Dearborn

By: Ghassan Zeineddine

Narrated by: Sarab Kamoo, Qarie Marshall

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 listeners 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.

©2023 Ghassan Zeineddine (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"This diverse collection of stories explores Lebanese American life in the community of Dearborn, Michigan. Sarab Kamoo and Qarie Marshall trade off delivering narratives that offer insights into the lives of a variety of characters of different ages and genders. From Yousef, a fun-loving boy who loves acting, to women who help each other through domestic violence, the production is enriched by having a male and a female narrator. Marshall delivers his characters in a strong, clear tenor that evokes sympathy for fathers and sons whose confusion over their drastically different upbringings makes it difficult for them to communicate. Kamoo portrays her female characters with a warm kindness that mirrors their emotional lives." (AudioFile)

Fantastic book of short stories shortchanged by the performance

The stories are creative, courageous and beautifully written. What was most frustrating are the mispronunciations of all the Arabic phrases, from names of people and places, to common sayings. It was cringe-worthy in many stories (Hiyam LLC reading was the worst). Is it too much to expect that pronunciation of foreign words and names are vetted by a native speaker (Arab/Lebanese in this case) before the reading? Especially when they are an integral part of the story, as they are here.

Brilliant storytelling

this writing is exceptionally rich, and the characters are so unique and real! This is a community brought to life!

Unforgettable collection of beautifully crafted stories

I fell in love with so many of the characters and all of the nuances that the author describes masterfully. The details are sharp and effective at transporting the listener to feel a deep connection to the set and setting of each story. It’s not often that a text brings you to laughter and tears. The author artfully integrates so many of the complex connections to Lebanon and the inner conflict that so many expatriates suppress. The voice actors are some of the best I have heard, covering a wide range of characters with such incredible realism. I highly recommend this book!

Fantastic book with amazing stories about interesting characters

The stories are expertly crafted by a master storyteller. Every character leapt off the “page” and settled into my brain where they lived long after the next story began.

Now that the book is over, I want to listen again and pick up the morsels that I missed the first time a round.

I highly recommend this book to anyone adult audience that is not shy about the inner lives of a community that is like, but all together different than the community that they might be a part of.