i was their american dream malaka gharib

“Forthright and funny, Gharib fiercely claims her own American dream.” - Booklist Gharib pokes fun at all of the cultures she lives in, able to see each of them with an outsider’s wry eye, while appreciating them with an insider’s close experience. The question of ‘What are you?’ has never been answered with so much charm.” -Marissa Moss, New York Journal of Books The push and pull first-generation kids feel is portrayed with humor and love, especially humor. “In this time when immigration is such a hot topic, Malaka Gharib puts an engaging human face on the issue. Malaka's story is a heartfelt tribute to the American immigrants who have invested their future in the promise of the American dream. Malaka Gharib's triumphant graphic memoir brings to life her teenage antics and illuminates earnest questions about identity and culture, while providing thoughtful insight into the lives of modern immigrants and the generation of millennial children they raised. The daughter of parents with unfulfilled dreams themselves, Malaka navigated her childhood chasing her parents' ideals, learning to code-switch between her family's Filipino and Egyptian customs, adapting to white culture to fit in, crushing on skater boys, and trying to understand the tension between holding onto cultural values and trying to be an all-American kid. I Was Their American Dream is at once a coming-of-age story and a reminder of the thousands of immigrants who come to America in search for a better life for themselves and their children. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR.Gharib’s wisdom about the power and limits of racial identity is evident in the way she draws.”-NPR

“A portrait of growing up in America, and a portrait of family, that pulls off the feat of being both intimately specific and deeply universal at the same time.

I was their american dream malaka gharib