I Was Their American Dream (pb)

One part Mari Andrew, one part Marjane Satrapi, this graphic memoir by Malaka Gharib is a coming-of-age story and a love letter to American freedom. As a first-generation Filipino-Egyptian-American, Malaka's illustrations highlight earnest, embarrassing, and funny moments from her childhood, as well as her search for identity as a person of color in modern-day America. I Was Their American Dream is Malaka's unique story, but her experience is universal. From her upbringing as a child of divorce to the high school years she spent obsessed with pop-punk skater boys and New York City (because of the TV show, Felicity, of course), her childhood represents a millennial's coming-of-age. Malaka's experience of the cultural chasms between her mother's Filipino heritage, her father's Egyptian heritage, and her desire to be a "real" American are brought to life with personality-packed illustrations. We follow her through childhood, as she grapples with Catholicism and Islam at a young age, vacillates between cultural customs and parents' houses, learns how to skateboard, and dates white boys after college to her place in current day, where she lives in Washington, D.C. with her Southern husband, working as a content producer for NPR. Along the way, she highlights moments of discomfort and growth based on her family's DNA and her own cultural identity, making this not just a first-generation American's story but the story of America itself.