This author explores complex human relationships and moral dilemmas through incisive storytelling. Their style is marked by raw honesty and a profound understanding of the human psyche, offering readers a compelling glimpse into their characters' inner lives. The author's work often delves into themes of justice and the search for identity in a tumultuous world.
Als Einwanderer glaubte Omar El Akkad, dass der Westen ein Ort der Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit für alle sein würde. Doch in den Jahren, in denen er über den Klimawandel, die Black-Lives-Matter-Proteste, die verschiedenen Kriege gegen den Terror und vieles mehr berichtet und zuletzt den Genozid in Gaza beobachtet, wird ihm zunehmend klar, dass vieles von dem, was der Westen verspricht, eine Lüge ist. Eines Tages werden alle immer schon dagegen gewesen sein ist eine Chronik dieser schmerzhaften Erkenntnis, eine moralische Auseinandersetzung mit der Frage, was es bedeutet – als Bürger der USA, als Vater –, in diesen verheerenden Zeiten einen Sinn für Möglichkeiten zu finden. Eines Tages werden alle immer schon dagegen gewesen sein ist El Akkads bitterer, roher und verletzlicher Aufschrei von jemandem, der sich immer auf der Seite der Gerechten wähnte und nicht aufhört, das Gute zu suchen. Es ist ein von Herzen kommender Abschiedsbrief an den Westen, eine brillante Formulierung der Desillusionierung, die wir überall auf der Welt beobachten, in Familienzimmern, auf Universitätsgeländen, auf den Straßen der Städte. Dieses Buch ist für alle, die etwas Besseres wollen als das, was der Westen aufgetischt hat. Dies ist das Buch für unsere Zeit.
Exploring themes of identity and marginalization, this novel by Omar El Akkad delves into the complexities of existence within an empire that overlooks the humanity of its subjects. Through a compelling narrative, it challenges readers to confront the realities of oppression and the struggle for recognition and dignity. El Akkad's poignant storytelling invites reflection on the broader implications of power and belonging in contemporary society.
The Annotated Arabian Nights features a modern translation by Yasmine Seale, the first by a woman, alongside insightful annotations by Paulo Lemos Horta. This illustrated edition explores the rich origins of the tales, including beloved stories like "Aladdin" and "Ali Baba," making it a valuable resource for readers of all ages.
For fans of Exit West and The Underground Railroad and from the widely acclaimed author of American War comes a profoundly moving novel examining the global refugee crisis through a child's lens.
Follow the tributaries of today's political combat a few decades into the
future and you might arrive at something as terrifying as Omar El Akkad's
debut novel, American War. Across these scarred pages rages the clash that
many of us are anxiously speculating about in the Trump era: a nation riven by
irreconcilable ideologies, alienated by entrenched suspicions. . . . both
poignant and horrifying. -Ron Charles, The Washington Post Whether read as a
cautionary tale of partisanship run amok, an allegory of past conflicts or a
study of the psychology of war, American War is a deeply unsettling novel. The
only comfort the story offers is that it's a work of fiction. For the time
being, anyway. -Justin Cronin, The New York Times Book Review El Akkad . . .
has an innate (and depressingly timely) feel for the textural details of
dystopia; if only his grim near-future fantasy didn't feel so much like a
crystal ball. -Leah Greenblat, Entertainment Weekly Powerful . . . If violence
and conflict feel distant, journalist Omar El Akkad's debut novel brings them
home. . . . Despite its future setting, it'd feel wrong to call American War a
work of science fiction. Hell, it'd even feel off to call it dystopian, given
that it's so few steps removed from our reality. -Kevin Nguyen, GQ American
War is an extraordinary novel. El Akkad's story of a family caught up in the
collapse of an empire is as harrowing as it is brilliant, and has an air of
terrible relevance in these partisan times. -Emily St. John Mandel, author of
Station Eleven El Akkad has created a brilliantly well-crafted, profoundly
shattering saga of one family's suffering in a world of brutal power
struggles, terrorism, ignorance, and vengeance. American War is a gripping,
unsparing, and essential novel for dangerously contentious times. -Donna
Seaman, Booklist (starred review) Terrifyingly plausible . . . Part family
chronicle, part apocalyptic fable, American War is a vivid narrative of a
country collapsing in on itself. - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Gripping
and frightening . . . Well written, inventive, and engaging, this relentlessly
dark tale introduces a fascinating character. . . . Highly recommended. -James
Coan, Library Journal (starred review) Striking . . . A most unusual novel,
one featuring a gripping plot and an elegiac narrative tone. -Rayyan Al-
Shawaf, The Boston Globe Sarat is a fascinating character. . . . Thought-
provoking [and] earnest . . . El Akkad's formidable talent is to offer up a
stinging rebuke of the distance with which the United States sometimes views
current disasters, which are always happening somewhere else. Not this time.
-Jeff VanderMeer, Los Angeles Times Depicting a world uncomfortably close to
the one we live in, American War is as captivating as it is deeply
frightening. -Jarry Lee, Buzzfeed.com American War is terrifying in its
prescient vision of the future. -Maris Kreizman, New York magazine/Vulture
Astounding, gripping and eerily believable . . . masterful . . . Both the
story and the writing are lucid, succinct, powerful and persuasive. -Lawrence
Hill, The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Ambitious . . . [a] complex, thoroughly
imagined domestic dystopia. -Terra Arnone, National Post (Toronto) Omar El
Akkad has created an American future that is both terrifying and plausible. In
a world seared and flooded by global warming, the U.S. has fractured again
into North and South. The barbarism that ensues is all the more awful because
we know the rivers and the cities. And we know these people: they are our
neighbors; they are us. Through the eyes of a young girl El Akkad lets us see
the soul-crushing toll of war. It was only in the stunned minutes after I'd
finished the novel that I realized he had also taught us how to make a
consummate terrorist. -Peter Heller, author of The Dog Stars and Celine
American War, a work of a singular, grand, brilliant
