“There are many versions of the American Dream, I want to tell my parents. The one involving a large house with a picket fence and two-car garage is just one of them. Just as there are many versions of your daughter. There’s a version that prays four times a day and recites the Quran. There is a version that enjoys hanging out with friends, including men, on Saturday nights with cans of beer and board games. There is a version that fasts during the month of Ramadan. There is a version that gets pepperoni on her pizza during the rest of the year.”
Enjoy this audio recording of “My American Dream” by Farha Mukri from Vol. 33:1 of CALYX Journal! Buy the full issue here.
Farha Mukri is a freelance writer and software engineering manager. Her creative non-fiction writing has been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Hindu, Saevus Wildlife blog and others. She also volunteers as a translator for Voices of Rural India, a curated digital platform that empowers rural storytellers. www.farhamukri.com.