Dearborn is a heartfelt and complex collection of stories that explores identity, memory, and culture within the extensive Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan. Each story is a window into the nuances of the immigrant experience, balancing themes of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, and hope and nostalgia. Together, they form a mosaic of navigating life between two worlds: a person’s homeland and where they resettle.

The collection shines in its reflections on love, belonging, identity, and intergenerational relationships, while offering diverse perspectives that bring Dearborn’s vibrant community to life. The stories range from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each infused with layers of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment. Through these narratives, the author delves into more complex topics such as economic limitations, the cyclical nature of violence, or how one defines success and failure.

Many stories ruminate on how all that glitters isn’t gold, highlighting the gap between family dreams and the realities of what life has offered these people. They also reflect on the ways we cope with unfulfilled aspirations and the complexities of relationships with faith, community, and loved ones. The backdrop of Western imperialism and its wars is present throughout, offering a sharp critique of the Islamophobia and paranoia that have shaped Muslim communities in wake of these tragedies. Something especially prevalent throughout the stories is 9/11 and its effect on Arab immigrant and Arab-American communities. The author highlights the violence and entrapment that happened during the years that followed along with discussing the paranoia this tragedy created within these communities. There were some incredibly insightful reflections on the complicated feelings many people were processing - especially those who went to the United States to escape conflict in their own countries.

The majority of the stories within this collection were hits for me. Ultimately, I felt that this collection was successful in showing a broad spectrum of the Arab-American immigrant experience while also showing love and appreciation for the city of Dearborn and the real-life people I’m sure these stories were inspired by.

I loved these stories so much, and as an Arab American, this meant so much to me. I actually purchased a copy of this book in Jordan, of all places, didn't expect to find it there but was so delighted to see it I had to buy it. Thanks for the representation.

Tin House never fails to impress me. Once again, they have published a phenomenally talented writer whose humor, insightfulness, and witty social commentary shine through in this collection of short stories. Dearborn is a collection of short stories, each of which follows Arab and Arab American individuals, families, neighbors, etc. in Dearborn, Michigan.

Each story can stand alone, though many of the themes, characters, and settings overlap across stories. The chapters span multiple decades in Dearborn, and they show the ways that the community has evolved over time. Additionally, the novel brings attention to the fact that Islamophobia in America is, unfortunately, nothing new, as the author highlights the treatment of Arab Americans during and after the Lebanese Civil war, in a post-9/11 America, and during Trump's presidency.

Despite the often heavy (and sometimes violent) content of the stories, Zeineddine writes with tremendous heart and humor, and also considers questions surrounding success, sexuality, and identity. I highly recommend this collection of stories.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tin House for my advanced digital copy.

A book of short stories centering around the Arab American community in Dearborn, MI. I enjoyed this bit of a window into that population. The stories feature a little bit of almost everything...some drama, romance, death, history, mystery, sex, politics ....... & maybe some reality? All the stories were entertaining. Sometimes it's fun to read about your own community, other times it's fun to read about someone else's......if you're in that mood, this is a good choice!
I received a complimentary e-ARC from publisher Tin House via NetGalley, in return for reading it & posting my own fair/honest review.

Thank you to the author Ghessan Zeinnedine, publishers Tin House, and thank you as always to NetGalley, for an advance digital copy. All views are mine.

By the time I finished reading this collection, I felt as if I'd made a dozen new friends. The character work here is so rich, and the storytelling surprising and rewarding. I'm quite looking forward to my second read of this collection!

1. "The Actors of Dearborn" - Two Lebonese men, one the child of immigrants and the other living in the US on an expired work visa, use acting to help them deal with their daily pressures.

2. "Speedoman" - A stranger in strange attire arrives at the community pool and grabs everyone's attention-- and their wallets! Top 3!

3. "Money Chickens" - A small business owner finds a curious place to hide his illicit earnings.

4. "Marsaille" - coming soon!

5. "I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor is a Terrorist" - One woman goes to extremes to intervene on the part of her young neighbor-- pregnant, newly immigrated, and being abused by her husband. Top 3!

6. "Zizou's Voice" - A young creative gets an unexpected break from and unexpected place.

7. "In Memoriam" - A young creative woman creates a small business building online video tributes for families of deceased people, but will this gift be enough to bridge the distance between her and the one she loves? Top 3

8. "Hiyam, LLC." - A Lebonese immagrant married to a white American man reflects on her current marriage and the husband she fled in Lebanon.

9. "Yusra" - Yasir takes advantage of the relative privacy provided by the niqab to explore wearing women's clothing and his own gender expression.

10. "Rabbit Stew" A Lebonese American man visits his uncle in Lebanon, where they unfortunately bond over a terrible butchering experience.

Rating: 🩲🩲🩲🩲🩲 / 5 speedos
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Aug 1 23
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
📃 short stories
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
🌎 immigrant stories
🏘 neighborhood stories

ARC received by Tin House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT!

Being a Michigander, I was very interested in reading this book named after a Michigan city with an interesting and somewhat checkered past, now known as home to a large Arab-American population.

The writing was excellent. I was drawn into each story and found myself truly connecting with the characters and caring about the outcomes. Some of the scenes in the book surprised me by being quite explicit. I skipped several paragraphs of “Rabbit Stew” because I did not want those images in my mind!

Despite some shocking scenes, I’m giving this book 5 stars. The writing was really great, and Dearbornites might enjoy the frequent mentions of familiar places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

AHHHH! I am always living for collections of short stories, and when there’s a multi-cultural angle, I’m more than enthused to add this to my TBR and then DEVOUR it. I am so thankful to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Ghassan Zeineddine, and Tin House Books for granting me advanced audio access to this treasured trove before it hits shelves on September 5, 2023.

The many stories included share themes of strong-knit families, troubled loss and grief, immigration and racism, and so much more worth telling stories about. I especially enjoyed listening to this collection, for I felt included in the deep relational traumas and histories conveyed in each of these profoundly moving stories.

This was a really interesting collection of stories. It encompassed a variety of people and spoke to the joys and challenges of leaving your homeland.

The length for each story was just right and none of the stories felt redundant.

I particularly enjoyed the story about the empty nester mom and the neighbor.

Will definitely pick up another book by this author!

Dearborn was a wonderful mix of stories of the Arab-American community there. I appreciated the various themes about religiosity, identity, fitting it, etc. Very well done.

A good set of stories. I live in northern Indiana, so the setting feels "close" to me, and the stories are a good reminder that there are people living very different experiences than I am close by. I enjoyed these stories and see the talent there.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

An impressive debut collection of interrelated stories set in Dearborn, Michigan in the Arab-American community. Home and belonging, desires, identity, migration, rites and rituals, religion devout or secular, generational conflicts, war trauma, sexuality, honest work and cons, and more are in these moving and warm and sometimes funny stories.

Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for an ARC.

Dearborn, Michigan, has a rich history with roots in the automotive industry. Henry Ford lived in Dearborn and Ford’s corporate center is located there. It is home to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, created by Henry Ford. It was also once a closed community, the mayor forbidding African Americans to live there. And today, it is home to the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States.

These stories are set in the Muslim community of Dearborn, immigrants who fled decades of war. They dream of returning to Lebanon, missing their life before the war. Their children have no affiliation to the old country; some leave the community while others stay, trying to be good Muslim children.

The male children are expected to get an education and have a successful career, with their faces on billboards. The girls are expected to live at home and remain virgins until they marry a professional Muslim man.

Food plays an important role as a touchstone to tradition and the past and as cultural identity, with many being vegetarians. (I love Lebanese food!)

After 9-11, the community is stressed. Men shave off mustaches so they don’t look like Saddam Hussein. They worry about Homeland Security accusing them of supporting terrorist organizations, so they fly American flags and wear sports team shirts. They had survived civil war and invasion and now they contend with ICE and FBI agents.

Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was to reminisce about the past.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine

The rich cast of characters have stories that are heartbreaking and hilarious.

A burly butcher secretly dresses in women’s clothing underneath an niqab, finally able to embrace his female side. He finds acceptance with a woman friend.

A father dreams of returning to Lebanon, hiding illegal earnings in frozen chickens.

A woman helps a young wife escape an abusive husband.

A failed writer finds wealth and fame as a reader of Qur-‘an audiobooks.

In a marriage agreement, a woman agrees to support the Spartans (Michigan State’s football team) if the man converts to Islam. (Michiganders understand the importance of the Michigan State vs. University of Michigan devotion!)

A teenage boy’s uncle visits and tells glorious stories of his life as a sniper, only to be revealed as a fraud.

The stories offer insight into this particular community, filled with the specifics of its culture and heritage, while revealing universal concerns and challenges that transcend ethnicity.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.