Arab in America

Arab in America
written and illustrated by Toufic El Rassi, 2008, Last Gasp. (0867196734).


Author/Illustrator Website: none


Media: pen and watercolor

Annotation:
An autobiographical graphic novel about dealing with prejudice and negotiating ethnic identity as an Arab in American society. 

Personal Reaction:
      Toufic El Rassi is the Beirut-born author of the autobiographical graphic novel Arab in America, a serious look at what it means to be Arab in a post 9/11 society. El Rassi tackles racism and prejudice in the United States, whether it be on a personal level or the institutional racism of U.S. foreign policy. The most interesting and thought provoking parts of the book come when El Rassi dissects how the mainstream media chooses to depict Muslims- the images presented are typically of crazed mobs wielding machine guns, people marching with scary masks, children holding guns and men burning American flags. El Rassi switches haphazardly back and forth between his personal narrative and his exposition of US/Middle East relations which could be jarring for some readers. His illustrations are effective enough, but lack real personality and charm, and there are more than a few typos in the book which was distracting. Nonetheless, I think this would be an excellent book to help high schoolers to begin expanding their understanding of U.S. foreign policy, mainstream media and their own preconceptions of Arabs in America.