Modern Arab American Fiction. A reader's Guide. By Steven Salaita - Book Report/Review Example

Modern Arab American Fiction. A Readers Guide by Steven Salaita Steven Salaita’s purpose of writing the work d as Modern Arab American Fiction. A readers Guide is to shed light into the socio-political and intellectual background of the Arab American fiction. The author tries to focus upon some prominent Arab American writers, in the form of a critical analysis. Besides, the author attempts to unearth how the writers’ life in host nations ignites their literary creativity and their memories of their motherland, including the socio-political problems.

The author tries to find out the relationship between their fictional themes and socio-political problems evident in their works. Steven Salaita states that, “The sort of dynamism now apparent in the Arab American literary tradition is indicative of the healthfulness necessary to assert a categorical distinctiveness” (2). For instance, the author is aware that the Arab American writers deal with internal problems, internal insurgencies, racism, racial superiority, religious fundamentalism, and immigrant problems.

Still, the writers hesitate to real with real world with their own opinions and views, but they make use of fictional characters as their mouthpiece to communicate with the readers. For instance, some fiction writers in the critical work include prominent authors like Mohja Kahf and Rabih Alameddine who use fictional characters to share their views on their society. So, one can see that the author makes use of the works by Arab American writers to have dramatic view into the lives and opinions of immigrant population.

In short, the author tires to reveal that how national and racial identities mold immigrant identity in a host nation. To summarize, the author critically evaluates the works by the Arab American writers to prove that authors’ identity (say, as individuals who represent the cultural and racial characteristics of Arabs in the Middle East and Africa) deeply influences his/her view and opinion. This is evident in the works selected for the critical evaluation because the authors make use of fictional characters to unleash their literary creativity and emotionality.

In short, the critical analysis (book) must be regarded as the first attempt to evaluate the Arab American writers from an international perspective. Works CitedSalaita, Steven. Modern Arab American Fiction: A Readers Guide. New York: Syracuse University Press, 2011. Print.