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Dearborn: Stories
Spanning several decades, Ghassan Zeineddine’s debut collection examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan. In ten tragicomic stories, Zeineddine explores themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more.
In Dearborn, a father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans.
By turns wildly funny, incisive, and deeply moving, Dearborn introduces readers to an arresting new voice in contemporary fiction and invites us all to consider what it means to be part of a place and community, and how it is that we help one another survive.
In Dearborn, a father teaches his son how to cheat the IRS and hide their cash earnings inside of frozen chickens. Tensions heighten within a close-knit group of couples when a mysterious man begins to frequent the local gym pool, dressed in Speedos printed with nostalgic images of Lebanon. And a failed stage actor attempts to drive a young Lebanese man with ambitions of becoming a Hollywood action hero to LA, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have other plans.
By turns wildly funny, incisive, and deeply moving, Dearborn introduces readers to an arresting new voice in contemporary fiction and invites us all to consider what it means to be part of a place and community, and how it is that we help one another survive.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2023
134 people are currently reading
6762 people want to read
About the author
Ghassan Zeineddine
2 books56 followersGhassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East.
He is the author of the short story collection Dearborn (2023) and coeditor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging (2022).
His fiction has appeared in the Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Michigan Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly, The Arkansas International, Witness, Pleiades, Fiction International, The Common, Epiphany, FOLIO, Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts, and the Iron Horse Literary Review, among other publications.
He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College and has previously taught at the American University of Beirut, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kenyon College, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
He is the author of the short story collection Dearborn (2023) and coeditor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging (2022).
His fiction has appeared in the Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Michigan Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly, The Arkansas International, Witness, Pleiades, Fiction International, The Common, Epiphany, FOLIO, Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts, and the Iron Horse Literary Review, among other publications.
He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College and has previously taught at the American University of Beirut, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kenyon College, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
October 23, 2024
3.5 stars
I appreciated these short stories for portraying the richness of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. I felt that several the stories had intriguing plot setups that made me reflect on how we cope with economic disenfranchisement, why we focus on certain things in our relationships and day to day lives, and artistic success and failure. It is difficult for short stories to emotionally immerse me unless the characterization is extremely on point; I didn’t feel that these stories were necessarily character-driven or that the characters were developed in a more emotionally-rich way. Still, I liked this collection and think it’s an important addition to literature broadly.
I appreciated these short stories for portraying the richness of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. I felt that several the stories had intriguing plot setups that made me reflect on how we cope with economic disenfranchisement, why we focus on certain things in our relationships and day to day lives, and artistic success and failure. It is difficult for short stories to emotionally immerse me unless the characterization is extremely on point; I didn’t feel that these stories were necessarily character-driven or that the characters were developed in a more emotionally-rich way. Still, I liked this collection and think it’s an important addition to literature broadly.
June 20, 2023
Dearborn, Michigan, has a rich history with roots in the automotive industry. Henry Ford lived in Dearborn and Ford’s corporate center is located there. It is home to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, created by Henry Ford. It was also once a closed community, the mayor forbidding African Americans to live there. And today, it is home to the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States.
These stories are set in the Muslim community of Dearborn, immigrants who fled decades of war. They dream of returning to Lebanon, missing their life before the war. Their children have no affiliation to the old country; some leave the community while others stay, trying to be good Muslim children.
The male children are expected to get an education and have a successful career, with their faces on billboards. The girls are expected to live at home and remain virgins until they marry a professional Muslim man.
Food plays an important role as a touchstone to tradition and the past and as cultural identity, with many being vegetarians. (I love Lebanese food!)
After 9-11, the community is stressed. Men shave off mustaches so they don’t look like Saddam Hussein. They worry about Homeland Security accusing them of supporting terrorist organizations, so they fly American flags and wear sports team shirts. They had survived civil war and invasion and now they contend with ICE and FBI agents.
Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was to reminisce about the past.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
The rich cast of characters have stories that are heartbreaking and hilarious.
A burly butcher secretly dresses in women’s clothing underneath an niqab, finally able to embrace his female side. He finds acceptance with a woman friend.
My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all butchers; the cleaver runs in our family like a curse.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
A father dreams of returning to Lebanon, hiding illegal earnings in frozen chickens.
A woman helps a young wife escape an abusive husband.
A failed writer finds wealth and fame as a reader of Qur-‘an audiobooks.
In a marriage agreement, a woman agrees to support the Spartans (Michigan State’s football team) if the man converts to Islam. (Michiganders understand the importance of the Michigan State vs. University of Michigan devotion!)
A teenage boy’s uncle visits and tells glorious stories of his life as a sniper, only to be revealed as a fraud.
The stories offer insight into this particular community, filled with the specifics of its culture and heritage, while revealing universal concerns and challenges that transcend ethnicity.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
These stories are set in the Muslim community of Dearborn, immigrants who fled decades of war. They dream of returning to Lebanon, missing their life before the war. Their children have no affiliation to the old country; some leave the community while others stay, trying to be good Muslim children.
The male children are expected to get an education and have a successful career, with their faces on billboards. The girls are expected to live at home and remain virgins until they marry a professional Muslim man.
Food plays an important role as a touchstone to tradition and the past and as cultural identity, with many being vegetarians. (I love Lebanese food!)
After 9-11, the community is stressed. Men shave off mustaches so they don’t look like Saddam Hussein. They worry about Homeland Security accusing them of supporting terrorist organizations, so they fly American flags and wear sports team shirts. They had survived civil war and invasion and now they contend with ICE and FBI agents.
Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was to reminisce about the past.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
The rich cast of characters have stories that are heartbreaking and hilarious.
A burly butcher secretly dresses in women’s clothing underneath an niqab, finally able to embrace his female side. He finds acceptance with a woman friend.
My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all butchers; the cleaver runs in our family like a curse.
from Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
A father dreams of returning to Lebanon, hiding illegal earnings in frozen chickens.
A woman helps a young wife escape an abusive husband.
A failed writer finds wealth and fame as a reader of Qur-‘an audiobooks.
In a marriage agreement, a woman agrees to support the Spartans (Michigan State’s football team) if the man converts to Islam. (Michiganders understand the importance of the Michigan State vs. University of Michigan devotion!)
A teenage boy’s uncle visits and tells glorious stories of his life as a sniper, only to be revealed as a fraud.
The stories offer insight into this particular community, filled with the specifics of its culture and heritage, while revealing universal concerns and challenges that transcend ethnicity.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
July 12, 2024
“We were easily susceptible to bouts of nostalgia. A song by Fairouz, the smell of home cooking, a Lebanese film on TV could trigger our melancholy. Our wives complained that our favorite pastime was reminiscing about the past. They preferred our life in Dearborn because the city, with all its Arabic restaurants and grocery stores and mosques, reminded them of home while having the conveniences of America. But an imitation of home was inferior. We wanted the real thing.”
🏡
A heartfelt and complex collection of stories that highlight the nuances of identity, memories, and culture in the Arab-American community of Dearborn. Ranging from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each story adds a layer of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment, to build a mosaic of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, hope and nostalgia, that is such a pivotal foundation of the immigrant experience. Dearborn is a masterclass in expressing the vast array of emotions that one feels towards their homeland and the land in which they’ve resettled, and how many truths regarding love, belonging, and inter-generational relationships can exist at once. Filled with diverse perspectives and experiences that truly bring to life a fascinating city, and the vibrant lives that inhabit its limits.
🏡
A heartfelt and complex collection of stories that highlight the nuances of identity, memories, and culture in the Arab-American community of Dearborn. Ranging from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each story adds a layer of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment, to build a mosaic of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, hope and nostalgia, that is such a pivotal foundation of the immigrant experience. Dearborn is a masterclass in expressing the vast array of emotions that one feels towards their homeland and the land in which they’ve resettled, and how many truths regarding love, belonging, and inter-generational relationships can exist at once. Filled with diverse perspectives and experiences that truly bring to life a fascinating city, and the vibrant lives that inhabit its limits.
August 29, 2023
This was a stellar collection. Every story was a hit but my favorites were Speedoman (alternating views from husbands and wives POV of a new Lebanese man that comes into the community center pool scene with a pink robe and bulging package in a speedo); I Have Reasons to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist (a woman is fixated on her neighbors); and Yusra (a butcher cross-dresses for a few hours a week, wearing a niqba and heels).
Each of the stories had a great premise though - there's a family that stores their saved money in ziplocked bags in chickens rather than trust the banks. A recounting of a love from a Titanic survivor. A woman who is obsessed with the morbid nature of deaths.
All of them center Lebanese Dearbornites in Michigan, many of whom have never left the small town or who have arrived there and recreated a sense of their previous life in this new town.
I loved seeing mention of characters from other stories too, like breadcrumbs throughout the book, that show how small and interwoven this town is.
Each of the stories had a great premise though - there's a family that stores their saved money in ziplocked bags in chickens rather than trust the banks. A recounting of a love from a Titanic survivor. A woman who is obsessed with the morbid nature of deaths.
All of them center Lebanese Dearbornites in Michigan, many of whom have never left the small town or who have arrived there and recreated a sense of their previous life in this new town.
I loved seeing mention of characters from other stories too, like breadcrumbs throughout the book, that show how small and interwoven this town is.
August 7, 2024
4.5 stars. Rounding up to five. Several stories were very funny. If you only read one, read the Speedo story. Cracked me up. Actually, all of them were both a little sad and a little funny. Feels like a pretty good Rosenthal of life. Also really liked the cigarette story. I could see myself doing something like that if I really thought it was necessary and then immediately regretting it (but I wouldn’t really do it - would I? Have to think on this one a long while….).
November 7, 2023
Last summer I visited Dearborn, Michigan for the first time. As an Arab American I had been hearing about this place for years. The largest Muslim population in the United States. This always seemed like a strange place for this population to land on, as a small town in Metro Detroit isn't typically the obvious guess.
When I arrived I was surprised just how Arab this place was. Here in the Chicago area I'm used to seeing small communities of Arab culture that dominate a few streets or a strip mall but this was the entire town. Every street had business signs in Arabic, mosques and maronite churches, and people from across the SWANA region walking the streets. Nearly everyone I saw was Arab. I saw few white or Hispanic people and the few Black people I saw were Muslims. This was a mindblowing experience. I'm used to being one of the only or the only Arab person and grew up with very little Arab culture around me so to see something like this really was a unforgettable sight and one that could only exist in Dearborn.
For as Arab as Dearborn is I want to stress that it is equally American. Strip malls with lawyers and bail bondsmen, unwalkable stroads, and long stretches of 20th century suburban homes. You'll go to a grocery story and sure, half of it is what is typically corralled off on a shelf in the "international section" but the other half has the same soda, cereal, and frozen pizza you'll find at any other American grocery store. My favorite descriptor for how it feels to be in Dearborn from my visit was seeing a woman in a hijab driving a Polaris Slingshot.
A book about this place should be written. So when I saw that Ghassan Zeineddine had done so this year I set out to read it. This is a collection of 10 fictional short stories. Each tell the story of a different character, their dreams, hopes, ambitions, and fears. Varying in length and set in various time periods of the town's history these story paint a picture of people not unlike most other Americans. If you are an immigrant to this country or come from a family where your near family came to this country you will see many parallels as the immigrant experience has many similarities across cultures.
The characters and plots are vivid and highly memorable. You would hope as much coming from a creative writing professor from Oberlin College, which Zeineddine is. While Zeineddine is not from Dearborn he has spent his life living in the US and Middle East, including Dearborn. This experience informs his characters. He is a Lebanese American and so are all of his characters. This is fitting as Lebanese make up the largest portion of the Arab population that inhabit Dearborn but there are also many other ethnicities with their own experiences in this city too. I Listened to an interview where Zeineddine addresses this criticism but it is still worth mentioning.
While there is a split on male and female protagonists the majority of them are male. As an Arab man of Lebanese and Palestinian background I found many of these characters relatable or at least easily relatable but I could see that not being the case for others, especially if they are looking for a version of themselves that they know exists in Dearborn.
These stories are typically light in subject matter. Sure there are descriptions of war trauma or paranoia but those subjects typically color a character's background rather than dominate the content of the story. These stories are usually romances or a romanizations of daily life and struggles in Dearborn. I enjoyed this as it is a light that Arab Americans aren't typically painted in and it was refreshing to see.
While I overall really enjoyed these stories my main issue is that a lot of these stories start to tread the same ground after a while. Most all of these stories are domestic stories. Husbands and wives, son and daughters with their parents. These characters looking to make it in America or prove themselves to their parents. Many of the stories have protagonists who are creatives who wish to peruse their craft, typically writing. Write what you know but after a while it is clear this is one man's take on Dearborn. While this book could have been ten short stories all from different authors I probably would still have my issues with it; as the stories would probably vary in quality and content a lot more dramatically than they do here. I guess that's just the nature of a short story collection.
Like I said at the beginning, I'm just a guy who's visited Dearborn once, and it was this year. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of someone who grew up in Dearborn and has lived there for decades, seeing it's changes. I feel that I share a similar romanization of Dearborn as Zeineddine but is that what is mostly associated with it? Either way, I think the main thing Zeineddine has done here is greatly succeeded in showcasing the humanity of Arab Americans something we rarely see and something that is desperately needed at our current moment.
When I arrived I was surprised just how Arab this place was. Here in the Chicago area I'm used to seeing small communities of Arab culture that dominate a few streets or a strip mall but this was the entire town. Every street had business signs in Arabic, mosques and maronite churches, and people from across the SWANA region walking the streets. Nearly everyone I saw was Arab. I saw few white or Hispanic people and the few Black people I saw were Muslims. This was a mindblowing experience. I'm used to being one of the only or the only Arab person and grew up with very little Arab culture around me so to see something like this really was a unforgettable sight and one that could only exist in Dearborn.
For as Arab as Dearborn is I want to stress that it is equally American. Strip malls with lawyers and bail bondsmen, unwalkable stroads, and long stretches of 20th century suburban homes. You'll go to a grocery story and sure, half of it is what is typically corralled off on a shelf in the "international section" but the other half has the same soda, cereal, and frozen pizza you'll find at any other American grocery store. My favorite descriptor for how it feels to be in Dearborn from my visit was seeing a woman in a hijab driving a Polaris Slingshot.
A book about this place should be written. So when I saw that Ghassan Zeineddine had done so this year I set out to read it. This is a collection of 10 fictional short stories. Each tell the story of a different character, their dreams, hopes, ambitions, and fears. Varying in length and set in various time periods of the town's history these story paint a picture of people not unlike most other Americans. If you are an immigrant to this country or come from a family where your near family came to this country you will see many parallels as the immigrant experience has many similarities across cultures.
The characters and plots are vivid and highly memorable. You would hope as much coming from a creative writing professor from Oberlin College, which Zeineddine is. While Zeineddine is not from Dearborn he has spent his life living in the US and Middle East, including Dearborn. This experience informs his characters. He is a Lebanese American and so are all of his characters. This is fitting as Lebanese make up the largest portion of the Arab population that inhabit Dearborn but there are also many other ethnicities with their own experiences in this city too. I Listened to an interview where Zeineddine addresses this criticism but it is still worth mentioning.
While there is a split on male and female protagonists the majority of them are male. As an Arab man of Lebanese and Palestinian background I found many of these characters relatable or at least easily relatable but I could see that not being the case for others, especially if they are looking for a version of themselves that they know exists in Dearborn.
These stories are typically light in subject matter. Sure there are descriptions of war trauma or paranoia but those subjects typically color a character's background rather than dominate the content of the story. These stories are usually romances or a romanizations of daily life and struggles in Dearborn. I enjoyed this as it is a light that Arab Americans aren't typically painted in and it was refreshing to see.
While I overall really enjoyed these stories my main issue is that a lot of these stories start to tread the same ground after a while. Most all of these stories are domestic stories. Husbands and wives, son and daughters with their parents. These characters looking to make it in America or prove themselves to their parents. Many of the stories have protagonists who are creatives who wish to peruse their craft, typically writing. Write what you know but after a while it is clear this is one man's take on Dearborn. While this book could have been ten short stories all from different authors I probably would still have my issues with it; as the stories would probably vary in quality and content a lot more dramatically than they do here. I guess that's just the nature of a short story collection.
Like I said at the beginning, I'm just a guy who's visited Dearborn once, and it was this year. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of someone who grew up in Dearborn and has lived there for decades, seeing it's changes. I feel that I share a similar romanization of Dearborn as Zeineddine but is that what is mostly associated with it? Either way, I think the main thing Zeineddine has done here is greatly succeeded in showcasing the humanity of Arab Americans something we rarely see and something that is desperately needed at our current moment.
Read
February 6, 2024The Amerie’s Book Club selection for the month of February is DEARBORN by Ghasssan Zeineddine!
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and join me and Ghassan Zeineddine on my IGLIVE (@Amerie) at the end of February 2024. Bring your questions!
Loves and losses, triumphs and regrets—Ghassan Zeineddine explores these and more in his short story collection about the inner lives of the Arab American residents of Dearborn, Michigan, AKA the Arab American Capitol of the United States. At times tender, sad, wistful, and hilarious, there always exists a sense of endearment throughout the collection, whether from myself or between the characters, themselves. There is struggle and tension, yes, but there is perpetual love as Dearborn’s Arab American citizens navigate family, marriage, sexuality, and nostalgia—not to mention ICE and the IRS. Zeineddine’s deft characterization and sense of place left me feeling as if at any moment I could put the book down, jump on a plane, and meet in real life my new Dearbornean friends.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #Dearborn #GhassanZeineddine @ZeineddineG @tin_house
📚
ABOUT GHASSAN ZEINEDDINE
Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
Follow @AmeriesBookClub on IG, and join me and Ghassan Zeineddine on my IGLIVE (@Amerie) at the end of February 2024. Bring your questions!
Loves and losses, triumphs and regrets—Ghassan Zeineddine explores these and more in his short story collection about the inner lives of the Arab American residents of Dearborn, Michigan, AKA the Arab American Capitol of the United States. At times tender, sad, wistful, and hilarious, there always exists a sense of endearment throughout the collection, whether from myself or between the characters, themselves. There is struggle and tension, yes, but there is perpetual love as Dearborn’s Arab American citizens navigate family, marriage, sexuality, and nostalgia—not to mention ICE and the IRS. Zeineddine’s deft characterization and sense of place left me feeling as if at any moment I could put the book down, jump on a plane, and meet in real life my new Dearbornean friends.
@AmeriesBookClub #AmeriesBookClub #ReadWithAmerie #Dearborn #GhassanZeineddine @ZeineddineG @tin_house
📚
ABOUT GHASSAN ZEINEDDINE
Ghassan Zeineddine was born in Washington, DC, and raised in the Middle East. He is an assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College, and co-editor of the creative nonfiction anthology Hadha Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Ohio.
March 30, 2024
4.5
This didn’t give me that full 5 star feeling but it was excellent!
This didn’t give me that full 5 star feeling but it was excellent!
July 5, 2023
An impressive debut collection of interrelated stories set in Dearborn, Michigan in the Arab-American community. Home and belonging, desires, identity, migration, rites and rituals, religion devout or secular, generational conflicts, war trauma, sexuality, honest work and cons, and more are in these moving and warm and sometimes funny stories.
Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for an ARC.
Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for an ARC.
December 28, 2023
Review to come.
April 15, 2024
I absolutely loved this collection. The stories were so intimate and all involved so much self discovery and family love.
July 30, 2024
I have recently began loving short story collections! Author writing style definitely shined in this collection with the first story “Dearborn”
Listening to the stories as an audiobook brought emotions to a rise bringing a personal touch to the story lines. It was a great experience.
You can get audiobook version here "Dearborn"
This book revolves around the Arab-American community in Dearborn. Each story itself is intricate and stands alone but is also connected through the themes of identity, belonging, and the concept of Americanism. The author’s ability to put out characters and plotlines efficiently and conclude things in a satisfying, thoughtful way was really impressive.
The characters felt so real and so close to my heart by the end of each story, and I think part of that has to do with the fact that the narrators for the audiobook were exceptional and brought the characters to life.
If you are looking for a short story collection that talks about a lot of different things in some stories but a few strong characters that bring on strong emotions, I highly suggest you start with Dearborn as your first audio book. It is a wonderful reflection of short fiction’s ability to touch the human experience and individual identity.
Listening to the stories as an audiobook brought emotions to a rise bringing a personal touch to the story lines. It was a great experience.
You can get audiobook version here "Dearborn"
This book revolves around the Arab-American community in Dearborn. Each story itself is intricate and stands alone but is also connected through the themes of identity, belonging, and the concept of Americanism. The author’s ability to put out characters and plotlines efficiently and conclude things in a satisfying, thoughtful way was really impressive.
The characters felt so real and so close to my heart by the end of each story, and I think part of that has to do with the fact that the narrators for the audiobook were exceptional and brought the characters to life.
If you are looking for a short story collection that talks about a lot of different things in some stories but a few strong characters that bring on strong emotions, I highly suggest you start with Dearborn as your first audio book. It is a wonderful reflection of short fiction’s ability to touch the human experience and individual identity.
March 16, 2024
Ich fand es stilistisch ein bisschen schwerfällig, aber ich wusste vorher nichts über den Libanon und nichts über libanesisches Leben in den USA, deshalb hab ich es trotzdem gern gelesen.
July 17, 2025
Short story collections are usually not for me; I often find the stories either too short or too drawn out, sometimes I don't understand the point of them leading me to question if maybe I'm not smart enough to understand the point. I dont believe I've ever given a short story collection 5 stars, and I've never anticipated doing so.
BUT.
There's a first time for everything (or at least most things, I suppose)!
I LOVE THIS COLLECTION.
I absolutely love reading MENA stories - representation matters! For me, it is especially special when the MENA represented is Lebanese 🇱🇧
*trigger warning for animal cruelty in the last story* Also, the wars that occurred in Lebanon are frequently mentioned and that may be upsetting to readers who have lived through any of those wars/attacks including the current and ongoing bombing/attack of Lebanon by the occupiers known as i*srael
BUT.
There's a first time for everything (or at least most things, I suppose)!
I LOVE THIS COLLECTION.
I absolutely love reading MENA stories - representation matters! For me, it is especially special when the MENA represented is Lebanese 🇱🇧
*trigger warning for animal cruelty in the last story* Also, the wars that occurred in Lebanon are frequently mentioned and that may be upsetting to readers who have lived through any of those wars/attacks including the current and ongoing bombing/attack of Lebanon by the occupiers known as i*srael
August 23, 2024
This is a sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes sad short story collection focusing on different characters in a community of Lebanese immigrants in Dearborn, Michigan. I loved how this collection felt so deeply rooted in a community. Like most short story collections, some were better than others. The standouts for me were: Yusra, Rabbit Stew, I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist, and Speedoman.
The writing style is very matter-of-fact, and sometimes felt a little too simple for me. While I didn’t really connect with the writing style, I can totally see why this collection is so highly rated.
The writing style is very matter-of-fact, and sometimes felt a little too simple for me. While I didn’t really connect with the writing style, I can totally see why this collection is so highly rated.
September 30, 2023
Such a refreshing slice of Americana.
April 18, 2024
So good.
September 23, 2023
Goodreads needs .25 and .5 stars because this was truly a 4.25-4.5 read for me.
A collection of short stories usually isn't my jam because typically 1-2 are great and the rest are mediocre, however 'Dearborn' is my exception because out of ten stories I found nine of them to be top tier (and the the other one 'just' good). Zeineddine does a stellar job of writing stories that, while being concentrated in the Arab community of Dearborn, are diverse in its portrayal of characters, intent, and outcome. The characters swing between being the religious devout vs. religious ambivalent, swindlers vs. brutally honest individuals, and the macabre obsessed vs. naive dreamers.
He writes with a balance of sympathy and humor for the characters, I felt for each of them without having the slightest idea where their respective story would end. The common thread that I felt throughout the book were the characters' longing to be something other than what they were, or where they were - either reminiscent about their past or longing for a different future than what was expected.
Here's my breakdown of mini-reviews for each tale:
The Actors of Dearborn: Great start to the collection, Youssef, Rocky, and Uncle Sam were all dynamic characters in their own way and this story helped set the stage for Dearborn.
Speedoman: One of shorter stories, but told in alternative group views (husbands/wives) and I was SHOOK when I found out how much he was charging for his calendars - and they paid it! That he was able to dupe them into buying his calendar because of how it made them all feel nostalgic....beautiful. I like that this story also crosses into Hiyam, LLC.
Money Chicken: The ending to this one was probably the most shocking to me for some reason. It seemed so unfathomable that after everything that happened, he wouldn't take up his father's offer of finally moving to Lebanon and instead returns to his prison cell to give Billy a foot massage. (That was a weird sentence to write BTW). Hits home the extent of his obsession with continuing his life in America, even at the detriment of himself.
Marseille: One of quiet favorites.....Titantic survivors whose story of first love right and marriage before boarding the ship is more enthralling than the famous sinking itself - expertly told and moving.
I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist: Another favorite from the collection. My heart broke for Badria at the end of this one. All the things unsaid to Lulu. *tear*
Zizou's Voice: Interesting tale because it went up and down for Zizou, Vegas odds on if he would succeed as an author. I wasn't sure until the very end that it wasn't going to happen for him, and felt acute sadness when he questioned if even Mira's potential future success as a writer would be enough for him.
In Memoriam: The was my least favorite, but still a solid story in it's own right. I just didn't personally connect to this one as much.
Hiyam, LLC.: Loved this story because on the surface it seems rather mundane, but Hiyam is an older remarried woman that experiences a series of emotions in the period of just days (maybe it just one day). And I am wildly curious if at the end of the story she stays content with her second husband who offers security and devotion, or if she calls her ex-husband back. (Don't do it Hiyam! They are ex's for a reason.)
Yusra: Was glad to see LGTBQA+ representation, as this is certainly a difficult area of acceptance (lack of) in Arab culture. This was also one of the happier endings, woot woot.
Rabbit Stew: I didn't know what to make of this one until I was done with it. Conflicted over how I felt about Uncle Ramzy, and unsure about the trajectory of the main character as well. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long, because as soon as I got to the description of Amer skinning the rabbit I recognized the ease of which he was readily narrating that horrific action and knew something changed in him. Or was brought out. Either way, that was an unnerving ending that I enjoyed.
All that to say, if you haven't read this book you should. Not only is it a great collection, the book also has the perfect amount of paperback 'floppiness' - great floppy factor here.
A collection of short stories usually isn't my jam because typically 1-2 are great and the rest are mediocre, however 'Dearborn' is my exception because out of ten stories I found nine of them to be top tier (and the the other one 'just' good). Zeineddine does a stellar job of writing stories that, while being concentrated in the Arab community of Dearborn, are diverse in its portrayal of characters, intent, and outcome. The characters swing between being the religious devout vs. religious ambivalent, swindlers vs. brutally honest individuals, and the macabre obsessed vs. naive dreamers.
He writes with a balance of sympathy and humor for the characters, I felt for each of them without having the slightest idea where their respective story would end. The common thread that I felt throughout the book were the characters' longing to be something other than what they were, or where they were - either reminiscent about their past or longing for a different future than what was expected.
Here's my breakdown of mini-reviews for each tale:
The Actors of Dearborn: Great start to the collection, Youssef, Rocky, and Uncle Sam were all dynamic characters in their own way and this story helped set the stage for Dearborn.
Speedoman: One of shorter stories, but told in alternative group views (husbands/wives) and I was SHOOK when I found out how much he was charging for his calendars - and they paid it! That he was able to dupe them into buying his calendar because of how it made them all feel nostalgic....beautiful. I like that this story also crosses into Hiyam, LLC.
Money Chicken: The ending to this one was probably the most shocking to me for some reason. It seemed so unfathomable that after everything that happened, he wouldn't take up his father's offer of finally moving to Lebanon and instead returns to his prison cell to give Billy a foot massage. (That was a weird sentence to write BTW). Hits home the extent of his obsession with continuing his life in America, even at the detriment of himself.
Marseille: One of quiet favorites.....Titantic survivors whose story of first love right and marriage before boarding the ship is more enthralling than the famous sinking itself - expertly told and moving.
I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist: Another favorite from the collection. My heart broke for Badria at the end of this one. All the things unsaid to Lulu. *tear*
Zizou's Voice: Interesting tale because it went up and down for Zizou, Vegas odds on if he would succeed as an author. I wasn't sure until the very end that it wasn't going to happen for him, and felt acute sadness when he questioned if even Mira's potential future success as a writer would be enough for him.
In Memoriam: The was my least favorite, but still a solid story in it's own right. I just didn't personally connect to this one as much.
Hiyam, LLC.: Loved this story because on the surface it seems rather mundane, but Hiyam is an older remarried woman that experiences a series of emotions in the period of just days (maybe it just one day). And I am wildly curious if at the end of the story she stays content with her second husband who offers security and devotion, or if she calls her ex-husband back. (Don't do it Hiyam! They are ex's for a reason.)
Yusra: Was glad to see LGTBQA+ representation, as this is certainly a difficult area of acceptance (lack of) in Arab culture. This was also one of the happier endings, woot woot.
Rabbit Stew: I didn't know what to make of this one until I was done with it. Conflicted over how I felt about Uncle Ramzy, and unsure about the trajectory of the main character as well. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long, because as soon as I got to the description of Amer skinning the rabbit I recognized the ease of which he was readily narrating that horrific action and knew something changed in him. Or was brought out. Either way, that was an unnerving ending that I enjoyed.
All that to say, if you haven't read this book you should. Not only is it a great collection, the book also has the perfect amount of paperback 'floppiness' - great floppy factor here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
** 5 stars **
This was a really great short story collection. Not since Ha Jin's The Bridegroom have I read a short story collection where I thought that truly, there was not even one dud in the bunch. Very impressive!
Zeineddine sets all of his stories in Dearborn, Michigan, which is known as the Arab American capital of the U.S. His treatment of this community reminded me of Nathan Englander's short stories about Orthodox Jews in the sense that while he is sometimes comic, he is ultimately respectful of this community and portrays his characters in a three-dimensional way. My favorites in the collection were "Speedoman," "Marseille," "I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist," and "Yusra." Also, there's a part toward the end of "Rabbit Stew" that is so visceral, I covered my eyes while I was listening to the audiobook like that was going to prevent me from hearing it. 🤣 Props to Zeineddine for making me feel like I was watching a horror movie, I guess.
Would definitely recommend Dearborn if you enjoy contemporary short stories, especially those set in relatively small communities, or have an interest in Arab American literature. I will look forward to anything Zeineddine writes in the future.
This was a really great short story collection. Not since Ha Jin's The Bridegroom have I read a short story collection where I thought that truly, there was not even one dud in the bunch. Very impressive!
Zeineddine sets all of his stories in Dearborn, Michigan, which is known as the Arab American capital of the U.S. His treatment of this community reminded me of Nathan Englander's short stories about Orthodox Jews in the sense that while he is sometimes comic, he is ultimately respectful of this community and portrays his characters in a three-dimensional way. My favorites in the collection were "Speedoman," "Marseille," "I Have Reason to Believe My Neighbor Is a Terrorist," and "Yusra." Also, there's a part toward the end of "Rabbit Stew" that is so visceral, I covered my eyes while I was listening to the audiobook like that was going to prevent me from hearing it. 🤣 Props to Zeineddine for making me feel like I was watching a horror movie, I guess.
Would definitely recommend Dearborn if you enjoy contemporary short stories, especially those set in relatively small communities, or have an interest in Arab American literature. I will look forward to anything Zeineddine writes in the future.
June 23, 2023
A stellar collection of short stories that explores the growing and thriving Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. These characters were so memorable as they lived their lives, fought for their dreams, or forged new ones. And, the little easter eggs of characters that had appeared or will appear was so much fun to find.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
April 30, 2024
I haven’t read a book of short stories in some time, so this was a different pace of reading for me. I had no idea Dearborn, MI, a place I go to often for work, was home to so many Arab Americans, so I know my eyes will be open a bit more when I go there next.
The end of the last story, however, was disturbing.
The end of the last story, however, was disturbing.
March 19, 2025
In 10 tragic-comic stories, Ghassan Zeineddine paints a picture of life in Dearborn, Michigan. His characters include a struggling actor with dreams of making it in Hollywood, a mysterious Speedo-wearing swimmer who scandalizes the local pool, a cross-dressing butcher, and a nightwatchman who moonlights as a failed fantasy writer. These 10 stories seek to shed light on the contemporary Arab American experience as Zeineddine’s characters struggle to reconcile the duality of living in modern America with the eternal longing for home.
For the past three years, I’ve worked at a school in East Dearborn that serves a predominantly Arab population. Most students are first or second-generation immigrants from Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Fluent Arabic is spoken in the hallways and classrooms, many students wear traditional clothing, almost everyone fasts during Ramadan, and hot-button topics like the war between Israel and Palestine take on personal significance as many students have family and friends still living overseas. I was excited to share Zeineddine’s short story collection with my colleagues. However, the mention of an “insider” account of their city was met with suspicion. After all, Zeineddine only lived in Dearborn for three years while he was teaching at the local university. Who is he to represent the voice of an entire people?
The Korean American writer, Min Jin Li (author of the excellent multi-generational novel, Pachinko), says the best way to write about other cultures is with empathy and sympathy, and only after doing your research. For her that meant taking thirty years to write Pachinko, a writing journey that felt authentic to her only after she moved to Japan and started interviewing real Korean-Japanese citizens. In Dearborn, Zeineddine has a similar task. Like Barbra Kingsolver writing about opioid addicts in Appalachia or Ta-Nehisi Coates writing about the victims of police brutality in Baltimore, the only way to represent a larger Arab American experience for Zeineddine is to ground his stories in place and community, while always resisting the urge to define a singular cultural viewpoint.
A wonderful example of Zeineddine’s urgent voice is the short story, “Money Chickens”, which tells the tale of a second-generation Lebanese American whose parents moved to Dearborn to escape the 1982 Civil War. In the story, a father teaches his young son how to commit fraud by hiding money from the IRS in literal frozen chickens, with the plan of using the saved money to return to Lebanon after the war is over. Eventually, the father moves back to Lebanon but the son remains in Dearborn where he endures the 2008 Recession and personal financial ruin before hatching his own fraudulent scheme. The story resembles the rise and fall legacy of classic films like Goodfellas and Scarface, yet resists the urge to reduce the protagonist to a money-hungry capitalist. Zeineddine frames the story through the eyes of a business owner searching for his version of the American dream, one that is cheapened through the protagonist’s illegal activity. Zeineddine isn’t trying to say that fraud is a characteristic of American success, but that it’s a facet of the enduring story of who gets rich in America and who doesn’t. The main character of “Money Chickens” wants more and more, and when his luck runs out, so does his dream of unlimited success.
Like any book, Dearborn has its flaws. The female characters feel more pressure to represent something profound about Arab and Muslim culture, highlighted by an opportunistic property owner who rips off new immigrants and a well-meaning neighbor who breaks the law in the hopes of preventing future domestic abuse. Although these women are fictional and should be allowed a degree of dramatic flourish, they are the type of characters who might frustrate a suspicious audience; yet even the collection’s weaker characters are written with undeniable human empathy. In his stories, Zeineddine celebrates the rich history of Arab food, music, family, and religion, while also detailing post-9/11 paranoia, centuries-old gender dynamics, and the complicated immigrant experience. Time and again, he proves to his readers that they are in considerate hands. Dearborn is a cultural snapshot: a humorous and sympathetic collection for both insiders and outsiders interested in learning more about the people, real or invented, that make up Arab-American life.
For the past three years, I’ve worked at a school in East Dearborn that serves a predominantly Arab population. Most students are first or second-generation immigrants from Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Fluent Arabic is spoken in the hallways and classrooms, many students wear traditional clothing, almost everyone fasts during Ramadan, and hot-button topics like the war between Israel and Palestine take on personal significance as many students have family and friends still living overseas. I was excited to share Zeineddine’s short story collection with my colleagues. However, the mention of an “insider” account of their city was met with suspicion. After all, Zeineddine only lived in Dearborn for three years while he was teaching at the local university. Who is he to represent the voice of an entire people?
The Korean American writer, Min Jin Li (author of the excellent multi-generational novel, Pachinko), says the best way to write about other cultures is with empathy and sympathy, and only after doing your research. For her that meant taking thirty years to write Pachinko, a writing journey that felt authentic to her only after she moved to Japan and started interviewing real Korean-Japanese citizens. In Dearborn, Zeineddine has a similar task. Like Barbra Kingsolver writing about opioid addicts in Appalachia or Ta-Nehisi Coates writing about the victims of police brutality in Baltimore, the only way to represent a larger Arab American experience for Zeineddine is to ground his stories in place and community, while always resisting the urge to define a singular cultural viewpoint.
A wonderful example of Zeineddine’s urgent voice is the short story, “Money Chickens”, which tells the tale of a second-generation Lebanese American whose parents moved to Dearborn to escape the 1982 Civil War. In the story, a father teaches his young son how to commit fraud by hiding money from the IRS in literal frozen chickens, with the plan of using the saved money to return to Lebanon after the war is over. Eventually, the father moves back to Lebanon but the son remains in Dearborn where he endures the 2008 Recession and personal financial ruin before hatching his own fraudulent scheme. The story resembles the rise and fall legacy of classic films like Goodfellas and Scarface, yet resists the urge to reduce the protagonist to a money-hungry capitalist. Zeineddine frames the story through the eyes of a business owner searching for his version of the American dream, one that is cheapened through the protagonist’s illegal activity. Zeineddine isn’t trying to say that fraud is a characteristic of American success, but that it’s a facet of the enduring story of who gets rich in America and who doesn’t. The main character of “Money Chickens” wants more and more, and when his luck runs out, so does his dream of unlimited success.
Like any book, Dearborn has its flaws. The female characters feel more pressure to represent something profound about Arab and Muslim culture, highlighted by an opportunistic property owner who rips off new immigrants and a well-meaning neighbor who breaks the law in the hopes of preventing future domestic abuse. Although these women are fictional and should be allowed a degree of dramatic flourish, they are the type of characters who might frustrate a suspicious audience; yet even the collection’s weaker characters are written with undeniable human empathy. In his stories, Zeineddine celebrates the rich history of Arab food, music, family, and religion, while also detailing post-9/11 paranoia, centuries-old gender dynamics, and the complicated immigrant experience. Time and again, he proves to his readers that they are in considerate hands. Dearborn is a cultural snapshot: a humorous and sympathetic collection for both insiders and outsiders interested in learning more about the people, real or invented, that make up Arab-American life.
November 20, 2024
Dearborn is a heartfelt and complex collection of stories that explores identity, memory, and culture within the extensive Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan. Each story is a window into the nuances of the immigrant experience, balancing themes of gratitude and regret, opportunity and loss, and hope and nostalgia. Together, they form a mosaic of navigating life between two worlds: a person’s homeland and where they resettle.
The collection shines in its reflections on love, belonging, identity, and intergenerational relationships, while offering diverse perspectives that bring Dearborn’s vibrant community to life. The stories range from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each infused with layers of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment. Through these narratives, the author delves into more complex topics such as economic limitations, the cyclical nature of violence, or how one defines success and failure.
Many stories ruminate on how all that glitters isn’t gold, highlighting the gap between family dreams and the realities of what life has offered these people. They also reflect on the ways we cope with unfulfilled aspirations and the complexities of relationships with faith, community, and loved ones. The backdrop of Western imperialism and its wars is present throughout, offering a sharp critique of the Islamophobia and paranoia that have shaped Muslim communities in wake of these tragedies. Something especially prevalent throughout the stories is 9/11 and its effect on Arab immigrant and Arab-American communities. The author highlights the violence and entrapment that happened during the years that followed along with discussing the paranoia this tragedy created within these communities. There were some incredibly insightful reflections on the complicated feelings many people were processing - especially those who went to the United States to escape conflict in their own countries.
The majority of the stories within this collection were hits for me. Ultimately, I felt that this collection was successful in showing a broad spectrum of the Arab-American immigrant experience while also showing love and appreciation for the city of Dearborn and the real-life people I’m sure these stories were inspired by.
The collection shines in its reflections on love, belonging, identity, and intergenerational relationships, while offering diverse perspectives that bring Dearborn’s vibrant community to life. The stories range from endearing to funny, sorrowful to tense, each infused with layers of emotion, faith, humor, and resentment. Through these narratives, the author delves into more complex topics such as economic limitations, the cyclical nature of violence, or how one defines success and failure.
Many stories ruminate on how all that glitters isn’t gold, highlighting the gap between family dreams and the realities of what life has offered these people. They also reflect on the ways we cope with unfulfilled aspirations and the complexities of relationships with faith, community, and loved ones. The backdrop of Western imperialism and its wars is present throughout, offering a sharp critique of the Islamophobia and paranoia that have shaped Muslim communities in wake of these tragedies. Something especially prevalent throughout the stories is 9/11 and its effect on Arab immigrant and Arab-American communities. The author highlights the violence and entrapment that happened during the years that followed along with discussing the paranoia this tragedy created within these communities. There were some incredibly insightful reflections on the complicated feelings many people were processing - especially those who went to the United States to escape conflict in their own countries.
The majority of the stories within this collection were hits for me. Ultimately, I felt that this collection was successful in showing a broad spectrum of the Arab-American immigrant experience while also showing love and appreciation for the city of Dearborn and the real-life people I’m sure these stories were inspired by.
April 12, 2024
This is a short story collection centered on Arab Americans (mostly Lebanese) in the town of Dearborn, Michigan.
I have a hard time with short story collections. I am more of a long format readie and get sort of bored halfway. THIS WAS NOT THAT. I was rapt for each story, each completely different from the last, but with a common thread throughout of home, of culture, of the specter of the FBI/DHS knocking on your door. These were all *SO GOOD* and I don't even know how to pick a favorite. I was equally transfixed by the story of an elder woman looking out for her younger neighbor as I was the story of Yusra - a story of identity and being trans. The snippets were just enough and I really truly enjoyed this collection.
instagram.com/encyclopedia_britanika
I have a hard time with short story collections. I am more of a long format readie and get sort of bored halfway. THIS WAS NOT THAT. I was rapt for each story, each completely different from the last, but with a common thread throughout of home, of culture, of the specter of the FBI/DHS knocking on your door. These were all *SO GOOD* and I don't even know how to pick a favorite. I was equally transfixed by the story of an elder woman looking out for her younger neighbor as I was the story of Yusra - a story of identity and being trans. The snippets were just enough and I really truly enjoyed this collection.
instagram.com/encyclopedia_britanika
July 11, 2024
A collection of really high quality short stories, set in Dearborn, MI, a city with the largest Arab population outside of the Middle East, and 20 minutes from my home.
Lots of walks of life covered here, all characters of Lebanese heritage. There was just one story I skipped over because of it's sexual explicitness, and the very last story I had to fast forward through a butchering scene. Other than that I thought it was very interesting to be immersed in this society within a society. My favorite stories were Marseille and Zizou’s Voice.
Lots of walks of life covered here, all characters of Lebanese heritage. There was just one story I skipped over because of it's sexual explicitness, and the very last story I had to fast forward through a butchering scene. Other than that I thought it was very interesting to be immersed in this society within a society. My favorite stories were Marseille and Zizou’s Voice.
June 4, 2024
I was incredibly moved by this collection of stories set within the Lebanese American community in Dearborn, MI.
These stories are bittersweet, funny, and compelling in their depiction of family and displacement and obligation and missed dreams. It’s hard to pick a favorite. It was especially satisfying to follow the cameos of various characters appearing in other stories, which helped to paint such a rich portrayal of the community.
And of course, these stories made me miss my home and good Lebanese food, the equal of which I have not yet found outside of Metro Detroit.
These stories are bittersweet, funny, and compelling in their depiction of family and displacement and obligation and missed dreams. It’s hard to pick a favorite. It was especially satisfying to follow the cameos of various characters appearing in other stories, which helped to paint such a rich portrayal of the community.
And of course, these stories made me miss my home and good Lebanese food, the equal of which I have not yet found outside of Metro Detroit.
May 14, 2024
An excellent story collection. Ten tales about Arab Americans living in Dearborn, Michigan. These characters live and breathe in funny, sad, shocking stories. I hope the author expands at least one of these stories into a full novel. I delayed finishing the book as long as I could because I didn’t want it to end.
April 17, 2025
Ten short stories that take place in Dearborn Michigan spanning from the 1980s to the 2020s. These collection of stories revolve around the Arab American community and their lives in Dearborn. A couple of the stories are really good and end without giving a truly satisfying ending. Most of the stories are easy and fast but not memorable.
April 10, 2023
Rep: Lebanese & Lebanese American cast, Yemeni American & Black side characters, bi mc, genderfluid mc
CWs: Islamophobia, racism, racial slurs, mentions of anti-Blackness, mentions of past torture, animal death
CWs: Islamophobia, racism, racial slurs, mentions of anti-Blackness, mentions of past torture, animal death
February 14, 2024
I simply did not know Dearborn, Michigan is an Arab-American enclave. I’m happy to know it now though. The writing is completely absorbing and evocative. Many incredible and diverse stories and topics included in this collection, all explored with heart and humor. I can’t pick a favorite, all are fantastic.
I would have enjoyed more overlap in the stories or characters. Some of this is tough to read, lots of triggers: domestic violence, Islamophobia, graphic violence, just to name a few. It was heavy at times.
Such darn good writing in here about a community I knew nothing about. Write so much more, I will read it all.
I would have enjoyed more overlap in the stories or characters. Some of this is tough to read, lots of triggers: domestic violence, Islamophobia, graphic violence, just to name a few. It was heavy at times.
Such darn good writing in here about a community I knew nothing about. Write so much more, I will read it all.
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