I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir

What do Gharib’s parents think the “American Dream” looks like? What do they sacrifice to achieve it, and how does this change once they are in America?

One of the things that contributes to Gharib’s parents’ divorce is lack of communication that develops around how their cultural differences affect their day-to-day lives. How does Gharib prevent such conflict from hurting her relationships as she grows?

Pick several places in the graphic novel and compare how Gharib imagines what it means to be American at these different times in her life.

What types of things affect immigrants’ conceptions of what it means to be a “true American”? Use examples from the text.

What are some pressures Gharib faces as a first-generation American? How does she navigate them?

Gharib often weaves humor with serious and weighty subjects, such as assimilation and disconnect with family. How does she do this? What effect does this have on the memoir’s tone? Pick five examples from the text and deconstruct how she balances humor with pathos.

How do the interactive games, quizzes, and activities contribute to the memoir’s tone and themes? Choose several activities to discuss.

Though Gharib’s memoir mostly focuses on cultural identity, it occasionally touches on issues of class and gender as well. How is cultural identity further complicated by matters such as gender and class? Use examples from the text.