When All Else Fails

I’ll admit that what initially drew me to this book was its setting, the University of Central Florida about a decade after I graduated with my MA in political science (and fifteen years after the events depicted in the “classic” movie “The Miami Connection”!), and its main character – Hunayn – who reminded me of many of the international students I would hang out and play soccer with during my time there. The opportunity to not only “revisit” old hangouts but also get a glimpse inside the mind of a character much like my friends (at least superficially) was more than enough to propel me to pick up the book.On both counts "When All Else Fails" delivers – and then some. Not only did the first part of the book transport me back in time to the then sprawling, freewheeling, multi-cultural “O-town”, the POV (point of view) narrator embodied a snarky sense of incongruence that had me laughing out-loud multiple times during the book. Perhaps more edifying, the narrator Hunayn also showed an arc of growth from anxious youth struggling with feelings of loneliness, sexual frustration, and personal inadequacy to a more fulfilled, sated, and confident young man who recognizes the reflections of his earlier self in the events he relates. As an uprooted Chaldean (Iraqi Christian) with a childhood spent shuttling between Western and Middle Eastern worlds, Hunayn’s sense of self is well-defined despite his youthfulness, all the while being fortified by humorous sense of the absurd and galvanized by a thoughtful spirit of inquiry.Although "When All Else Fails" may be portrayed as yet another coming of age story, it leaves us with something more important; it provides readers a lesson in geopolitical events and forces as told from an outsider’s perspective. Most stories told about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and Middle East conflicts in the decade that followed appear to have distinctly entrenched standpoints; here the narrator sees himself, and is often perceived by other characters, as an outsider. Whether in Part 1 (Septemberland) as set in central Florida or Part 2 (Septemberworld) as set in Lebanon, Hunayn is a part of the story while somehow remaining apart. This unrootedness reveals universal truths about human nature as good and bad interactions between Hunayn and the denizens of both locales are echoed across time and space.Critical readers of "When All Else Fails" will find precious few things to quibble about (such as the “Chekhov’s gun” device that would work better in a visual adaptation), but there can be no debate that there is pedagogical power in this book. The lesson of literature is that people learn more and retain most when lessons are entertaining; at this, "When All Else Fails" succeeds.

Definitely a first novel! Stricter editing would have tightened up the prose, which I found overwrought and self-impressed. Still a fun read.

Very slow read. I'm only halfway through and I'm waiting for it to get better.

Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” The same applies to reading. Especially reading memoir. Especially accounts by people with life experiences vastly different from our own.When All Else Fails takes us on a journey with Iraqi college student, Hunayn, living in Orlando, Florida, facing more than enough challenges as he navigates multiple cultures, when 9/11 happens.In the twenty or so hours we spend reading Hunayn’s story, we walk in his shoes. He’s candid about himself and the people around him. I gained insight into what people face when torn from their own homes and cultures and thrust into entirely new ones. His fresh observations illuminate our own world that we assume is “normal” in unanticipated ways. He lets us see our world through another set of eyes and to feel his experiences.Not everyone has the time or resources to travel. Reading a book like When All Else Fails that is written with unusual frankness, intelligence, and depth, is a journey to another world just as satisfying and educational.