Dearborn

Praise for Dearborn

Funny and sincere. . . . connected by history, by ambition, by a myth of a nation that never manifests but is reborn again and again in the immigrant gaze.
— New York Times Book Review

Both witty and thoughtful, Zeineddine’s tragicomic stories about Arab American characters in Dearborn, Mich., explore themes of immigration, prejudice, sexuality, belonging and more.
— The Washington Post

Fresh, exciting, and as American as it gets.
— Good Housekeeping, A Best Book of Fall

Builds surprising, tender alliances and chooses idiosyncratic paths that exceed easy stereotypes.
— NPR

Stories of heritage, family, and trauma interconnect within a Michigan Arab American community.
— American Library Association, A 2024 ALA Notable Book

Stirring. . . . sharply observed.
— Booklist, Starred Review

Stories full of humor and warmth about an Arab American community. Inspiring. . . . Masterfully told. . . . What Zeineddine can do with a simple storyline and a few pages is a thing of wonder. A fantastic collection heralding the voice of a major new writer.
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Whether it’s an aspiring actor evading ICE or a cross-dressing butcher, these characters are fully fleshed in their desire, fears, and contradictions. A brilliant work of fiction that will undoubtedly be canon in Arab American literature.
— Electric Literature

Terrific. . . . funny and tender tales will remain in your memory for a long while.
— The Center for Fiction

Couched in humorous antics and poignant remembrances, the book deftly covers themes of assimilation and belonging, generational divides, migration, class mobility, masculinity, and queerness.
— The Rumpus

A supremely accomplished debut.
— The National News

A nuanced exploration into all aspects of a community. . . . Reading this collection is an eye-opening experience for those who only encountered these kinds of characters in mainstream American media.
— Debutiful, a Most Anticipated Book of 2023

It's a testament to the author's skill in hooking the reader with good stories and great characters. This is a standout collection with strong book club appeal that will have readers eagerly awaiting Zeineddine's follow-up.
— Chicago Public Library, A Best Book of 2023

Captivating. . . . These stories, written in Zeineddine’s compassionate and droll prose, evoke laughter, tears, and introspection.
— BOMB Magazine

Reads like a Lebanese party: glittering matriarchs, smoking naughty men, great food, arguments, love affairs, loud voices—and, above all, a love of Lebanon. . . . .Zeineddine is a writer to watch.
— Necessary Fiction

Examines the immigrant experience, the weight of memory, the myths we create, and the meaning of home, in a voice that’s forthright and refreshing.
— Library Journal

A razor sharp look into identity, migration and inherited trauma. . . . these tales are at times hilarious, but also heartening as they explores the complex and colorful lives of a range of characters.
— She Reads

Dearborn is a charming, insightful collection of 10 stories with a delightful, comic edge, exploring the distinct experiences of Arab Americans who have made a home in the midwestern United States.


— Shelf Awareness

Zeineddine's eye for unusual, often surreal detail enables him to construct unique narratives. . . . Arab, not, or not really, here are true individuals seeking ways to express their identity against and across resistant geographic and cultural reference points.
— The Markaz Review

Funny, tender. 
— Michigan Radio

The stories in Dearborn—by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, astute and absurd—capture such a vital, underspoken aspect of the Arab-American experience, that sense of being not quite from the place you love and not quite loved by the place you’re from. Ghassan Zeineddine has a talent for those very small details of Arab life in a place like Dearborn—the generational fatalism, the converted garage living room, the unlikely mash-up of cuisines at the neighborhood restaurant. These are wonderful stories from an exciting new name in Arab-American literature.


— Omar El Akkad, author of What Strange Paradise

Dearborn is one of the funniest, truest, and most heartfelt books I have ever read. Zeineddine writes with so much grace and understanding, so much love and compassion, so much mastery that these stories will become part of who you are.


— Morgan Talty, bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez

At once urgent and timeless, the stories in Dearborn are searing and unflinching snapshots of an immigrant community struggling to carve out space for itself, to find home in unfamiliar territory. The unforgettable characters slash through stereotypes as they navigate heart-wrenching and absurd situations, all the while grappling with identity and intergenerational tensions. The world Zeineddine creates is filled with beauty, brutal realities, and humor. I couldn't put it down.


— Zaina Arafat, author of You Exist Too Much

These stories will stay with you for weeks and years after you’ve finished them, making you again laugh, wonder, and rage. Dearborn is masterful, gentle, wild, and full of heart.


— Rivka Galchen, author of Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch