Synopses & Reviews
The history of Arab settlement in the United States stretches back nearly as far as the history of America itself. For the first time, Alia Malek brings this history to life. In each of eleven spellbinding chapters, she inhabits the voice and life of one Arab American, at one time-stopping historical moment. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Separately, the chapters in andlt;Iandgt;A Country Called Amreeka andlt;/Iandgt;transport us; together, they offer a vital piece of the mosaic of our American history and a fresh, urgent, and exciting perspective on a teeming community whom it has become essential for us to understand.
Review
"Malek brings powerfully into focus...the story of the relationship between America and its Arab Americans.
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andlt;divandgt;"...[Fills a] gap in our collective understanding of our own history...a worthwhile read.
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"Alia Malek's impassioned and harrowing set of profiles of Arab-Americans gives vitality and resonance to a cause that is dear to my heart: fostering cross-cultural understanding and respect. Infectiously readable, the profiles in andlt;iandgt;A Country Called Amreekaandlt;/iandgt; add character and texture to the history of the Arab-American community, challenging every tired stereotype and giving us new insight into what it means to be an Arab-American today. This book gives us the faces behind the names, and tells the story of a community that both enriches and embraces the American fabric. andlt;iandgt;A Country Called Amreekaandlt;/iandgt;, and the Americans who inhabit it, are remarkable."andlt;BRandgt; --Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, author of andlt;iandgt;A Leap of Faith: Memoir of an Unexpected Lifeandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Like President Obama's first book, andlt;iandgt;A Country Called Amreekaandlt;/iandgt; explores what it's like to be of two worlds at onceand#8230;A wonderfully lucid and rational look at 20th century Arab American life. A book like this would be valuable in any era, but particularly nowand#8230;it's welcome, brave and necessary.and#8221; --Dave Eggers, andlt;iandgt;The Sanandlt;/iandgt; andlt;iandgt;Francisco Chronicleandlt;/iandgt;
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"...Malek deftly illuminates the individual and collective lives of Arab-Americans in the U.S.." and#8212;Kelly Kennedy, andlt;iandgt;Army Timesandlt;/iandgt;
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"[A] superb snapshot of the Americans of Arab-speaking descent. [Malek has] a remarkable ability to capture her subjects' voices...An excellent book, one certain to put right some of the wrongs it catalogues."and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt; (starred review)
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"...[Fills a] gap in our collective understanding of our own history...a worthwhile read. Richly told and beautifully written, [a] valuable contribution to the American story."and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Political Affairsandlt;/iandgt; Magazine
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"Malek brings powerfully into focus...the story of the relationship between America and its Arab Americans. As the book progresses through time, a bigger story begins to emerge...An incredible journey." and#8212; andlt;Iandgt;Christian Science Monitorandlt;/Iandgt;
Synopsis
AMREEKA retells a number of significant events in U.S. history, through the eyes of our large and growing community of Arab-Americans.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;ALIA MALEKandlt;/Bandgt; is an author and civil rights lawyer. Born in Baltimore to Syrian immigrant parents, she began her legal career as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice'sandnbsp;Civil Rights Division. After practicing law in the States, Lebanon, and the West Bank, Malek, who has degrees from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown universities, earned her masterand#8217;s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Her reportage has appeared in andlt;iandgt;Salonandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;The Columbia Journalism Review,andlt;/iandgt;andnbsp;and andlt;iandgt;Theandnbsp;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;. This is her first book.