Dangerous Fiction: Stories of the Displaced and Placeless – A Reading List by Omar El Akkad
A few months ago, I got the opportunity to attend a talk by Omar El Akkad, the author of the incredible book American War. We were in a small room with about 10 people, and I was in heaven. His talk was fascinating and centered on the ways that displacement and disruption can fracture personal identities.
In addition, he did something that will always win me over. He gave us a book list. Some of the books I had read, some I had heard of, and some were completely new.
I wanted to share this list with you. It is for those who read American War, and also for those who are interested in good global books, especially books from Middle Eastern authors.
The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz – surrealist fiction about a country in the Arab world under totalitarian rule, and the story of how truth and morality can be twisted
The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine – a novel about the life of a brilliant gay Yemini poet living in San Fransisco, and the story of how a lifetime of experiences shapes who we are
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid – the story of two refugees from an unnamed Arabic country as they seek a better life for themselves, and the story of what displacement does to identity
The Shell: Memories of a Hidden Observer by Mustafa Khalifa – the fictional diary of a prisoner in Syria, and a story about the tragedy that so meany people are living through today
There, There by Tommy Orange – the story of 12 people traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, and a story about memory and identity, particular how it intersects with native histories and violence.
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi – a horror story about a Frankenstein-like monster created from the body parts of the dead, and a look at the surreal nature of reality in modern-day Iraq
Look: Poems by Solmaz Sharif – a book of poems that looks at the human impact of warfare and violence, and an examination of the language we use to describe and explain these events
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire – poetry about Islam that looks at the beauty and the trauma of our world, both in the present and in the past
Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong – poetry about people who are considered the “other” and the quest for acceptance and a voice
