I Was Their American Dream

February 25, 2019
This charming graphic memoir riffs on the joys and challenges of developing a unique ethnic identity. With a Catholic Filipino mother, whom she lives with in Southern California; a close-knit extended Filipino family; and an Egyptian Muslim father and mother-in-law, whom she visits in the summer after her parents’ divorce, Gharib tries to find a balance between the cultures that are her heritage. It proves difficult at her racially diverse high school, where aligning with a specific group is integral to fitting in, and almost equally so at Syracuse University, where Gharib discovers that her constant exposure to white people in pop culture didn’t prepare her for the clash of living among them—or the pressures (and guilt) of assimilation. Gharib’s enthusiastic, if naive, scribbly art style is reminiscent of Lynda Barry in the way it captures moments of chaotic Filipino family life. With the inclusions of recipes, Tagalog flashcards, tongue-in-cheek charts, an excerpt from her high school zine, and even a “Microaggressions Bingo” card, Gharib’s storytelling remains upbeat through life’s ups and downs. This lighthearted narrative, self-reflective but never angst-ridden, has wide appeal.

February 15, 2019
A graphic memoir about being half Filipino, half Egyptian--and 100 percent 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. 13-adult)

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Starred review from June 14, 2019

Gr 7 Up-In this graphic memoir, Gharib recounts her experiences growing up as a first-generation American. Her father was Egyptian and her mother Filipina, and she often felt like an outsider, not only in her California hometown but also within her own family. She details her struggles balancing vastly different religious expressions, social customs, and language barriers. Gharib attended a high school with a diverse student body, where she encountered other first-generation Americans, and attempted to talk about her ethnicity by asking other teens of color the well-meaning but misguided question, "What are you?" As a young woman of color, the author grappled with her complicated feelings about the overwhelmingly white images in the media. As an adult she married a white man from the South and shared her culture in an accepting relationship. Ultimately, she concludes that cultural heritage is a crucial part of identity. Gharib details her transformation in simple, self-deprecating cartoons. She peppers the narrative with interactive elements like microaggressions bingo, mini-zine pages, and a paper doll sequence that highlights her attempts to literally wear different aspects of white culture as she navigated her adult life. VERDICT This engaging memoir is an uplifting ode to Gharib's bicultural background, her immigrant parents, and her road to self-acceptance. An essential purchase.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2019
Gharib's Catholic mother regretted leaving her upper-middle-class Manila life, but unrest fueled by the 1970s Marcos regime sent her stateside. Meanwhile, her Egyptian Muslim father had been scheming to get to America since high school and finally enrolled at UCLA's School of Management. They met working at a hotel, married six months later, and had Gharib one year after. Divorce happened, with Gharib predominantly raised in Northern California by her overworked mother and her multigenerational extended family. Growing up, Filipino-Egyptians were kinda rare, and by 16, she just [knew] that white> whatever the hell I was. Gharib's coming-of-age is a formidable balancing act negotiating parents, cultures, religions, and expectations; not until adulthood can she begin to assert the Real Me. Presenting her memories in hues of pinks, oranges, and blues, Gharib augments them with stinging, comically poignant interruptions, including a Malaka cut-out doll to be dressed to dramatically transform and alter her personality and Microagressions Bingo with squares that call out daily racist incidents. Forthright and funny, Gharib fiercely claims her own American dream.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)