Native Believer

Eteraz’s very timely novel is thought-provoking, inventive, amusing in tone and a little crass as it explores the complex issues of identity against the destiny we desire. The narrator known as M. is a second-generation secular Muslim raised in the South who was well on his way of solidifying his Am......more

Mixed feelings about this one. Beautifully written, but heavy handed. Initially it seemed it would follow the same trajectory as The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which I loved, but which would be predictable a second time around. However, this book is quite surprising. Still, the message is a bit obvio......more

The USlamist. Some years ago, Ali Eteraz wrote an acclaimed coming-of-age memoir called Children of Dust and this, his first novel, has been long-awaited in the States. The narrator is not so much a lapsed believer in Islam as a non-believer. As the second-generation son of immigrant Asian parents, w......more

Native Believer is the story of M., a second-generation Muslim American who knows almost nothing about the faith. M., who was raised in the South, is married to Marie-Ann, a white Southerner, and the two have made a rather comfortable life for themselves. It is only when M. throws a party for his co......more