Back Where I Came From: On Culture, Identity, and Home

Book*hug Press, 2024 

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Description

In these literary travel essays, twenty-six writers from across North America share journeys back to their motherlands as visitors. Set against mountainous terrain, tropical beaches, bustling cities, and remote villages, these personal narratives weave socio-political commentary with writers’ reflections on who they are, where they belong, and what “home” means to them.

The result is a vulnerable, humorous, and insightful exploration of meanings and contradictions, beginning a conversation waiting to be had by the growing population of first- and second-generation Canadians and Americans who will find themselves within its pages. These essays navigate the intricacies of hyphenated identities with nuanced stories of heritage and a redefined sense of home. Back Where I Came From: On Culture, Identity, and Home is an open door to places within ourselves and around the globe.

With contributions by: Omar El Akkad, Nadine Araksi, Ofelia Brooks, Esmeralda Cabral, June Chua, Seema Dhawan, Krista Eide, Eufemia Fantetti, Ayesha Habib, Christina Hoag, Mariam Ibrahim, Taslim Jaffer, Vesna Jaksic-Lowe, Kathryn Lennon, Omar Mouallem, Dimitri Nasrallah, Lishai Peel, Omar Reyes, Mahta Riazi, Steve Sandor, Angelo Santos, Alison Tedford Seaweed, Makda Teshome, Nhung Tran-Davies, Alexandra C. Yeboah, Hannah Zalaa-Uul.