The Inheritance of Exile: Stories from South Philly (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Auntie Siham, South Philadelphia, Chestnut Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Darraj, who edited Scheherazade's Legacy: Arab and Arab American Women on Writing, makes a capable debut with this collection that follows Palestinian-American émigré families in South Philadelphia. Darraj succeeds admirably in suggesting the diversity of Palestinian-Americans: the four friends Nadia, Aliyah, Hanan and Reema each comes from a family with its own story of exile. Nadia's mother, a doctor's daughter, discovers in "The New World" that the mysterious "tall, slim blonde woman" whom she nicknames "Homewrecker Barbie" was her husband's former green-card wife. Aliya spends "An Afternoon in Jerusalem" at the Dome of the Rock where a hijab-wearing woman, noticing her crucifix, welcomes her in and shows her how to wrap her hair. After suffering the patronizing attitudes of her husband John's parents and graduate school colleagues, Hanan makes "The Journey Home," reconciling with her parents and practicing her mother's craft, basket making, with commercial success. In "The Scent of Oranges," Reema's mother retells her refugee camp experience, specifically for her daughter. Darraj's first-person narrators are not distinct, and her vignette-like stories remain at the edge of plot. There's a passionate sense here of inheritance as a two-way street that transforms immigrants and their children, but Darraj doesn't quite connect the dots. (Apr.)
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Product Description

"This sweet, sorrowful book is rich with insight. The Inheritance of Exile tells an authentic story of Arab-American life--these characters are true, expressive, and moving. A fully engaging, satisfying collection indeed." --Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Origin, Crescent, and The Language of Baklava

"These dazzling stories of four Palestinian-American women and their families give us a rare portrait of the life of exiles in America. Susan Muaddi Darraj writes with care and intelligence, and her compassion for her flawed and complex characters reminds us of our own humanity." --Laila Lalami, author of Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits

"The Inheritance of Exile is a remarkably engaging collection. With this effort, Muaddi Darraj announces her presence as a major voice in the genre of fiction. The collection sparkles with a lively sense of place, conflict, and description. So often, and so vividly, I felt as if I was reading the cultural items from my own memory." --Steven Salaita, author of Arab American Literary Fictions, Cultures, and Politics

In The Inheritance of Exile, Susan Muaddi Darraj expertly weaves a tapestry of the events and struggles in the lives of four Arab-American women. Hanan, Nadia, Reema, and Aliyah search for a meaningful sense of home, caught in the cultural gap that exists between the Middle East and the United States.

Daughters of Palestinian immigrants who have settled into South Philly, each struggles to reconcile her Arab identity with her American one. Muaddi Darraj adds the perspectives of the girls' mothers, presented in separate stories, which illuminate the often troubled relationship between first and second generations of immigrants.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0268035032
• ISBN-13: 978-0268035037
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #632,834 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Culture clash in South Philly, May 31, 2007

By	Yvonne J. Milspaw "Yvonne" (PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Susan Muaddi Darraj is a thoughtful young writer who uses a set of interlocking stories about four young Palestinian-American women and their mothers to explore the theme of exile, adjustment and hope, set in the very real neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. Her lyrical stories about her appealing and all too real characters explore important themes associated with immigration: cultural misunderstanding, religious differences (most of her exiled characters are Christians), intergenerational expectations, and the role of food and family in preserving and exploring culture. Overall, a very good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing collection, May 29, 2007

By	Rosalia Scalia "urbancoyote" (Baltimore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am not an Arab-American, but I loved this book just the same. I fell in love with the characters--all of them. Their stories actually belong to anyone who hails from an immigrant background and who understands the effort to navigate two worlds: the one at home that includes relatives, parents and friends of parents, uncles, aunties--and the larger one outside the insular immigrant and cultural circle. I picked it up and read it in two days because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys excellent, well-crafted, wonderful stories.

4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Tales of First Gerneration Arab-Americans, January 15, 2008

By	J. Persky (Bel Air, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Commonplace as well as painful experiences occurring in the lives of first-generation offspring flesh out these narratives of four young Arab-American girls/women whose immigrant parents tenaciously hold to cultural traditions of their homelands, while their daughters navigate to integrate into the American culture without damaging valuable family relationships. The tales of these 21st-century families are rooted in the Palestianian-Arab culture and are articulated through the voices and attitudes of different personalities, all friends, who live in and around the Arab community in South Philadelphia. One does wonder whether or not the experiences of this century's immigrants to America are all that different from those of other ethnicities in the early 20th century, such as the Jews, Irish and Italians. Personally,I suspect not, although that does not in any way diminish the value and poignancy of the stories.

This collection of anecdotally-crafted stories illustrate the unvarnished, up-close realities of culture clashes, both within families and well as within the community-at-large. It's a nice read and should raise the sensitivity level of those whose intolerance tends to eclipse rationality.