Reading for Change 2021:
​An Antiracist Community Summer Reading Program

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​Available July 1

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​Salem Public Library

I Was Their American Dream, by Malaka Gharib
​
* Starred Review * -- A graphic memoir  about being half Filipino, half Egyptian—and 100% American . After her parents’ divorce, debut author Gharib spent her school years with her Filipino relatives in Cerritos, California, and summers with her father and his new family in Egypt. She honestly recounts the challenges she faced as a  biracial child trying to appease both sides of her family, providing detailed (and oftentimes humorous) insights into her parents’ cultural differences, both significant (her mother is Catholic while her father is Muslim) and nuanced (food, etiquette, expectations for her behavior). Gharib thoughtfully explores the gradations of diversity and what they meant to different people. In elementary school, Filipino classmates commented on her less-than-Filipino name and appearance. In high school, surrounded mostly by students of color but still feeling marginalized due to her bicultural, biracial heritage, she was  criticized for her obsession with white culture . Readers also experience Gharib’s transition to college and her first job—far away from her family and requiring huge adjustments as she entered mostly white worlds. She eventually married Darren, a  white man from Tennessee. Charmingly unsophisticated illustrations, predominantly—and appropriately—colored in red, white, and blue, and Gharib’s authentic voice make her story personable and accessible. Dispersed throughout are unique interactives, including a  bingo chart of microaggressions, a  mini zine tutorial, and Tagalog flashcards. A  heartwarming tribute to immigrant families and their  descendants trying to live the American dream . (Graphic memoir) (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2019) -- from NoveList Plus

Looking for more? Check out the resources below!

How to Draw Yourself Out of a Creative Funk, by Melissa Guerrero, Aug. 21, 2019

'This is a Book I Wish I Had Growing Up': Malaka Gharib on Living Between Cultures, by Tanya Paperny, Apr. 30, 2019

Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus, by Malaka Gharib and Cory Turner, Feb. 28, 2020

The Loneliness of Being Mixed Race in America, by Vox First Person, Jan. 18, 2021

I need to stop faking it in the language I'm supposed to speak, by Christopher Rivas, The Boston Globe, May 21, 2021

Antiracism: Recommended Reading for the SPS Community

Check out all that Salem Public Library, our terrific community partner, has to offer - a superb fiction & nonfiction book collection in print, access to ebooks, audiobooks, and movies, passes to area museums, and art, reading, and other programs for people of all ages!

Discover Great New Reads (Find Username & Password in the Library's Schoology Group.)

Teen Activist-Turned-Author Marley Dias Talks Inclusion, Making Change, by Shayna Orens, Newsela, Sept. 19, 2018 (Log in with your Google Learn account.)

Learn more about the author in this comprehensive research database - an updated and reliable source for information!

Teens Discuss Microaggressions, Racism, and Black Lives Matter, SheKnows, ​Sept. 30, 2020