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125 9 Potpourri Alicia Erian, Randa Jarrar, Susan Abulhawa The title to this chapter is not a cop-out, really, but it seems like one because in studying Alicia Erian, Randa Jarrar, and Susan Abulhawa I tried and tried but could not find a common theme that might lend itself to a chapter title. Potpourri is not merely a default choice, but an accurate descriptor of the three writers vis-à-vis one another and the range of themes they cover. Each author comes from a distinct background and covers an original set of themes, though there is overlap among their work. Rather than pressing to highlight the overlap that does exist, I focus on some of the poetics and politics that make each of their novels unique. The three novels are also a potpourri because each adheres to (or promotes) a version of history and a social worldview that barely resemble those of the other two authors. They therefore provide readers a solid sense of the stylistic and thematic heterogeneity that exists in modern Arab American fiction. As you might have noticed by this point in the book, the majority of Arab American fiction writers are women (the same is true, by the way, of Arab American playwrights, poets, and critics). It is only appropriate, then, that I end this book by examining the distinct voices of three Arab American women novelists. Towelhead Alicia Erian’s first novel—she has also published a short story collection, The Brutal Language of Love—has been one of the most commercially successful Arab American books. Its critical reception has been mixed, however. In 2008, Alan Ball of American Beauty and Six Feet Under fame directed the movie version of Towelhead, which, like the book, received mixed reviews. One reason for 126 | M o d e r n A r a b A m e r i c a n F i c t i o n this mixed critical reception is the overt sexual descriptions and heavy-handed ethnic imagery that the half-Egyptian Erian uses. Anything so explicit is bound to be controversial; one need not go further than the title to know that Towelhead is not shy of being explicit. Before I move into a textual analysis, I would like to look briefly at some of the controversy that Towelhead has generated. I do so not to reduce the novel to sociologica, but to highlight how issues of ethnicity and representation are integral to Arab American literature, even if Arab American authors want nothing to do with those issues. (Alas, nobody is so lucky.) I should probably point out for the sake of transparency that I have criticized Towelhead and find parts of the novel to be objectionable. In particular, I find its use of the epithet towelhead problematic. It is not the use of an epithet per se that is distasteful; all kinds of epithets have been used in all kinds of literature to great effect. And any book that uses an epithet so prominently will be controversial, no matter how that epithet is used. My problem with its use in Towelhead is not philosophical or political; it is aesthetic. As Erian uses it, the term does not advance any real understanding of prejudice against Arabs, Arab American culture, or the use of language to marginalize certain people. The term instead acts as a marketing device; the story Erian tells in Towelhead would have been nearly identical even without the presence of the term. In short, I believe that the word deserves a treatment far richer and more sophisticated than the one Erian provides. It exists in the novel mainly for shock value. Of course, many people disagree with my reading. Literature is a fluid phenomenon that naturally lends itself to variegated interpretation, a fact that makes literature fun in addition to being intellectually and emotionally rewarding. So please feel free to disagree with my admittedly grumpy reaction to the novel’s title. If for no other reason, the word towelhead is there to generate discussion. Revealing my feelings about it is intended to do the same. In many ways, Towelhead is not about Arabs or the Arab American community ; it focuses on a character, Jasira Maroun (named after Yasser Arafat), who happens to be of Lebanese origin on her paternal side. This ethnic background plays a role in Jasira’s story, but it does not define or consume her. Sexuality is a more crucial theme in Towelhead. The thirteen...

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