Why did you pick the title “Amreeka,” the formal Arabic word for America?
I liked the fact that the word “Amreeka” sounds and looks a lot like America but it has its different twist. The book is American history, first and foremost, but with a twist. It reinserts Arab Americans in their rightful place, as part of the greater American immigrant narrative. Q: What is your own family background? I’m a first generation Arab American. Both my parents emigrated from Syria, though my father’s family is originally Lebanese. My dad came over in 1969 to help fill a doctor shortage and settled in Baltimore. I came over with my mom from Damascus in 1974—she was pregnant with me. I was born and raised in Charm City, and thus was born an American. They became naturalized citizens several years later. Q: How did you avoid going into medicine and come to pursue law instead? It’s funny. In Syria, you take your college entrance exam that determines what field you will go into. The highest scoring kids end up going to the medical school, the next highest, I believe, end up goi
