Arab American Heritage Month film & book recommendations

Honoring Arab American Heritage Month with 30 film & book recommendations

April is Arab American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the voices, achievements, and contributions of Arab Americans. Literature is a powerful method of connection, helping us see ourselves in others while preserving history and illuminating cultures. This month, explore stories that foster understanding and connection across location, identity, experience, and time.

Thanks to your library’s digital collection, these stories are more accessible than ever. With the Libby app, you can access memoirs, fiction, history, poetry, children’s books—all the genres and languages one could wish for, from all over the world. Check out our recommendations for Arab American Heritage Month—books for all ages on Libby, plus streaming videos to enjoy from Kanopy.

💡Tip: If an ebook or audiobook is not available at your library, use the Notify Me feature to tag titles and let your librarian know that you’d love to see it added to the collection.

Now streaming on Kanopy

Salt of the Sea (2008), dir. by Annemarie Jacir
1hr 45min

The story of Soraya, a Brooklyn-born woman who travels to Palestine to retrieve her grandfather's savings, frozen in a Jaffa bank account after his 1948 exile.

Papicha (2019), featuring Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, and Amira Hilda Douaouda
1hr 48min

An 18 year-old student passionate about fashion design refuses to let the tragic events of the Algerian Civil War keep her from experiencing a normal life and going out at night with her friend Wassila. As the social climate becomes more conservative, she rejects the new bans set by the radicals and decides to fight for her freedom and independence by putting on a fashion show.

Speed Sisters (2015), dir. by Avi Goldstein, Amber Fares, Jessica Devaney, and Rabab Haj Yahya
1hr 18min

The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, this film takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.