Books

December 30, 2010

The Quran and the Quest For Kindness

In the last years of my dad’s life, I spent a lot of time asking him questions about the Quran. It wasn’t because either one of us was having a religious rebirth or even because it gave us some common ground together other than playing backgammon, although it did do that. It was because my Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Books, Islam/Muslim, Middle East

Beautiful, Kindness, Koran, Quran
December 15, 2010

Doner Kabob and Schweinefleisch

At the baggage carousel at the Stuttgart airport, the first stop of the book tour for Feigen in Detroit (Aufbau 2010), I waited for my suitcase while four Gulf women dressed like they had arrived at a spa at the North Pole waited for their 10 gargantuan suitcases. From eavesdropping, I gathered the baggage was Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Islam/Muslim, Middle East, Publishing

Abu Dhabi, Feigen in Detroit, Germany, Middle East, Publishing, The Night Counter
November 14, 2010

Feigen in Detroit: The Night Counter in Germany

Many people ask me why “The Night Counter” is called “Feigen in Detroit” in German, which means “Figs in Detroit.” Therein lies the beauty of translation. It’s all about what your translators (Max Stadler and Nadine Puschel) and publisher (AufBau) see in German that you didn’t see in English. I have loved working with AufBau Continue reading

Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Middle East

Books, Feigen in Detroit, Germany, The Night Counter
November 3, 2010

Muslims Wearing Things

I miss living in the US every day for many reasons, but among the things I don’t miss are the shallow debates on TV that pretty much follow the line of “Muslims: Terrifying or just really scary?”–usually a heated debate book ended with some heart pounding intro and outro musak– like these are one of Continue reading

Author, Books, Islam/Muslim, NIght Counter Reviews and Press

Cloths, Muslims, The Night Counter
August 23, 2010

Recipe From The Night Counter: Kibbeh

For all special occasions, Fatima prides herself on the kibbeh she makes. That makes her like many women in the Middle East who have mastered the art of this rather complex food. In my family, like so many extended families, no party is ever complete without a platter of my Aunt Suad’s kibbeh, which is Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Books, Food, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, recipes
July 16, 2010

THE PAPERBACK RELEASE OF THE NIGHT COUNTER THIS WEEK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Lavelle (212) 572-8756 elavelle@randomhouse.com PRAISE FOR THE NIGHT COUNTER: “[Yunis] weaves a colorful tapestry…rich in character and spirit.” —Entertainment Weekly “Wonderfully imaginative…poignant, hilarious…The branches of this family tree support four generations of achievement, assimilation, disappointment, and dysfunction.…Their stories form an affectionate, amusing, intensely human portrait of Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Islam/Muslim, Lebanon, Los Angeles, Middle East, Publishing

Novel, Random House Press Release, The Night Counter, Three Rivers Press
July 9, 2010

LAUNDRY DAY FOOD FROM THE NIGHT COUNTER: MAJADERA

In The Night Counter, Amir promises his grandmother Fatima that for dinner he is not eating quiche, or gay pie, as he explains it to her, but rather majadera, a food with a whole lot less glamour to it than quiche and a whole lot more gas. But dress it down or dress it up, Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Books, Food, Middle East, NIght Counter Reviews and Press, recipes

majadera, majedera recipe, recipe
June 17, 2010

The Henna Hands of The Night Counter

The paperback cover is ready, and no, neither one of the hands on it is mine, as some people have asked me. Responding to “Don’t you love it as much as we do? We hope so!” was about as much input as I was allowed to have in the cover’s design. And after getting over Continue reading

Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Publishing

Alia Yunis, Author, The Night Counter paperback
February 14, 2010

Love Notes From Fatima and Scheherazade

Debutante’s Ball is a website of a bunch of fun authors with upcoming books. Alicia Bessette, whose novel is coming out in August and who’s one of the webmasters asked me to write a bit on love, and here you go, and I think Fatima and Scheherazade would approve: Some Love Notes for Debutantes http://www.thedebutanteball.com/?m=20100213 Continue reading

Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Middle East, Publishing

Authors, love, romance, Writing
February 6, 2010

Silence As Golden As Sand

“Silence” is a relative word, referring to how quiet a place is compared to other times. Silence in a home still involves the hum of the fridge, the heater, the creaking in the wood, the wind on the windows, and so many other things. Outside, it means the birds still chirping, bugs buzzing, the breeze, Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Author, Books, Middle East, Travel

Abu Dhabi, Liwa, SIlence, UAE

About Alia

Alia Yunis is a writer, journalist and filmmaker. She is currently producing and directing “The Golden Harvest,” a feature length documentary about how olive oil has shaped the Mediterranean culture, cuisine and history for 6,000 years, through war and peace. Her debut novel, The Night Counter (Random House) has been critically acclaimed by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and several other publications. It was also chosen as a top summer read by the Chicago Tribune and Boston Phoenix. The Boston Globe has called it “wonderfully imaginative…poignant, hilarious.” Alia was born in Chicago and grew up in the U.S., Greece, and the Middle East. She has worked as a filmmaker and journalist in several cities, especially Los Angeles. Her fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including The Robert Olen Butler Best Short Stories collection, and her non-fiction work includes articles for The Los Angeles Times, Saveur, SportsTravel Magazine, and Aramco World. She currently teaches film at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.