Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, August 2009, page 48
Arab-American Activism
Arab American Literature Panel
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A PANEL on Arab American literature, moderated by film critic Dr. Jack Shaheen, author of Guilty: Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs after 9/11, included Syrian-American radio anchor Dalel Khalil, author of FromVeils To Thongs: An Arab Chick’s Survival Guide to Balancing One’s Ethnic Identity in America. Nawar Shora, author of Arab American Handbook, and Lebanese Arab-American author Gregory Orfalea discussed the challenges Arab American writers face.
Dr. Shaheen noted that 25 years ago it would have been difficult to put together a panel like this, because there was just a handful of Arab-American novelists. The speakers told horror stories about publishers who held onto manuscripts and then rejected them at the last minute.
Shora said he is finding a market for his handbook, which he dubbed “Arabs for Dummies,” among educators and law enforcement officers.
Orfalea didn’t publish a book until he was 38. He advised authors to take their time to find their voice. He read a deeply moving passage about burying his uncle at Arlington Cemetery.
Khalil described the isolation she felt living in the middle of two cultures, in a traditional family hanging out with thousands of cousins, and loving both Umm Kulthum and Madonna. She wrote her book to help people from any any traditional society find and celebrate their own voice in America.
To order these books and other fine Arab-American literature, visit the AETBook Club online, <www.middleeastbooks.com>.
—Delinda C. Hanley
