Arab and Arab Diaspora Literature We Recommend
- List of the Month
- April 2024 (see all)
- Description
- In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, our List of the Month this April is devoted to Arab and Arab Diaspora Literature that we have read and recommend. For the purpose of this list, "literature" is defined to include fiction, poetry and plays. It does not include history, sociology, or other non-fiction works. Books should be written by Arab / Arab diaspora authors, which we define as being ethnically Arab, and either coming from Arabic-speaking nations and peoples, or descended from those nations and peoples. Please do not include Turkish, Persian or Afghani authors. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Please only downvote titles if they do not fit the theme, and are not Arab or Arab Diaspora literature.
1
1,260 members
18 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 25.13
Added 2024-04-09, 05:26 PM
- 7 Members
- Pferdina, nessreader, susanbooks, Dilara86, hikarugenji, Apstahl, shelahstanford
2
1,041 members
40 reviews
½ 3.5
Score 22.56
Added 2024-04-09, 06:47 PM
3
990 members
40 reviews
3.8
Score 20.27
Added 2024-04-09, 09:33 PM
- 6 Members
- msjudy, Onilyn, lillybaker123, shelahstanford, micathe.local.femboy, claudiashakti
4
5
2,166 members
97 reviews
½ 3.6
Score 17.87
Added 2024-04-09, 05:01 PM
- 5 Members
- lilithcat, kleo, jnsp13, shelahstanford, micathe.local.femboy
8
172 members
1 review
½ 4.3
Score 12.81
Added 2024-04-13, 07:03 AM
- 4 Members
- Tess_W, Hartsellang, arwa-fm, shelahstanford
9
154 members
6 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 12.71
Added 2024-04-13, 12:51 PM
- 4 Members
- ursula, LadyUndomiel, Silviote, Hartsellang
12
by Kamel Daoud
1,042 members
43 reviews
½ 3.5
Score 10.04
Added 2024-04-09, 08:24 PM
- 3 Members
- thorold, FAMeulstee, nessreader
- Explanations
- thorold: The Algerian view of Albert Camus’ L’étranger
13
20 members
1 review
5
Score 9.21
Added 2024-04-10, 02:48 AM
- 3 Members
- Helenliz, shelahstanford, claudiashakti
14
- 3 Members
- AbigailAdams26, micathe.local.femboy, claudiashakti
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: An engaging work of middle grade fiction from Palestinian American author Naomi Shihab Nye, about a young boy facing a move from his home country of Oman to the US.
15
79 members
3 reviews
4
Score 9.02
Added 2024-04-10, 03:06 PM
17
569 members
12 reviews
½ 3.3
Score 8.65
Added 2024-04-09, 09:28 PM
- 3 Members
- LolaWalser, shelahstanford, micathe.local.femboy
18
310 members
16 reviews
½ 3.5
Score 8.12
Added 2024-04-13, 12:54 PM
- 3 Members
- ursula, FAMeulstee, TheLOFT
19
205 members
7 reviews
4.1
Score 8.05
Added 2024-04-12, 06:28 PM
- 3 Members
- fannyprice, TheLOFT, Hartsellang
20
1,457 members
98 reviews
½ 3.6
Score 7.36
Added 2024-04-10, 12:01 AM
- 2 Members
- yoyogod, micathe.local.femboy
21
23
458 members
14 reviews
3.9
Score 6.4
Added 2024-04-09, 09:32 PM
24
26
by Alifa Rifaat
215 members
5 reviews
3.9
Score 5.71
Added 2024-04-09, 09:28 PM
- 2 Members
- LolaWalser, susanbooks
28
- 2 Members
- FAMeulstee, AnnieMod
- Explanations
- AnnieMod: The 2019 winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
29
30
31
57 members
5 reviews
4.1
Score 5.11
Added 2024-04-09, 04:43 PM
- 2 Members
- Hartsellang, AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: A gorgeous picture book with multimedia artwork from Egyptian author and artist Mohieddine Ellabbad.
41
44
- Member
- AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: A heartbreaking picture book from Lebanese American author Hayan Charara about a child's experience of war.
48
51
- Member
- AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: A lovely picture book from Arab American author Cathy Camper, featuring the bond between grandmother and granddaughter, and their appreciation for the natural world around them.
55
- Member
- WordMaven
- Explanations
- WordMaven: This book had me cracking up whenever the main protag showed up. He's way too smart for his own good and always has something snarky to say. There's a couple of intersecting story lines going on here between a young man from Pakistan and a younger woman from Iraq. Let's just say his journey has been a lot smoother than hers. Authentic storytelling.
59
61
- Member
- fannyprice
- Explanations
- fannyprice: An amazing novel about a gay man trying to cope with life and come to terms with his identity during the Lebanese Civil War in the late 1980s.
70
- Member
- AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: A gorgeous retelling of an Arabian Cinderella variant from Qatari author Kaltham Al-Ghanem.
75
- Member
- AbigailAdams26
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: A heartfelt and poignant picture book examination of the loss of a grandparent, from Omani author/artist Ibtihaj Al-Harthi.
97
329 members
4 reviews
3.9
Score -1.17
Added 2024-04-18, 03:48 PM
- Member
- Hartsellang,lilithcat ,Bookwomble
- Explanations
- lilithcat : Not fiction or poetry, not by an Arabic (or diasporic) author.
99
- Member
- Hartsellang,lilithcat , ,fannyprice , ,Bookwomble
- Explanations
- lilithcat : Neither fiction nor poetry.
100
- Member
- Helenliz,lilithcat , , ,fannyprice ,AnnieMod ,Rommert ,Bookwomble ,
- Explanations
- lilithcat : Author is Turkish, not Arabic.