Against Easy Stories Against Easy Stories
Facile explanations for the massacre must be resisted.
Jan 14, 2015 / Editorial / Laila Lalami
Why We Must Resist Simple Explanations of the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Massacre Why We Must Resist Simple Explanations of the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Massacre
Tidy stories reducing the atrocity to a clash of civilizations or a problem with integration are neither enlightening nor satisfying.
Jan 10, 2015 / Laila Lalami
Imagine: On J.M Coetzee Imagine: On J.M Coetzee
The Childhood of Jesus explores the fictitious dimensions of a just and compassionate world.
Sep 24, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
Among the Blasphemers: On Salman Rushdie Among the Blasphemers: On Salman Rushdie
Joseph Anton is a tale of betrayals: of free speech, communities, religion, marriages, personal convictions, friends.
Jan 16, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
Islamophobia and Its Discontents Islamophobia and Its Discontents
Assailed by the right as a fiction, anti-Muslim bias is all too real for those who live with it.
Jun 14, 2012 / Feature / Laila Lalami
In Annawadi: On Katherine Boo In Annawadi: On Katherine Boo
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is a superb, empathic account of life in a Mumbai undercity.
Apr 17, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
Everything Except Me: On Percival Everett Everything Except Me: On Percival Everett
In Assumption a murder mystery becomes a lesson in how much we do not know.
Jan 18, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
The Moroccan ‘Exception’ The Moroccan ‘Exception’
The king says his realm is a beacon of liberalism, but the people demand bread, and roses too.
Aug 24, 2011 / Feature / Laila Lalami
Frankfurt Shootings: The Making of a Terrorist? Frankfurt Shootings: The Making of a Terrorist?
What the debate over terrorists seems to miss is the personal dimension: personal failures and personal grievances of the lone gunmen.
Mar 3, 2011 / The Notion / Laila Lalami
Arab Uprisings and American Intervention Arab Uprisings and American Intervention
The young people protesting in Arab capitals right now want a meaningful break with the status quo and, in many ways, that means a break from American support.
Mar 2, 2011 / The Notion / Laila Lalami