Ghassan Zeineddine]s debut collection of short stories all take place in Dearborn, Michigan among the Arab American community there. His stories center on a wide variety of Dearbornites, some who love the city they call home, others who long to return to Lebanon. They are observant Muslims, atheists, or somewhere in between. They are young and old, wealthy and struggling to get by. It's an achievement to write so well across such a range of experiences and this collection is impressive -- there's simply not a weak story in the book. An aspiring writer finally finds success as a narrator for audiobooks, a group of middle-aged married couples find their comfortable routines upended by the presence of a man wearing a speedo, a teenager discovers the complicated truth about the uncle he adores when his uncle comes to visit from Lebanon. Each story is so well crafted and also so fresh and full of life. This is a fantastic collection and I encourage everyone to get their hands on a copy of this excellent book. ( )

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.

My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all butchers; the cleaver runs in our family like a curse.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine

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

A woman w 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. ( )