To celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, UC Irvine Libraries have gathered a partial list of available online resources, media (both fiction and nonfiction), and books within the Libraries that help document and honor the works of Arab Americans. Although some online materials are only accessible to faculty, staff, and students with a valid UCInetID, many of these resources are open to the public and all are available throughout the year as part of UC Irvine Libraries’ ongoing effort to foster learning and increase access to a wide variety of scholarship.

For research help with Middle East studies and related topics, contact Research Librarian for Student Success and Humanities Nicole Arnold at nsarnold@uci.edu, or explore our complete list of Libraries’ Research Guides.

Online Resources

• Middle East Studies Research Guide
• Curated collection of films on Kanopy (requires UC Irvine login)
• Middle East and North Africa documentaries on Docuseek (requires UC Irvine login)
• Middle East studies documentaries on Docuseek (requires UC Irvine login)
• Middle Eastern history documentaries on Docuseek (requires UC Irvine login)
• Index Islamicus (requires UC Irvine login). This index covers academic literature on Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world.
• Al-Ahram Digital Archive (requires UC Irvine login). This archive provides access to back issues of Al-Ahram, one of the longest-running and most important newspapers in the Middle East.

Books

• Arab Americans in the United States: Immigration, Culture, and Health (2024), by Shaikha H. Al-Kuwari, looks at the relationship between immigration, culture, and health, touching upon identity struggles, the notion of not feeling safe, understood, accepted, and its relation to Arab American health.
• Arab in America (2007), a memoir in the form of a graphic novel by Toufic El Rassi, focuses on the discrimination and stereotypes many Arabs have faced in the United States, especially in the years immediately post-9/11.
• Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora (2022), by Reem Assil with Emily Katz, takes readers on a journey of food and flavor as the author, a renowned chef, tells stories that transform the hardships experienced throughout the Arabian diaspora into celebratory feasts.
• Cinema in the Arab World: New Histories, New Approaches (2023), by Ifdal Elsaket et al., examines the histories, politics, and conditions of distribution, exhibition, and cinema-going in the Arab world.
• Dearborn: Stories (2023), by Ghassan Zeineddine, pulls together a collection of diverse stories tied to the Arab American experience in Dearborn, Michigan, with themes exploring identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more.
• One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (2025), by Omar El Akkad, is a memoir by an award-winning novelist and journalist following the initial bombardment of Gaza as he reckons with what it means for Arabs, Muslims, and other immigrants — whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege — to live in a West.
• Possible Histories: Arab Americans and the Queer Ecology of Peddling (2023), by Charlotte Karem Albrecht, takes a deep dive into “peddling” in late 19th century America, when a large number of Syrians immigrated to the US and found unexpected freedom at the intersections of sexuality, gender, class, and race.
• Stories My Father Told Me: Memories of a Childhood in Syria and Lebanon (2020), by Elia Zugahib, combines imagery and stories that paint a vivid picture of a young man’s childhood as it’s shaped by his daily life, family old traditions, world war, and a farewell to his homeland.
• You Exist Too Much: A Novel (2020), by Zaina Arafat, is the story of a young Palestinian American girl navigating her twin longings for love and home, while being caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities.  
• Zoning Faith: How City Politics Shape Muslim Communities in Chicago (2026), by Sultan Tepe, looks at how Chicago’s built environment influences the shape of its Muslim communities, with an in-depth look at three distinct Muslim communities in the city — one Shia Muslim, one Sunni, and one Black Muslim.

Diversity of UC Irvine Libraries’ Collections

UC Irvine Libraries collect materials in all formats to support the university’s research, teaching, and public service mission.

We believe it is crucial that our collections reflect the diversity of our students, faculty, staff, and larger Orange County community. Thus, we are making an effort to collect materials that consider the needs and perspectives of historically underrepresented, marginalized, and oppressed groups. For more information, please refer to our Diversity Statement and Plan.

For additional information about UC Irvine Libraries’ efforts to celebrate diversity in our users, staff, collections, and resources, visit the UC Irvine Libraries Diversity webpage.