I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America [Paperback]

Ray Hanania (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Humorous and sometimes serious look at ethnicity in America. Non-fiction autobiography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arab American activist, speaker on issues of racial profiling, discrimination and ethnicity

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Usg Pub Inc (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965476103
• ISBN-13: 978-0965476102
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,649,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Humorous Truth, February 1, 2000

By 

sammer ghouleh Poet, Author, Artist (Chicago Illnois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America (Paperback)

To be able to write a good book,one must indeed have deep vision.Ray Hanania used humor throughout his book, to bring people into reality. He wanted his reader to see beyond,to have a clear vision about the painful,stressful way of life he endured.Yet,he wanted the reader to laugh off the sadness,but not forget the message.I found the book to be a great one.reading it made me realize how Ray is not only a great journalists but a great writer.I wish to read more of his work in the future.I encourage each person to read the book.It is a book worth getting.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Candid, often amusing look at Arab-American life, June 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Richard Lindberg) (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America (Paperback)

Ray Hanania has penned a bittersweet narrative of his family experiences and coming to terms with his ethnic identity in the cultural milieu of Chicago. Amid the humorous anecdotes, one detects a feeling of sadness that dwells within the author, who by the way, is one of the city's most competent and respected journalists. This self-published volume represents years of dedication and hard work,and the commercial success of the volume stands as testament to that fact.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent book, helps you understand the fight for justice, February 4, 2010

By 

B. Keilani "Journeyman" (Morgantown, West Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America (Paperback)

This book helps you understand Arab-Americans and the challenges one faces as an Arab-American. It's tough to be an Arab-American, especially a Palestinian, because of the huge, huge bias against Palestinians. I mean when Alex Odeh of the ADC was murdered there was little coverage of it in the US press, but when an elderly Jewish male was killed in a terrorist act that was covered a lot. Ray knows there is a bias and believes we must fight the power through the system and not throw our hands up and say there is nothing we can do and that the world is against Arabs. He also looks at prejudices from the Arab community against other Arabs including Christian Arabs, though many Arab Muslims don't think this way at all. Every community has narrow-minded people. Ray can help an Arab-American understand the prejudices that are not so visible in many ways to Arab-Americans like they used to be 40-50 years ago. More Americans are sympathetic vis-a-vis Palestinians and Arabs when compared to say 1967, when Ray was growing up. I think Ray should have proof-read the book more. Some of the writing was a little choppy. Also, I found he generalized too much. He said, for example, all Arab families eat Mensaff. They don't in North Africa or Egypt and also some parts of the Arabian Gulf. Maybe, he generalized to be comical. I am not sure. Ray is a very good human being, and I am glad he wrote this book, so I could appreciate more as a Palestinian-American, the struggles he and others went through in this country before my time.