I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

We, Muslims, we’re constantly besieged by a culture that didn’t understand us, that didn’t want us. It was why I only ever voiced my thoughts indirectly, through that particular prevarication called art. I didn’t see the point of harping on ‘our’ issues in public when it was evident ‘their’ mishaps and blind spots were so much more pressing. The existential threats to our species were not coming from us but from the proliferation of their ‘enlightened’ way of life to every corner of the planet. Wasn’t ‘that’ the necessary critique now?”
Brilliant.

Homeland Elegies is unlike any book I've read in one instance: it's a memoir masquerading as fiction. I've never read a book that contained the author's own name and experiences, yet was shelved in the fiction section. It could be that he wanted to embellish his own experiences, which seems unnecessary given the subject material, about a Muslim American in the time after 9/11, and once Trump came into the presidency, as well as the narrator's relationship with his father. It seems to take on a piece of the book Hillbilly Elegy, which is about poor white Americans in Appalachia and their experiences in America, and how they felt when Trump became president. It reminds me of the scandal surrounding the story of JT Leroy, who was thought to be a teenage runaway author writing memoirs but was actually the work of a grown woman who lied to everyone - the way she avoided prosecution is that at the beginning of each book, there was a note that it was "based on real events." Perhaps that is also why this is labeled as fiction - maybe the author left some things out, or put some things in, but either way, it's a fascinating read.

As always Ayad Akhtar genius for understanding the world we are living in and its particular complications for non-white citizens in America is on full display here. This auto-fiction is mind blowing. I have sung about this book from the rooftops. Akhtar is one of the most dynamic writers working today.

Homeland Elegies is one of the wittiest books I've read this year, I am beating myself up for not reading it sooner.
Part cultural essay, part social commentary, and part family drama --this novel is truly unique with absolutely stunning writing.

Written like a memoir, you will fall into a rabbit hole and take a journey with Ayad Akhtar as he explores what it means to be Muslim American post 9/11 (among other things). I mention "other things" because this novel also explores American culture, art, the rise of Trump, and goes off into tangents on several topics. It sounds, confusing, I know... but TRUST!

The story begins with the author's discussion of his father, a renown cardiologist, who treats Trump for heart irregularities. His father actually defends Trump and his son points out that even after decades in the United States, his father will never be seen as American. In real life, the author's father is, in fact, a renown cardiologist --but where does the truth end and when does fiction begin? But I write this to say that at the core of this novel is the relationship between father and son, as both represent different facets of the immigrant experience and the family ties that bind. Akhtar explores other important experiences in his life but grounds it within the father-son relationship.

The author consistently explores the complexity of the Muslim-American experience in this unique, fictionalized memoir. It truly is a memorable dialogue on race and identity. It's quite hard to articulate my thoughts on this book... all I can say is that I am blown away by the blurring of fact and fiction in this searing, evocative novel.

I read this book through audiobook format and the author is a fantastic narrator. With incredible voices, accents, and impactful delivery, he truly brought this novel to life. I highly recommend the audiobook version!

I flew through the first quarter of this book and was sure it would fall into the same "modern classic" category as "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I loved Akhtar's ablity to construct sentences that had nuance and invited me to read and reread them to understand the layers of what he was trying to convey.

But then I got to the next section and I was like, "Okay, not as strong, but still good." And it just progressed downhill from there until I was forcing myself to pick it up and read.

There was massive potential there for me, but it just didn't hold up from beginning to end. It could be that I don't totally understand all that Akhtar was trying to say (I am a white, middle-class woman who hasn't had to deal with any prejudice in my life).

The book is an interesting read and it felt as I was reading a novel written as a memoir. The author provides an excellent perspective into the immigrant experience and I was captivated and enjoyed reading the book.

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar is a maybe memoir that's billed as a piece of fiction and reads kinda like a collection of essays about the author's life. Maybe about the author's life because it's not technically a memoir. Who knows. If you're not familiar with the author, does it matter if some of it is true or not? Or even if you are familiar with the author, does it matter? I'm honestly not sure, which I think is part of the point. But what is it about? It's about being an American. Or more specifically, being a brown Muslim in America. More specifically about being a Pakistani Muslim playwright in America whose father was one of Trump's doctors and loved him. Some parts of the book make me cheer, some parts made me cringe (okay, many parts), some parts left me confused. Still, I recommend it. It's also one of Barack Obama's favorite books from 2020, so if my endorsement didn't do it for you, that should.

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar was an amazing read. The story is raw and enlightening, it was flooring getting Ayad's view and prospective post 9/11. While reading Ayad's story I was brought to tears a lot from the retelling of 9/11 and how Muslin people were treated afterwards. I know this book is a work of fiction with Ayad's memories but it totally reads like a heart wrenching memoir. I am really at a lost of words while writing this review because honestly there is nothing that I can say that could justify how amazing this book is. All I can add is, Homeland Elegies is a must read and will be in my top ten books EVER!!!

It's easy to see why this book has won such acclaim. Although categorized as literary fiction. the autobiographical details and similarities to the author's true life is evident. The experiences of a Muslim family who immigrates to the US is intertwined with the family members who are born in America. The picture is a disturbing one of what it feels like to struggle for acceptance here.
The connection to historical events and current Post 9/11 occurrences that the author explores lead us to examine life today, including the current political environment., Akhtar did a brilliant job of describing his various characters. The father especially remained with me., The many stories all contributed to what it must be like to assimilate and be accepted, and the dire consequences that remain. The message of understanding is a necessity.

I was drawn in right away to the writing of Homeland Elegies. While it is fiction, it was based on the author’s own story. It’s a book about finding cultural identity in a country like the United States, and themes of family.

I can’t gush enough for the way that Ayad Akhtar writes and the attention to detail. It was such a compelling read, and deserves all the stars!

*many thanks to Little Brown and Company, and Netgalley for the gifted copy

I've been a longtime fan of Akhtar as a playwright, finding 3 of his 4 plays exemplary (I'll explain the one exception momentarily), so was eager to make my way through this odd hybrid of novel/memoir (which I guess makes it fall under the popular rubric 'auto-fiction') - especially once it found its way on to so many 'best of 2020' lists. And for the most part this didn't disappoint - most of the more personal stories were poignant, memorable and effective, making one all too painfully aware of how America has failed in its 'melting pot' ideals for too many.

But several times within that narrative, the author got bogged down in political/economic theory - the sections depicting the careers of Riaz Rind and Robert Bork in particular - and I found my interest waning and my eyes glazing over in incomprehension - the same fault I found in his latest play, Junk: A Play, which seemed to require an MBA to decipher what was going on in it. And it is too bad the Literary Review suspended its 'Bad Sex in Writing Award' for this year, since several of the more purple passages in this would have been major contenders for THAT award as well!

Be that as it may, the majority of the book I think will stay with me and make me contemplate the issues raised for some time to come, and it also made me interested in becoming an Akhtar completist and reading his first novel American Dervish as well.

Many thanks to both Netgalley and Little Brown for the ARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I would like to thank Little, Brown , and Company for a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Homeland Elegies is an excellent dissection of the immigrant experience. This is a novel that takes inspiration from his life while also taking alot of liberties. Many of the passages in the book feel like stream-of -consciousness explorations of a variety of topics like 9/11 and its impact on Muslim families living in the US, the 2016 election, and the current climate in academia. Donald trump actually is a significant character in the book, beginning with his first appearance early in the book. Through conversations with his father, we see how one person's viewpoint on Trump is affected by the many events that happen up to the present day. Ayad Akhtar does an excellent job of capturing experiences shared by so many people who come to this country hoping for a better life. As a second-generation immigrant born in Staten Island but raised in Milwaukee, the author captures what it is like to be born somewhere but still feel like you don't fit in. HE captures the desire to be liked and accepted. He captures how being Muslim American in a post 9/11 world has shaped every facet of his life. I really enjoyed this book and I feel its the perfect read for the moment we are going through right now.

This is by far one of the best books I've read in 2020. I've recommended it to numerous friends and family members.

A fictional account that looks at the life of one Muslim family from immigrating to the US, raising a family away from their family and culture, and what life was like after 9/11 for Muslim people in the US. I really appreciated this conversation about what the experience was like and the story was very poignant and heartbreaking. I thought the writing was very good and the characters engaging.
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The only thing I did not love about this book was it was written as if it was a memoir, so it went back and forth between the timeline and it felt like the main character was writing his autobiography more so than a fictional story about these experiences. But this is my own personal thing as I was expecting something different. That said, the writing was great and I enjoyed reading from the main character's perspective!

I am late getting to this one but glad I finally read. It has already been selected as one of the 10 best books of the year.
For me, what appears to be a balanced blending of fact and fiction seems to work very well, especially given the times we live in. There were parts that blew me away while telling stories about his father, the Muslim American experience, making a fortune, and life in these times.
Overall I would definitely recommend and many thanks to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through netgalley.

Through stories of not only his father but many individuals, Akhtar's quasi-autobiographical narrator attempts to portray the American experience as a whole. Like a literary Cubist, he draws upon the perspectives of both insiders and outsiders, showing a panoptic vision that brings us closer to understanding the nation's true form. Though telling stories of the past, Homeland Elegies ties itself to the present through the figure of Donald Trump. Trump looms throughout, an ominous specter in the book's peripheral vision, foreshadowing a future in which we all now live. However, it is not Trump that Akhtar is interested in — rather, it is the casualties of the system that made his election possible.

Full review at Bookbrowse

I wouldn't be surprised to see Akhtar win another Pulitzer prize for his latest fictional novel that runs along the razor's edge of being a memoir. What identifies a great novel in my mind is one that shines a light on part of the human condition that one has never really considered before. What is it like to be identified as 'other' in your own homeland, the place of your birth?

Ayad Akhtar is an award-winning Pakistani-American playwright, born on Staten Island, raised in Wisconsin, with parents who are both doctors--his father a rather famous cardiologist who has even treated Donald Trump. His father is a great lover of everything American; his mother, not so much. "Love for America and a firm belief in its supremacy--moral and otherwise--was creed in our home, one my mother knew not to challenge even if she didn't quite share it.'

Much of this story is about the conflicting way father and son see what's important in life, what makes a person successful. His father has a different experience of life in America. As his close friend Sultan says, 'They call it a melting pot, but it's not. In chemistry, they have what they call a buffer solution--which keeps things together but always separated. That's what this country is. A buffer solution.'

After 9/11, Akhtar becomes aware of being considered 'other' just because of his appearance, judging him to be a little suspicious and perhaps even dangerous. He finds himself trying to be conciliatory in difficult situations, like when his car breaks down and a state trooper stops to help and questions where he is from. Later, he is taken advantage of for similar reasons--is it best not to rock the boat?

But Akhtar also examines our materialistic society, the rise of Trumpism, and our crumbling image in the world. When did obtaining wealth replace all of the lofty moral ideals this country once stood for? Wait--this is not new though: Walt Whitman, 150 years ago, saw 'a country of endless energy, enterprise and breadth--both natural and human--but ensnared in a materialism from which it couldn't seem to escape. Back then, Whitman worried America's preoccupation with the business of making money would lead to the failure of its historic mission.' Will change come because it has to?

This is an excellent, thought-provoking novel. If your eyes have recently been opened to the reality that not every American is treated justly and fairly, this book will add even more to that awakening knowledge and understanding.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity to read Akhtar's fine novel.

This one was so relevant to what is happening in America today it's not even funny.  I almost didn't read Homeland Elegies: A Novel by Ayad Akhtar, but something made me crack it open one day.  Wow, from the very first page to the last one I was hooked.  I think this one not really in the fiction category; you could probably classify it as a memoir or biography.  Maybe if it had come out prior to 9/11 I'd probably see it differently.  Instead, Homeland Elegies: A Novel read like a waking nightmare and current reality.  Ayad Akhtar's writing is just so amazing and thought-provoking as he tries, as a Muslim, to make sense of America.

"They call it a melting pot, but it's not. In chemistry, they have what they call a buffer solution - which keeps things together but always separated. That's what this country is. A buffer solution."

Technically I like this book more than the three stars I'm awarding it, but I don't like it enough to warrant it a fourth. It definitely has its merits. But there's a lot to be desired here as well.

Homeland Elegies is a blend of memoir and fictional tale where the narrator shares the same name as the author - Ayed Akhtar. Akhtar (both the narrator and the author) are American born Pulitzer Prize winning authors with Pakistani parents. Both experienced economic struggles in young to middle adulthood since (surprise!) being a writer is not the most lucrative way to make a living, and both came into ca$h monies later in life. Both have a successful cardiologist as a father. But other than those facts, it is incredibly difficult for the reader to discern fact from an elaboration of a truth from pure fabrication. Although in an interview, the author explains that this is the point. "I wanted to find a form that would express this confusion between fact and fiction which seems to increasingly become the texture of our reality or unreality," he says. I give props when authors try something new and different - and I'd never heard of nor read of a memoir/novel being written in this manner previously. But it didn't really work for me in Homeland Elegies. If you've ever read/watched The Martian or The Davinci Code, both of these books felt to me like the main character was written as a beefed up version of how the author saw themselves - part them, but also how they pictured a smarter/funnier/more handsome/more interesting version of themselves. And a lot of the more out there stories in Homeland Elegies felt exactly like that to me - like the author Akhtar wishes he had a period in his life where he had sex with throngs of women, became best friends with a billionaire hedge fund manager and was flown around the world in private jets, and made millions of dollars himself with ease, so he has these things happen to narrator Akhtar. But instead of just admitting that those sections are embellished or outright fiction, author Akhtar shrugs his shoulders and says "welp, maybe that happened and maybe it didn't" and it induces eye rolls from me.

Also, there are a lot of political rants and arguments between narrator Akhtar and other characters in the book. Don't get me wrong - these are well thought out and insightful rants and arguments. So if this is something you enjoy reading about, you'll dig it. But oh man, political rants and arguments are so not my thing.

I didn't get a sense of cohesion or linearity with Homeland Elegies at all. Author Akhtar would jump from a story about narrator Akhtar's father to an opinion on Trump to a childhood memory with little or no segue in between. Sometimes that's how memoirs are written, but since author Akhtar is toting this as a novel, it felt very mishmashed and jarring. When I got to this passage near the end of the book, it certainly had me raising an eyebrow:

"Every good story has the same shape. The beginning establishes a goal, the more tangible the better. In the middle we watch the fight towards that goal The end is what happens when it's been reached, or when reaching it's finally failed. What I always say when I teach is: the longer the middle, the better the story. The middle is when we still don't know the outcome. That's when we are the most about what's happening. The longer you can keep the audience engaged in the pursuit without actually resolving that pursuit - that's real mastery."

So... with Homeland Elegies, author Akhtar wrote a story with no shape, no beginning, no ending, and a whole lot of middle and thought that would result in real mastery? Not quite.

This book is a must buy and must read. I will definitely be recommending to readers and book clubs. This is so much more than a father son story, more than an immigration story, more than a post 9/11 story.. This is a honest and raw look at contemporary America. This is a story for our times. I would only recommend that you change your expectation as you read this because it's less like a novel and more like vignettes that showcase the life experience of this muslim american family.