Arab American Heritage Month - Books for Adults

National Arab American Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Arab culture and the contributions of Arab Americans in the United States.

Arab Americans are people who came from or whose ancestors came from one of twenty-two Arab nations in northern Africa or the Middle East. An Arab nation is one where people speak the Arabic language. There are twenty-two Arab nations, and the largest by population include Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Other Arab nations include Bahrain, the Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

In 2021, the world’s Arab population was estimated to be about 436 million. Oregon’s Arab American community is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. with more than 31,000 Arab Americans living in Oregon.

To celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, check out one of these recommended books or movies below!

Updated April 2, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Milwaukie Ledding Library
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Life without a recipe : a memoir
Abu-Jaber, Diana
Paper Book
On one side, there is Grace: prize-winning author Diana Abu-Jaber's tough, independent sugar-fiend of a German grandmother, wielding a suitcase full of holiday cookies. On the other, Bud: a flamboyant, spice-obsessed Arab father, full of passionate argument. The two could not agree on anything:...
Against the loveless world : a novel
Abulhawa, Susan
Paper Book
2020 Palestine Book Awards Winner 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist "Susan Abulhawa possesses the heart of a warrior; she looks into the darkest crevices of lives, conflicts, horrendous injustices, and dares to shine light that can illuminate hidden worlds...
A bookshop in Algiers
Adimi, Kaouther
Paper Book
'A beautiful little novel about books, history, ambition and the importance of literature.'Nick Hornby'Truly potent ... Adimi confronts us with episodes that are simply never spoken of in France' The New York Times Book ReviewIn 1936, a young dreamer named Edmond Charlot opened a modest bookshop in...
Throne of the Crescent Moon
Ahmed, Saladin.
Paper Book
From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year's most anticipated fantasy debuts: THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights. The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and...
An unnecessary woman
Alameddine, Rabih
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST A happily misanthropic Middle East divorcee finds refuge in books in a "beautiful and absorbing" novel of late-life crisis (The New York Times). Aaliya is a divorced, childless, and reclusively cranky translator in Beirut nurturing...
The wrong end of the telescope
Alameddine, Rabih
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2022 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION By National Book Award winner for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) and National Book Award finalist for An Unnecessary Woman comes a transporting new novel about an Arab American trans woman's...
The hakawati
Alameddine, Rabih.
Paper Book
In 2003, Osama al-Kharrat returns to Beirut after many years in America to stand vigil at his father's deathbed. As the family gathers, stories begin to unfold: Osama's grandfather was a hakawati, or storyteller, and his bewitching tales are interwoven with classic stories of the Middle East....
A long walk from Gaza : a novel
Alatawna, Asmaa
Paper Book
The violence of life in Gaza which has taken on immense proportions for the whole world to see is intimately rendered here in a human story of resistance and resilience. In the tradition of Palestinian women writers, Asmaa Alatawna has gifted us a novel that is both personal and...
Bitter orange tree : a novel
Alharthi, Jokha
Paper Book
Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award A TIME Best Book of the Year A New Yorker Best Book of the Year An extraordinary novel from a Man Booker International Prize-winning author that follows one young Omani woman as she builds a life for herself in...
The moon that turns you back
Alyan, Hala
Paper Book
From the author of The Arsonists' City and The Twenty-Ninth Year, a new collection of poetry that traces the fragmentation of memory, archive, and family-past, present, future-in the face of displacement and war. A diaspora of memories runs through this poetry collection--a...
Salt houses
Alyan, Hala
Paper Book
 Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses follows three generations of a Palestinian family and asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can't go home again. Winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Arab American Book Award On the eve...
Courting Samira : a novel
Awad, Amal
Paper Book
Set in Sydney, Australia, Courting Samira is a charming, big-hearted rom-com about a twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian woman who finds herself in an unexpected love triangle--a sparkling ode to meddling best friends, traditional courtship, The Princess Bride, and, of course, the possibility of...
The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders
Aziza, Sarah
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE PALESTINE BOOK AWARD A brush with death. An ancestral haunting. A century of family secrets. Sarah Aziza's searing, genre-bending memoir traces three generations of diasporic Palestinians from Gaza to the Midwest to New York City--and back "You were...
Huddud's House
Azzam, Fadi/ Alatrash, Ghada (TRN)
Paper Book
How far is love willing to travel in search of its own lost voice? When tyranny unleashes destructive forces that threaten to overwhelm a country, what are the effects on the lives and choices of ordinary humans? When citizens become inhabitants of a land of extremes, what do they do, to whom do...
Tanoreen : Palestinian home cooking in diaspora : a new and expanded edition of Olives, Lemons and Za'atar
Bishara, Rawia
Paper Book
It has been 10 years since the publication of the beloved cookbook, Olives, Lemons and Za'atar by Rawia Bishara, chef and owner of the iconic Brooklyn restaurant Tanoreen. In this new expanded edition Rawia shares the flavors of her Palestinian childhood in Nazareth - with recipes passed down from...
All-American Muslim girl
Courtney, Nadine Jolie
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of 2019 A 2021 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book Nadine Jolie Courtney's All-American Muslim Girl is a relevant, relatable story of being caught between two worlds, and the struggles and hard-won joys of finding your...
Behind you is the sea : a novel
Darraj, Susan Muaddi
Paper Book
2025 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FINALIST * ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARD FINALIST Washington Post Notable Works of Fiction from 2024 * Booklist Top 10 Debut Novels of 2024 * Ms. Magazine Favorite Books of the Year 2024 * Elle.com The Best...
Chronicle of a last summer : a novel of Egypt
El Rashidi, Yasmine
Paper Book
A young Egyptian woman recounts her personal and political coming of age in this brilliant debut novel. Cairo, 1984. A blisteringly hot summer. A young girl in a sprawling family house. Her days pass quietly: listening to a mother's phone conversations, looking at the Nile...
Huda F are you?
Fahmy, Huda
Paper Book
From the creator of Yes, I'm Hot In This, this cheeky, hilarious, and honest graphic novel asks the question everyone has to figure out for themselves- Who are you? A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century Huda and her family just moved to...
Our women on the ground : essays by Arab women reporting from the Arab world
Hankir, Zahra
Paper Book
'Determination, grit and humour shine through' Lindsey Hilsum, Observer Nineteen Arab women journalists speak out about what it's like to report on their changing homelands in this first-of-its-kind essay collection. A growing number of intrepid Arab...
Love is an ex-country : a memoir
Jarrar, Randa
Paper Book
Queer. Muslim. Arab American. A proudly Fat femme. Randa Jarrar is all of these things. In this "exuberant, defiant and introspective" memoir of a cross-country road trip, she explores how to claim joy in an unraveling and hostile America (The New York Times Book Review).  ...
The map of salt & stars
Joukhadar, Jennifer Zeynab
Paper Book
The American granddaughter
Kajahʹjī, Inʻām.
Ebook
At the beginning of America's occupation of Iraq, 15 years after leaving Baghdad, Zeina returns to her war-torn homeland as an interpreter for the US Army where she finds herself torn by conflicting allegiances. Her traditional grandmother, the only family member that Zeina believes she has in Iraq,...
Baladi Palestine : a celebration of food from land and sea
Kalla, Joudie
Paper Book
Following on from her bestselling Palestine on a Plate, Joudie Kalla introduces readers to even more of the Middle East's best kept secret - Palestinian cuisine.
The hundred years' war on Palestine : a history of settler colonialism and resistance, 1917-2017
Khalidi, Rashid
Paper Book
A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, alarmed by the Zionist call to create a Jewish...
Zaitoun : recipes and stories from the Palestinian kitchen
Khan, Yasmin (Cook).
Paper Book
A dazzling cookbook with vibrant recipes, captivating stories and stunning photography from Palestine 'A moving, hugely knowledgeable and utterly delicious book' Anthony Bourdain 'A big bowl-full of delicious Palestinian recipes, plus...
Gate of the Sun
Khoury, Elias
Paper Book
ANew York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year One ofKansas City Star's 100 Noteworthy Books of the Year ABoldtypeNotable Book of the Year AChristian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year ASan...
Conditional citizens : on belonging in America
Lalami, Laila
Paper Book
A New York Times Editors' Choice * Best Book of the Year: Time, NPR, Bookpage, L.A. Times What does it mean to be American? In this starkly illuminating and impassioned book, Pulitzer Prize­­-finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely...
The dream hotel : a novel
Lalami, Laila
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER ● READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY ● From Laila Lalami--the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and a "maestra of literary fiction" (NPR)--comes a riveting and utterly original novel about one woman's fight for freedom, set in...
The other Americans
Lalami, Laila
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of...
The Moor's account : a novel
Lalami, Laila
Paper Book
"From the Pulitzer Prize finalist, author of The Moor's Account--a timely and powerful new novel about the suspicious death of a Moroccan immigrant that is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story, all of it informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture. Nora Guerraoui...
A month in Siena
Matar, Hisham
Paper Book
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Return comes a profoundly moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life.   NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND EVENING STANDARD After finishing...
The return : fathers, sons, and the land in between
Matar, Hisham
Paper Book
"Hisham Matar was nineteen when his father was kidnapped and taken to prison in Libya. He would never see him again. Twenty-two years later, the fall of Gaddafi meant he was finally able to return to his homeland. In this moving memoir, the author takes us on an illuminating journey, both physical...
Man o' war
McCarthy, Cory
Paper Book
A Stonewall Honor Book An achingly honest and frequently hilarious coming-of-age novel about an Arab American trans teen fighting to keep their head above water in a landlocked Midwestern town. Man o' wars are not jellyfish, and River McIntyre is not happy....
Shubeik lubeik
Muh?ammad, Di?na?
Paper Book
* Winner of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation *Eisner Award Nominee * Hugo Award Nominee A brilliantly original debut graphic novel that imagines a fantastical alternate Cairo where wishes really do come true. Shubeik Lubeik--a fairy tale rhyme that means...
Cities of salt
Munīf, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān.
Paper Book
The Slightest Green
Mustafah, Sahar
Paper Book
American-born nurse Intisar has strived to create a life for herself in Chicago. She was raised by her mother after her father returned to Palestine when she was 9, completely disappearing from her life. Now, 20 years later, she receives an urgent request from him. He is dying and asks her to come...
If an Egyptian cannot speak English : a novel
Naga, Noor
Paper Book
Winner of the 2022 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Winner of the 2023 Arab American Book Award for FictionShortlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize Shortlisted for the 2023 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Shortlisted for the 2022 VCU Cabell First Novelist...
Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman
Nuseibeh, N. S.
Paper Book
A Palestinian Woman's dazzling exploration of heritage, gender and the idea of home. I may not be brave enough, but somewhere deep inside of me there is, perhaps, the kernel of someone who is. That brave someone was the legendary Nusayba bint Ka'ab al...
Dine in Palestine: An Authentic Taste of Palestine in 60 Recipes from My Family to Your Table
Odeh, Heifa.
Paper Book
Bring the Bold Flavors of Palestine into Your KitchenRe-create traditional, flavorful Palestinian meals at home with this comprehensive collection of Middle Eastern recipes. From familiar favorites like Dawali (Stuffed Grape Leaves with Beef), Shawarma and Baklawa, to more complex meals like...
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine
Pappé, Ilan.
Paper Book
Renowned Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe's groundbreaking work on the formation of the State of Israel. 'Along with the late Edward Said, Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history.' NEW STATESMAN Between 1947 and 1949, over 400 Palestinian villages were ...
Palestine
Sacco, Joe.
Paper Book
A single volume collection of the landmark novel by Joe Sacco, author of Safe In Goradze. Palestine was his first major comic work of political and historical non-fiction, and was based on several months research and an extended visit to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s, where he...
Strangers in the house : coming of age in occupied Palestine
Shehadeh, Raja
Paper Book
In 1948, Raja Shehadehs Palestinian family was one of many driven from their homes when Israel defeated the Arab armies arrayed against it. Shehadehs early childhood in the rural hills of the West Bank was marked by his familys sense of loss and impermanence, vividly evoked by the distant glittering...
Determined to stay : Palestinian youth fight for their village
Sokolower, Jody
Paper Book
Silwan is a Palestinian village located just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Determined to Stay is a moving story of a village and its people. As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes an easily accessible way to understand Palestinian...
Boustany
Tamimi, Sami
Paper Book
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2025, THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORK TIMES Vegetarian recipes celebrating the food of Palestine, from the co-author of Falastin, Jerusalem and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. A homage to Palestinian...
The food of Morocco
Wolfert, Paula.
Paper Book
Paula Wolfert's name is synonymous with revealing the riches of authentic Mediterranean cooking, especially the cuisine of Morocco. In The Food of Morocco, she brings to bear more than forty years of experience of, love of, and original research on the traditional food of that country. The...

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