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Yosef, 19, and his family are building a new life in the United States, catalyzed by the country's 2003 invasion of Iraq and shaped by years of displacement in Egypt before finally settling in Louisville, Kentucky. Now in college but disillusioned by his options, Yosef stands at a quiet crossroads. Spirited yet untethered, he is caught in the friction of a fractured, first-generation identity, longing to anchor himself to his roots while navigating a world that demands he forget them. While his parents encourage a path that promises security over fulfilment, his younger sister, Azra, returns to Egypt and discovers a liberating sense of belonging, giving Yosef new perspective.

Through a palpable trust built with Yosef and his community, Naveen Chaubal’s intimate and observant approach offers a timely and contemplative narrative, exploring the cultural dissonance and intergenerational gaps felt by young Arab Americans today. Powerfully dismantling traditional, sanitized assimilation narratives, Chaubal honours a rising generation that refuses to accept the loss of culture and heritage as the price of the American dream.

– Mariam Zaidi