Technologies of the Self (Driftless Unsolicited Novella)

So true to mixed experience it feels defiant.-Sofia Samatar winner of the World Fantasy AwardIn this timely and instantly notable fiction debut Haris Durrani immerses readers in the life of a young American Muslim struggling to understand himself in the context of his family classmates and contemporary urban life.Engineering student Jihad or Joe as he introduces himself in the confusing intersections of post 9/11 New York City finds himself on a personal quest of possibly a spiritual nature even if he isnt sure thats what it is - after all its hard enough to keep halal in his Dominican-Pakistani-Muslim Washington Heights household.Hes surprised to find himself in the stories his Uncle Tomás tells of his own youth stories in which Tomás fights both the devil and the weaknesses of the flesh - often at the same time. Culture nation religion family identity race and time battle for dominion over Jihad until he realizes he is facing the same demon his uncle claims to have defeated and all Jihad has to fight with is himself.Durranis stories memoirs and essays have appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact The University of Toronto Undergraduate Journal of Middle East Studies The 2014 Campbellian Anthology The New York Review of Science Fiction and The Best Teen Writing of 2012 2011 and 2010. He writes for altMuslimah and has appeared regularly on John Hockenberrys NPR show The Takeaway.