January 10, 2012 / Leslie

Spotlight & Giveaway – American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

American Dervish
by Ayad Akhtar

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publish Date: January 9, 2012
Format: Hardback | 368 pages
ISBN: 9780316183314

I have been hearing wonderful things about Ayad Akhtar’s debut novel about the coming of age of a young Pakistani-American in Milwaukee in the 1980s. It has been receiving some glowing reviews. I have not had a chance to read it yet and will probably listen to the audiobook.

The publisher, Little, Brown & Company, has made available two copies for me to give away to my readers in the US and Canada. How exciting is that? But first, here is a little information about the book and the author:

About the Book

Hayat Shah is a young American in love for the first time. His normal life of school, baseball, and video games had previously been distinguished only by his Pakistani heritage and by the frequent chill between his parents, who fight over things he is too young to understand. Then Mina arrives, and everything changes.

Mina is Hayat’s mother’s oldest friend from Pakistan. She is independent, beautiful and intelligent, and arrives on the Shah’s doorstep when her disastrous marriage in Pakistan disintegrates. Even Hayat’s skeptical father can’t deny the liveliness and happiness that accompanies Mina into their home. Her deep spirituality brings the family’s Muslim faith to life in a way that resonates with Hayat as nothing has before. Studying the Quran by Mina’s side and basking in the glow of her attention, he feels an entirely new purpose mingled with a growing infatuation for his teacher.

When Mina meets and begins dating a man, Hayat is confused by his feelings of betrayal. His growing passions, both spiritual and romantic, force him to question all that he has come to believe is true. Just as Mina finds happiness, Hayat is compelled to act — with devastating consequences for all those he loves most.

American Dervish is a brilliantly written, nuanced, and emotionally forceful look inside the interplay of religion and modern life. Ayad Akhtar was raised in the Midwest himself, and through Hayat Shah he shows readers vividly the powerful forces at work on young men and women growing up Muslim in America. This is an intimate, personal first novel that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

About the Author

Ayad Akhtar is an American-born, first generation Pakistani-American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He holds degrees in Theater from Brown University and in Directing from the Graduate Film Program at Columbia University, where he won multiple awards for his work. He is the author of numerous screenplays and was star and co-writer of The War Within, which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and an International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Picture – Drama. American Dervish is his first novel.

Learn more about the author:

Visit Ayadakhtar.com
Follow @ayadakhtar on Twitter
Like him on Facebook.com/AyadAkhtar
Like the book on Facebook.com/AmericanDervish

Giveaway Information

The publisher has generously offered two copies for giveaway.

Contest is open to those with an address in the US or Canada.
To enter leave a comment. It is not necessary to be a subscriber or follower to enter but new subscribers are always welcome.
The deadline for entry is Sunday, January 22nd. I will draw two winners who will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.