Two Iraqi American best friends—a struggling teen father and the community's golden boy—confront dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime in this heartrending YA debut.
“A heartrending and unforgettable novel written with texture and profundity, this debut is the next great read that fans of Sabaa Tahir’s All My Rage and Tahereh Mafi’s An Emotion of Great Delight have been waiting for.”
—Booklist (starred review)
A multi-layered, deeply vulnerable novel about three young protagonists reckoning with grief, family expectations, and their faith against a backdrop of bigotry and hate.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
A gripping debut about generational trauma that mirrors many present realities.
—Kirkus Reviews
A textured exploration of Shia Muslim life in the United States and the pressures facing immigrant youth. Recommended for all collections.
—School Library Journal
Meet the Author
Alaa Al-Barkawi is a first-generation, Iraqi American Shia Muslim writer. She is the co-runner of QuillersSWANA, a literary organization dedicated to Southwest Asian and North African writers, and serves as a Literary Peace Ambassador for Threads of Peace. Alaa holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and has worked with refugee and immigrant students for nearly a decade. In the Country I Love is her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram @AlaaAlBarkawi.
She is represented by Maeve MacLysaght at Aevitas Creative Management.