‘American Dervish’ selected for ASU summer reading
Ayad Akhtar’s novel, ‘American Dervish,’ has been selected for 2013’s ASU Summer Reading Program.
“American Dervish,” a coming of age novel and story of
Muslim-American identity written by Ayad Akhtar, has been selected for Appalachian State
University’s Summer Reading Program for 2013.
The book tells the story of Hayat Shah, a
young boy from the Midwest who falls in love for the first time. His normal life of school and
sports had been distinguished only by his Pakistani heritage and the often cold relationship of his
parents who argue over things he is too young to understand. Then, suddenly, his mother’s friend,
Mina, arrives and everything changes.
The novel is as much Mina’s story as it is Hayat’s. Her
deep spirituality and fierce intelligence are brought into frequent and terrible conflict with her
traditional culture, but these struggles also define her and inextricably shape the young
Hayat.
“American Dervish” was published in 2012 and has been praised by numerous critics,
including Kirkus Reviews, which concludes that the work is “engaging and accessible, thoughtful
without being daunting.”
Akhtar manages to balance “a moving exploration of the
understanding and serenity Islam imparts to an unhappy preteen with an unsparing portrait of
fundamentalist bigotry and cruelty.”
Dr. Clark Maddux, interim chairman of ASU’s
Summer Reading Committee, noted that “this is a work that will resonate in many classes: Global
studies will find ample material for examinations of cultural identity and assimilation; women’s
studies will wrestle with Mina’s almost mystical embrace of the idea of submission in Islam and the
violence that she endures at the hands of her fundamentalist husbands; English and history classes
will have the opportunity to examine the composition of narrative and the construction of history;
psychology and sociology will be able discuss the development of personality and the development and
preservation of social institutions.”
“Books can open the door to a better understanding of
different cultures, beliefs and traditions,” said Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. “Ayad Akhtar’s
depiction of a young boy’s experiences influenced by two differing cultures can be one of many steps
in understanding the similarities that often link people and nations.”
Akhtar is an
American-born, first generation Pakistani-American from Milwaukee, Wis. A graduate of Brown
University, he is the author of numerous screenplays and was the star and co-writer of “The War
Within,” which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. “American
Dervish” is his first novel. He will speak at the university’s Convocation on Sept. 10 and will open
the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series held on campus.
