Finding Amal is a literary novel that seeks to empower young women who are grappling with societal conventions to a new stimulating intellectual level. It is a unique coming-of-age story that reveals the relationship between Islam and the West throughout the last few centuries in an entertaining yet thought-provoking way. Hadeel, a young, devout Muslim woman from Kuwait, embarks on a secret journey to America to save her Aunt Amal’s soul from Hell. In Boulder, Colorado, she meets Jonathan, her aunt’s grieving husband, for the first time. Jonathan, who asked Hadeel to visit, is hoping she’d clear her aunt’s name from defamation and reclaim the copyright to a literary discovery related to Washington Irving, Percy Shelley, and the nineteenth-century British Poet Laureate Robert Southey.
From the Publisher
Finding Amal by Firyal Alshalabi is a readable and compelling novel about a young Kuwaiti woman who comes to the US in search of her aunt’s legacy—a spiritual and scholarly interpretation of Islam and its texts that combines deep wisdom and a modern take on women’s roles. It is the story of Hadeel, a young woman on an adventurous quest. She wants to honor the wisdom and tradition of Islam and her family while integrating a liberated and feminist sensibility into her own coming of age.
Finding Amal deals with Islamophobia and Islamic women’s issues and includes a subplot with a love story.
I think readers will see, as I did, how relevant this is in today’s intolerant climate. It’s a warm-hearted, easy-to-read story with layers of sophisticated insight and wisdom that honors the Islamic faith and a modern woman’s place in it.
Advance Praise for Finding Amal
“This is a beautiful novel! In Finding Amal, Firyal Alshalabi writes beautifully and poignantly about family and the secrets that tear us apart and, ultimately, put us back together again. An impressive debut!”
—Ann Hood, the New York Times, best-selling author of
The Knitting Circle and The Book That Matters Most
“This is a brilliant debut novel that is bold yet empathetic, angry yet written with a notable fervor and candor, and above all an exquisite work that is both original and erudite. Firyal Alshalabi admirably succeeds in taking the now-common trope of empowered Muslim girls grappling with societal conventions to a new, intellectually stimulating level. She elevates the narrative to a higher platform by seamlessly integrating Arab cultural legacy into a global discourse. Her adept engagement involves an interchange with Western thought and practice, extending an invitation to prominent literary figures such as Irving, Shelley, Southey, and Mary Wollstonecraft. A tour de force, indeed.
Finding Amal is a multilayered work, unraveling a medley of sensitive themes. From the empowerment of women and the intricate intergenerational dynamics to immigration, mixed marriages, the evolving relevance of religion in contemporary society, and even the issue of academic integrity, each topic is richly detailed, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. While the novel will be remembered for fearlessly critiquing traditional constraints, it will also impress with how adroitly it constructs place/space production to showcase its connection to identity politics. Kuwait and Boulder, Colorado, are expertly transformed by the writer into symbols that vividly mirror the characters’ challenges and circumstances. Equally memorable will be the novel’s adept avoidance of the hazards of cultural representation, a pitfall often encountered by diaspora writers. Alshalabi skillfully sidesteps the common traps of essentialism, self-adulation, self-loathing, or self-flagellation by creating a cultural scape that is bravely not sentimental nor nostalgic, but one imbued with a salient sense of responsibility.
For the avid reader in pursuit of thought-provoking narratives and cultural exploration, this literary gem is a work that defies conventions and pushes boundaries, a testament to the power of literature in promoting cultural rapprochement. Firyal Alshalabi is a significant new Arab American voice that demands attention, a valuable addition to the ever-growing Arab Anglophone literary scene.”
—Professor Layla Almaleh, author of Arab Voices in Diaspora
“I love this novel, the themes, the characters, and the way the author developed both. This is a captivating tale of family and love that shows how the deep wisdom of Islam can affirm and enrich a modern woman’s journey of independence. It’s a piece of Islamic culture and history told in a unique and engaging way, so important for Americans and Europeans to hear.”
—Nancy Kilgore, author of Wild Mountain and Bitter Magic
“Hadeel, the principal character in Firyal Alshalabi’s novel, Finding Amal, is a Kuwaiti student completing a Master’s degree in English literature in England. Albeit reluctantly, she accepts the plea of her beloved Aunt Munira, who is concerned, on behalf of the entire family, as to whether Aunt Amal, recently deceased, has been properly buried according to Islamic ritual practice. The novel’s narrative explores how, following Hadeel’s arrival and in a number of environments and social encounters, she confronts and gradually adapts to the vast cultural chasm that separates traditional Islamic Kuwaiti society from that of a university city in midwestern America. Her encounters with life in Boulder give Hadeel and the novel’s readers fascinating insights into not only cultural differences but also the complexities involved in research on the denizens of the English literary tradition. Henry James notes that novels often end with the awarding of prizes. Hadeel has certainly earned her fair share. A pleasure read, indeed!”
—Roger Allen, Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor Emeritus of Social Thought
and Comparative Ethics, School of Arts & Sciences; Professor Emeritus
of Arabic & Comparative Literature. University of Pennsylvania
Media and Reviews
“[A] poignant story of secrets and growth by a first-time novelist. . . . Finding Amal is a valuable look into the life of a contemporary Islamic woman.”
—Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, Regional Books / Life & Culture
“Finding Amal, deals with the theme of understanding Islam and bridging cultures. Her writing focuses on the dilemmas faced by a religious Muslim girl, Hadeel, who goes on a secret mission to the US to save her Aunt Amal’s soul. As so often happens, it turns out she needs to save her own soul. . . . Alshalabi has created a literary work that is both specific and universal at the same time. The questions Hadeel faces are the same we all face at some time in our lives. She reconciles divergent points of view. Her reconciliation brings hope and revives an old passion she tried to bury under family obligations. This unique coming-of-age story reveals the relationship between the West and Islam in an entertaining, thought-provoking way.”
—Sam Drexler, The Kuwait Times (link to full review)
About the Author
Firyal Alshalabi taught at Kuwait University for many years before dedicating her time to writing and searching for ways to encourage young people to read. Her first two children’s books in Arabic were immediate successes in Kuwait. After the first Gulf War, Firyal wrote Summer 1990, a YA novel about the invasion and occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. Several of her short stories have appeared in American university and literary journals. Most of her writings deal with the environment and caring for the less fortunate. Finding Amal is her first adult novel. Its theme of understanding Islam continues her tradition of bridging cultures and cementing human understanding. Readers will find the literary inquiry in the novel unique and enlightening.
SPECS
Finding Amal
Fiction
Paperback Original
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8
Page Count: 340
Price: $19.95 (CA $26.95)
ISBN: 979-8-9923988-3-0
Publication Date: September 23, 2025
Distributor: IPG/Chicago, Ingram.
Rights sold: All rights available.
Rights: Dede Cummings, dede@greenwriterspress.com
Distributor: IPG; also available through Follett/Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and other wholesalers.
Individuals can pre-order directly from Bookshop.org, or contact your local, independent bookstore.
Booksellers, libraries, colleges/universities, gift shops, etc., can order through IPG:
Independent Publishers Group
814 N. Franklin Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Order Placement: (800) 888-4741
To request an advance reader copy—digital or print—email dede@greenwriterspress.com