for the town of Dearborn, but the stories themselves were just alright. The characters in each of them are interesting enough, but the narratives are unfocused and lack the punch that makes a short story work for me. There is a pattern in each of them where the scene is set at a particular time, and then the author gives an overview of the main character’s past before zooming years into the future in a way that often does not feel necessary. In a longer narrative this might have worked, but given the length constraints these leaps forward give a feeling of reading a summary rather than a story. I also noticed that the author waits until the last few paragraphs of many of these stories to attempt a tragic ending for the characters, but without previous or further development it feels like a cop out. The standout stories, in my opinion, were Speedoman, Yusra, and Rabbit Stew.
September 16, 2023
This has been one of my favorite reads this year. These stories cover years in the lives of residents in the Arab American community of Dearborn, Michigan. Stories of identity, trauma, conflict, sexuality, neighborhood relations, and then some (ICE agents, ugh) . There were many times I was angry, more so because I know what people go through, this feeling of having to prove you are part of this country, when do *we* accept that and embrace people? I laughed, I got teary eyed, all of the feelings here, but I found myself smiling throughout the entire read. There is heart and joy and thriving in this book.
These characters come to life in these pages, and to be honest, I want to see it as a show. The way different people and locations crossed paths into other stories feels like it would make great episodic television watching.
So in short, do yourselves a favor and check this one out!
These characters come to life in these pages, and to be honest, I want to see it as a show. The way different people and locations crossed paths into other stories feels like it would make great episodic television watching.
So in short, do yourselves a favor and check this one out!
December 14, 2023
So I guess I’m a short story girly now. This collection was fantastic and I really enjoyed it on audio. Each story was unique but had threads of the immigrant or first gen Lebanese experience in America to tie them together, along with the shared setting of Dearborn, Michigan. This book is a great example of how you can learn through fiction. I would list out favourite stories but honestly they were all really good so I’d end up just naming them all!
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