I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib

A coming-of-age story about identity, migration, and growing up between cultures.

I Was Their American Dream is the deeply personal and funny graphic memoir of Malaka Gharib, the daughter of a Filipino mother and an Egyptian father navigating life in the United States as a first-generation American.

Through sharp, expressive comics, Gharib captures what it means to code-switch between worlds: Filipino family parties and Catholic guilt, Egyptian traditions, and the pressure to assimilate into white suburban America. From awkward teen years and mall culture to questions of race, belonging, and the weight of your parents’ sacrifices, this is a story that hits home for anyone who has ever lived between identities.

At once intimate and universal, this award-winning memoir puts a human face on the immigrant experience and the generation raised in its wake.

Why We Love It at Hot Tropiks

• A powerful Filipino diaspora graphic memoir
• Speaks directly to the first-gen and third-culture experience
• Honest, funny, and painfully relatable
• Perfect for readers of Almost American Girl and American Born Chinese

This is the kind of book that gets passed around the family group chat.

Praise

Winner of the Arab American Book Award
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The New York Public Library, and Kirkus Reviews

“Forthright and funny, Gharib fiercely claims her own American dream.” — Booklist

Perfect For

✔ Filipino-American & diaspora readers
✔ Fans of graphic memoirs
✔ Coming-of-age stories
✔ Readers exploring identity, culture, and migration