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American Dervish
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Ayad Akhtar
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
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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.
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The daughter of a poor baker in rural Bengal, India, Sabitri yearns to get an education, but her family's situation means college is an impossible dream. Then an influential woman from Kolkata takes Sabitri under her wing, but her generosity soon proves dangerous after the girl makes a single unforgivable misstep. Years later, Sabitri's own daughter, Bela, haunted by her mother's choices, flees abroad with her political refugee lover - but the America she finds is vastly different from the country she'd imagined.
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Absolutely Worth a Credit
- By Texastanya on 08-27-16
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Surprised by Oxford
- A Memoir
- By: Carolyn Weber
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Surprised by Oxford is the memoir of a skeptical agnostic who comes to a dynamic personal faith in God during graduate studies in literature at Oxford University.
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Beautifully Written book
- By Adam Shields on 10-11-22
By: Carolyn Weber
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Lifted by the Great Nothing
- By: Karim Dimechkie
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Max doesn't remember his mother, who was murdered by burglars before they emigrated from Beirut to New Jersey. He lives with his father, Rasheed, who is enamored of his concept of American culture - baseball and barbeques - and tries to shed his Lebanese heritage completely.
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Excellent
- By Cheyenne on 06-13-15
By: Karim Dimechkie
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Hum If You Don't Know the Words
- By: Bianca Marais
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Life under Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin Conrad, a 10-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation but worlds apart, Beauty Mbali, a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei, struggles to raise her children alone after her husband's death. Both lives have been built upon the division of race, and their meeting should never have occurred...until the Soweto Uprising.
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Completely wrong accents
- By Debbie on 02-12-22
By: Bianca Marais
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How to Survive a Summer
- A Novel
- By: Nick White
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Grad student Will Dillard has largely buried memories of the summer he spent at a camp intended to "cure" homosexuality. But when he finds out a horror movie based on the camp is hitting theaters, he's forced to face his past - and his role in another camper's death. As he recounts the events surrounding his "failed rehabilitation", Will strikes out on an impromptu road trip back home to Mississippi, eventually returning to the abandoned campgrounds to solve the mysteries of that pivotal summer.
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A story full of heart and healing
- By ZippyBippy on 05-06-18
By: Nick White
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The Vine of Desire
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Anju and Sudha formed an astounding, almost psychic connection during their childhood in India. When Anju invites Sudha, a single mother in Calcutta, to come live with her and her husband, Sunil, in California, Sudha foolishly accepts, knowing full well that Sunil has long desired her. As Sunil's attraction rises to the surface, the trio must struggle to make sense of the freedoms of America - and of the ties that bind them to India and to one another.
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Vine of desire
- By Mz Shantay on 03-27-21
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Love Walked In
- By: Marisa de los Santos
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
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Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
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The Finishing School
- A Novel
- By: Joanna Goodman
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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One spring night in 1998, the beautiful Cressida Strauss plunges from a fourth-floor balcony at the Lycée Internationale Suisse with catastrophic consequences. Loath to draw negative publicity to the school, a bastion of European wealth and glamour, officials quickly dismiss the incident as an accident, but questions remain. Was it a suicide attempt? Or was Cressida pushed? It was no secret that she had a selfish streak and had earned as many enemies as allies in her tenure at the school.
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this book was just ok
- By Josh Fields on 02-26-20
By: Joanna Goodman
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Modern Girls
- By: Jennifer S. Brown
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1935, Dottie Krasinsky is the epitome of the modern girl. A bookkeeper in midtown Manhattan, Dottie steals kisses from her steady beau, meets her girlfriends for drinks, and eyes the latest fashions. Yet at heart, she is a dutiful daughter, living with her Yiddish-speaking parents on the Lower East Side. So when, after a single careless night, she finds herself in a family way by a charismatic but unsuitable man, she is desperate: unwed, unsure, and running out of options.
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Super annoying voiceover
- By Amazon Customer on 04-25-17
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When She Woke
- By: Hillary Jordan
- Narrated by: Heather Corrigan
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Hannah Payne awakens to a nightmare. She is lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home. She is now a convicted criminal, and her skin color has been genetically altered. Her crime, according to the State of Texas: the murder of her unborn child, whose father she refuses to name. Her color: red. The color of newly shed blood.
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A Thoughtful Dystopia
- By Amy on 01-28-13
By: Hillary Jordan
What listeners say about American Dervish
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rebecca L. Barbacci
- 03-14-13
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!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nick
- 02-25-19
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
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1 person found this helpful
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- Burquebear
- 03-03-18
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...
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1 person found this helpful
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- Susan
- 02-10-19
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.
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- Ezmeralda
- 05-09-24
Authors storyline
The references to the kuran made the book and following the story so much more lifelike
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- Julie W. Capell
- 11-09-15
Both completely foreign and painfully familiar
This wonderful novel manages somehow to be both completely foreign and at the same time painfully familiar. The foreignness is expected; the reader opens the book already knowing that it is about a Pakistani boy named Hayat growing up in America. There are many truly lovely passages that reveal the wisdom of the Quran and the Muslim faith. One section recounting Hayat’s trip to a mosque is performed as a chant in the audio book, was so mesmerizing I felt transported to that holy place. Other passages offered equally fascinating glimpses into daily life in a Pakistani household, with benign accounts of exotic foods and unfamiliar (to me) gender roles.
Underlying these scenes of Muslim religious and domestic life is the universal tale of a child growing up. Here is where the strange becomes familiar. I do not say this because Hayat is growing up in my home town, Milwaukee, but because his struggles are those of any child. Hayat, like many children, misunderstands what is going on around him, he misinterprets, he thinks everything is about him . . . in short, he is a normal kid. Through his eyes, we witness the cruelty borne by women in the name of religion or to protect their children. In a funny passage, we see Hayat learn about sex. In a sickening passage, we see him act out the prejudice he has learned from the adults around him. Most readers will find echoes of themselves in Hayat’s continuing struggle to fit in.
[I read this as an audio book, extremely well-performed by the author]
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67 people found this helpful
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- Chila
- 07-25-12
Learned a complex culture in a story well told.
Would you consider the audio edition of American Dervish to be better than the print version?
I did not read the print version, but I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version. The accents were very real.
What other book might you compare American Dervish to and why?
A book such as Avalon might be comparable with its myriad characters and complex personalities as they attempt to adapt to American culture.
What about Ayad Akhtar’s performance did you like?
His apparent good accent and appropriate intonations called for in the different settings.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
Any additional comments?
If one is seeking knowledge about a Muslim family and the impact of their religion on them and the place where they live? This is a very good book for beginners such as I.
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14 people found this helpful
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- Billy F.
- 11-19-15
Outstanding novel
Where does American Dervish rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is one of the most compelling audio books of the many I have listened to over the years. The author's narration is amazing and the various accents he adds to his characters reflects considerable talent.
What did you like best about this story?
The various interpersonal tensions and challenges were developed with skill and nuance.
What does Ayad Akhtar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I learned quite abit about the pressures in conservative Islam. At some points, candidly, it was quite disturbing and I am not sure how much is based on fact or fact modified by fiction.
Who was the most memorable character of American Dervish and why?
Hayat
Any additional comments?
I highly recommend this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ignatius
- 03-03-21
Stick with it
A slow-starting book that feels predictable, but then builds and spins to deliver something more meaningful and nuanced than expected. Have to admit I groaned when learning the author would narrate, but he was terrific and I can't imagine a traditional reader or actor would do better. Learn about the immigrant Muslim community, learn about the Quran, stay for the human experience. Recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Trish
- 09-06-12
Very Good Novel--
American Dervish was an interesting, eye-opening novel. I enjoyed it very much.
This purchase was one of my many "bargains" that I pick up when Audible offers audiobooks cheap! And I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to it. It has a very good story and is narrated beautifully by the author. I truly enjoyed learning about the Pakistani culture and traditions (or the somewhat Americanized versions). It had some sad parts, but nothing tragic and unsettling. Definitely worth a listen--
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