Arab+Americans

=Arab American Experience=

Fiction
 Budos, Marina. **//Ask Me No Questions//**. Antheneum, 2007. Story of Nadira and her family. After the 911 terrorist attacks officials began cracking down on illegal immigrants. Nadira and her family had originally come to the US with visas however when they expired they bought fake social security numbers and continued living in the US rather than return to Bangladesh. They attempt to flee to Canada however they do not make it and are forced to return to the US when it is discovered that Nadira’s father’s passport is expired. Reading level grades 7-10. [Jessica Dennison]

Khan, Rukhsana. **//Dahling If You Love Me, Would You Please, Please Smile.//** Turtle Back books, 2002.  Zainab and her family come from Pakistan to Canada. Zainab struggles to fit in during eighth grade in Canada. She is one of only two Arabic immigrants in the school. She struggles to get along with the other student because of their opposing religions. Zainab can not fit in no matter how hard she tries. She does not wear the right clothes or talk the right way. She even tries to direct the school play but that does not come without it’s hardships. Rading Level: Young Adult. [Jessica Dennison]

Nye, Naomi Shihab. **//Habibi//**. Simon Pulse, 1999. Liyana Abboud has lived in St Louis for most of her life. She is now returning to Jerusalem. This is a love story of Liyana and Omer, a boy she falls in love with upon returning to Jerusalem. Liyana struggles with fitting in and adjusting to living in Jerusalem after living in the United States. Reading level grades 5-9. [Jessica Dennison]