Book two in the series “Violence and Belonging: The 14th Amendment and American Literature.” Discussion facilitated by USM scholar Reza Jalali.

Randa Jarrar’s semi-autobiographical debut novel is a vivid, frequently hilarious Muslim American update to the bildungsroman tradition, centering on a spirited female protagonist of mixed Palestinian, Egyptian, and Greek heritage. A Map of Home’s narrative follows the series of dislocations and relocations that shape the complex map of home out of which Nidali forges her personal identity.