American Dervish

A Novel

By: Ayad Akhtar

Narrated by: Ayad Akhtar

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Narration by the Author or Authors, 2013

Hayat Shah was captivated by Mina long before he met her: his mother's beautiful, brilliant, and soulfully devout friend is a family legend. When he learns that Mina is leaving Pakistan to live with the Shahs in America, Hayat is thrilled.

Hayat's father is less enthusiastic. He left the fundamentalist world behind with reason. What no one expects is that when Mina shows Hayat the beauty and power of the Quran, it will utterly transform the boy.

Mina's real magic may be that the Shah household, always contentious and sad, becomes a happy one. But when Mina finds her own path to happiness, the ember of jealousy in Hayat's heart is enflamed by the community's anti-Semitism-and he acts with catastrophic consequences for those he loves most.

©2011 Ayad Akhtar (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

" [A] heartfelt first novel.... Akhtar's characters drive a story that's compelling and believable even at its most alien. American Dervish offers a rich look at a nearby world that many Americans don't know nearly enough about." ( Entertainment)

"Loss of innocence-sexual, of course, but also cultural and religious-is the subject of Ayad Akhtar's poignant American Dervish, set in a Muslim-American community in the early 1980s.... With characters full of contradictions and complexity, this debut novel is refreshing for its lack of the political and religious hand-wringing so common in the post-9/11 world. But it's also resonantly familiar in its depiction of youthful obsession and the desire to belong." ( O, the Oprah Magazine)

"a compelling debut with a family drama centered on questions of religious and ethnic identity.... Engaging and accessible, thoughtful without being daunting: This may be the novel that brings Muslim-American fiction into the commercial mainstream." ( Kirkus, Starred Review)

Learning

It was like listening to text book about something I knew nothing about. very interesting!

great story great reading

I am always wary of author readers but this is a good one. this feels like a generous sharing of a culture different than what I know. therefore I can't judge authenticity, depth, etc. I do appreciate hearing a different voice.

Well written but disturbing

It's an excellent book but, as a person who has always been deeply troubled by the arrogant and unkind behaviors supported and perpetuated by various religions (war, sexism, racism, and homophobia, to name a few), it was a tough listen for me. Walking through so many atrocities these characters put each other through because of their beliefs was an ongoing, painful reminder that teaching children to have blind faith in religions and cultures, despite the aspects of their "holy" teachings that command violence and hatred, is a traditional practice.

I shouldn't have finished this one, but the writing was compelling. I feel like I need to go take a shower and search for signs of goodness in humanity so I can carry on.

A beautiful story and performance!

What did you love best about American Dervish?

Really enjoyed this story, especially the insight into the Koran from a American Muslim boy's point of view. Great performance!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Epilogue!

A moving story of one man's journey

A very excellent work I was totally drawn into this book and found myself emotionally connected to the characters to the point of thinking how can I help this person. Islamic beliefs are scary to most Americans and in this work the author does well with interpreting the Quran as well as showing us the parts that give us pause. I wish I could have more but alas every story must come to an end at some point

Voice is strong

The voice is so strong in this story, learning a little bit more about the Koran and cultural we know little about...

illuminating

A young boy grows up with his Muslim faith. As his perception of life around him changes, so does his perception of his religion.

quite the tale

A different kind of story for me, about any kind of religion let alone the Mulim faith. A coming of age story that was educatioinal and informational for a non-Muslim like me. Still at its core it was a story about human nautre that could've had any setting for a background. They say, whomver they is, that it takes 3 generations for a family of immigrants to fully assimilate into the American culture. I wonder if that's really true?

I loved it!

Where does American Dervish rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my top favorites.

Any additional comments?

I love to read books that expand my worldview by taking me inside another culture. This was a very engrossing, well-written and narrated story, and I loved it. I read and listen to audiobooks a lot on my travels, and I'd definitely recommend this one to others!

Really good

I loved this book from beginning to finish, and don't know why I waited so long to read it. It's a book about love and family, prejudice and acceptance, and saying goodbye. I admit it, I cried. Not all the way through, of course. There was plenty of happiness. One of the best things about American Dervish was the learning moments. I feel ever so much more enlightened having read it.