Bellingham Public Library Highlights Arab American Heritage Month

April is National Arab American Heritage Month, honoring the contributions of Arab Americans and recognizing Arab culture.

The Bellingham Public Library offers a wide-ranging assortment of materials, including books, music, films, and digital resources that highlight the lives and experiences of Arab Americans. Specific recommendations from Library staff for adults, teens and children encourage everyone to celebrate and learn about the achievements and challenges past and present of people in the Arab diaspora.

According to the Arab American Institute, there are an estimated 3.7 million Americans who are able to trace their ancestries to one of the 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa identified as Arab. The 22 countries that people in the Arab diaspora originate from are:

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Arab American Fiction for Adults

Click on the link below to view our list of award winning books from the Arab diaspora.

Contemporary Arab Fiction List

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

“The beauty and the horror of this work explores the choices we make when there are no good choices, and the many ways bonds can form between people (or even between a person and a slab of concrete). Readers are immersed in the narrator’s memories containing rich descriptions of the landscapes, communities, and cultures of Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine. In a loveless world this book manages to explore many forms of love to be found or created – and the grief that always accompanies it.”

– Kate, Staff Development Coordinator

Arab American Nonfiction for Adults

The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Cultural Journey by Laila El-Haddad

“A lovely tribute to the food and culture of Palestine, full of delicious recipes and stories straight from the people of Gaza.”

– Rosalie, Public Services Clerk

Water & Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha

“A beautiful collection of poetry rich in grief, joy, love, and rage. Tuffaha’s poetry is evocative and powerful—a full-throated celebration of the people of the Middle East who so often are victims of the cycles of both Western violence and the cold voyeurism of Western media that quickly follows.”

– Rosalie, Public Services Clerk

Arab American Heritage for Teens

Click the link below to view YA fiction books by Arab American and Muslim American authors.

Arab and Muslim Teen Fiction List

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

“As a member of the conquered Ornu people, becoming a knight for the Bayt-Saiji Empire is the only way for Aiza to secure a better life for herself—one as more than a girl who isn’t even a legal citizen in her own homeland. But in order to climb to knighthood, Aiza must decide if her dreams are worth hiding her heritage, or if they’re even dreams she wants to follow at all.”

– Rosalie, Public Services Clerk

Arab American Stories for Kids

Click below to view a list of stories featuring Arab voices and experiences for youth.

Arab American Voices: Books for Kids List

Insha’Allah, No, Maybe So by Rhonda Roumani and Nadia Roumani, illustrated by Olivia Aserr

“Sometimes it feels like grown-ups are masters at saying ‘no’ without really saying ‘no.’ All kids know that ‘maybe,’ or ‘we’ll see,’ or ‘insha’Allah’ are just creative ways of saying no… or are they? Explore this universal theme in this tender, thoughtful picture book.” Recommended for ages 4 – 10

– Ali, Children’s Services Librarian

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

“How would you feel if you had to leave half of your family and all your friends behind in a country that is at war? Jude and her mother do this when they leave Syria without her father or brother because the town that they live in has become violent. At first America is fast, loud, and confusing and Jude must navigate this new world. She also needs to come to terms with the uncertainty of not knowing what is happening to her family and friends back home. This middle grade novel in verse is about family and friendships and is an amazing look into a child’s refugee experience. I loved Jude and how I really got to know her world. Highly recommend!” Recommended for grades 4-8

– Lesley, Children’s Programming Specialist

Film & Music

Looking for some great films to watch or music to listen to? BPL Librarian Liz has put together a great list to get you started. And don’t forget to visit Kanopy, our online film streaming service, for more films highlighting Arab American experiences.

Contemporary Arab Films and Music List

Digital Resources to Access with Your Library Card

Access information, entertainment, and even language learning for free with your Bellingham Public Library or Whatcom County Library System card. Many of these resources include information related to this month’s celebration of Arab American heritage.

To access most of these digital services, you’ll need to start by entering your library barcode number and PIN code.

Culture Grams

ProQuest CultureGrams has information on places and cultures, covering history, customs and lifestyles, family, recipes, economy and more. Use the World Edition for countries, States Edition for US States, Provinces Edition for Canadian Provinces, or Kids Edition for a kid’s-eye view of the world. Includes statistics, photographs, maps, biographies, video and audio. Click HERE to get started.

Exploring Race in Society

Content covering issues related to race in society today. Essays, articles, reports and other reliable sources provide an in-depth look at the history of race and provide critical context for learning more about topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity and inclusiveness. Click HERE to visit Exploring Race in Society.

Freegal

Freegal Music is a free music service from your library. All you need is your library card number and password/PIN. Freegal offers access to 15 million+ songs. The collection includes hundreds of genres from over 40,000+ labels with music that originates in over 100 countries. Click HERE to get started.

Kanopy

Bellingham Public Library offers streaming films and documentaries to card holders. Kanopy is an on-demand film streaming service. No waiting, no holds, just instant access to more than 30,000 of the world’s finest films, award-winning documentaries, hard-to-find classic and indie titles, instructional videos, and content for kids – all free with your library card. Click HERE to get started.

Mango Languages

Learn 70+ languages, including courses for ESL learners. Lessons contain reading, writing, and listening components. Click HERE to get started.

NewsBank Access World News

News from sources around the world. Sources include a variety of news media featuring newspapers, videos and web-only content. Click HERE to get started.

Washington Anytime Library

Your Bellingham Public Library card is the key to access thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks in the Washington Anytime Library via Libby. This digital collection has fiction and nonfiction titles for children, teens, and adults, as well as digital magazines. Click HERE to get started.

Need help accessing or using any of our digital services? Call 360-778-7323 to set up a one-on-one Library Basics Tech Coaching session with a librarian. Click HERE for more information about Library Basics Tech Coaching.