The Arab of the Future: Volume 2: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985 - A Graphic Memoir

2016 | Biography

VOLUME 2 IN THE UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR | AN OBSERVER GRAPHIC BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOKS OF 2016 'EXUBERANTLY HERETICAL' 'I tore through it...The most enjoyable graphic novel I've read in a while' Zadie Smith 'I joyously recommend this book to you' Mark Haddon 'Riad Sattouf is one of the great creators of our time' Alain De Botton 'Beautifully-written and drawn, witty, sad, fascinating...Brilliant' Simon Sebag Montefiore The first volume of Riad Sattouf's The Arab of the Future introduced young Riad as his family shuttled back and forth between France and the Middle East. Here is the continuation of his heart-rending, darkly comic story. Now settled in his father's village of Ter Maaleh near Homs, Riad finally begins school, where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of the dictator Hafez Al-Assad.

Told simply yet with devastating effect, Riad's story takes in the sweep of Middle Eastern life of the 1980s, but it is steered by acutely observed small moments: the daily sadism of his schoolteachers, the cruelty and vulnerability of his fellow students, and the obsequiousness of his father in the company of those close to the regime. And as the family strains to fit in, one chilling, barbaric act drives the Sattoufs to take the most dramatic of steps. Immediate and gripping, The Arab of the Future 2 once again reveals the inner workings of a tormented country and a tormented family, delivered through Riad Sattouf 's dazzlingly original graphic style. Translated by Sam Taylor. ***THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE - THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION*** #1 BESTSELLER IN FRANCE | GUARDIAN 'BEST GRAPHIC BOOKS OF 2015' PICK | NYTIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE | SELECTED AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY LATIMES, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, AMAZON.COM, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, NPR | WINNER OF THE FAUVE D'OR PRIZE FOR BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE ANGOULEME INTERNATIONAL COMICS FESTIVAL | WINNER OF THE LATIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR GRAPHIC NOVELS | NOMINATED FOR 'BEST REALITY-BASED WORK' AT THE EISNER AWARDS

Riad Sattouf (Author)