Monday, September 15, 2008

Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi


A good graphic novel about one man's experience being an Arab in America. he was one when his parents brought him and his sisters to the US but with racial tension doesn't always know how to react. He's an American. This book also looks at how American media portrays Arabs, intentionally or not. This book really made me think. It was a good book but I really think this is targeted more to adults. I vote nay!

1 comment:

Josh B. said...

This one is a tough call. I loved this book, and in a lot of ways am already starting to think of it as a companion book to American Born Chinese. It deals with some tough issues and it does it in a very enjoyable read. However, I will agree that it does not seem particularly to be aimed at teens. As I mentioned in my comment on Three Shadows, I think graphic novels have the ability to appeal to teens even if they are adult in nature. Also, while teens may not be the intended reader of this graphic novel, I think it appeals to teens simply in its subject matter. They have grown up in a world, where terrorism, and as a result of that terrorism a racism towards Arabs has been prevalent. In fact, one of the major points of the book, Sept 11, and the main characters resulting experiences, is one of those life defining moments for teens today’s. So, while I don’t know if the authors intent was to write a book for teens, I think it does have teen appeal, and is an all around great story. I will vote Yes for thumbs up.