I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib is paired with Alita Cafe, a cafe based in East Williamsburg. Both inspired by the power and value of family, embracing multiple identities, and the initial realization of a dream still being cultivated and developed.
PICK UP INSTRUCTIONS: Please note that you will need to pick this up at Alita Cafe located at 797 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211. See here for their store hours and details. When picking up, please mention you have pre-purchased on our website, and share your confirmation number and name.
Book Description (Softcover)
“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 adored this book.”—Jonny Sun
“[A] high-spirited graphical memoir . . . Gharib’s wisdom about the power and limits of racial identity is evident in the way she draws.”—NPR
WINNER OF THE ARAB AMERICAN BOOK AWARD • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews
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. 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.
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. Malaka’s story is a heartfelt tribute to the American immigrants who have invested their future in the promise of the American dream.
Praise for I Was Their American Dream
“In this time when immigration is such a hot topic, Malaka Gharib puts an engaging human face on the issue. . . . The push and pull first-generation kids feel is portrayed with humor and love, especially humor. . . . 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
“Forthright and funny, Gharib fiercely claims her own American dream.”—Booklist
“Thoughtful and relatable, this touching account should be shared across generations.”– Library Journal
“This charming graphic memoir riffs on the joys and challenges of developing a unique ethnic identity.”– Publishers Weekly