American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna
American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna is a sharp, funny and emotionally engaging coming-of-age novel about a Pakistani teenager experiencing a life-changing year in rural America. Sixteen-year-old Hira leaves the bustle of urban Pakistan for a year-long student exchange in Oregon, where she encounters a completely different culture, new friendships, first love, homesickness and questions about identity and belonging.
As Hira adjusts to her new surroundings, she experiences both the freedom and difficulties of living between two cultures. Racism, Islamophobia and cultural misunderstandings complicate her experience, while a serious health crisis and diagnosis of tuberculosis dramatically changes her new life. Through Hira's witty and observant perspective, the novel explores what it means to leave home, encounter another culture and reconsider where—and with whom—you belong.
Key Themes
- Coming of age
- Pakistani identity
- Immigrant and diaspora experiences
- Cultural identity and belonging
- Homesickness
- Adolescence and first love
- Racism and Islamophobia
- Religion and culture
- Family and separation
- Cross-cultural experiences
- Life in Pakistan and America
- Personal growth and identity
Why Read This Book?
American Fever is an excellent choice for readers interested in literary fiction, coming-of-age stories, Pakistani literature, South Asian fiction and stories about cultural identity. Its combination of humor, emotional vulnerability and social observation offers a distinctive perspective on the experience of a young Pakistani girl navigating life in America.
The novel won the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and the South Asia Book Award, and was praised for its fresh approach to the coming-of-age and coming-to-America story.
About the Author
Dur e Aziz Amna is a Pakistani-American writer whose work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Financial Times, Longreads and Dawn. She is a graduate of Yale College and the Helen Zell Writers' Program at the University of Michigan. American Fever is her debut novel.
Product Details
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Book Title: American Fever
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Author: Dur e Aziz Amna
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Language: English
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Format: Paperback
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Genre: Literary Fiction / Coming-of-Age / Cultural Fiction
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Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
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Publication Date: July 20, 2023
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ISBN-13: 9781529393392
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Pages: 256
The above specifications correspond to the Hodder & Stoughton English paperback edition. Other editions are available with different ISBNs and page counts, including the 2025 Arcade edition.
