The Alexandria You Are Losing

The Alexandria You Are Losing and Other Stories explores universal themes of dislocation and uprooting; American and Arab characters yearning for a home they have forsaken, or for a more palpable sense of identity and belonging. The stories also illuminate the common threads that connect us as human beings, the bridges we form one to the other despite conflict and misperceptions. We see an American experience, whether one is a recent immigrant or not, infused with migration, transience and displacement. The stories in this collection capture in a genuinely universal manner that sense of not belonging, of being "un-housed" in some way, and searching for a place in the world.

"The Alexandria You Are Losing showcases a truly original voice and a brilliant imagination. Yasser El-Sayed captures with verve, surprise and insight what it is to be alive and human. Each story is a jewel, mounted by itself in a unique setting to capture its own light. But the common theme is an author who helps us connect to what is universal, to the mystery of being human and our ways of experiencing it. Ration your reading because this delicious repast ends too soon."

—Abraham Verghese,
New York Times bestselling author of Cutting for Stone

"With unflinching and poignant perception, El-Sayed captures the experience of living in a foreign place. Some who are displaced find adjustment difficult, family dynamics complicated and sometimes turbulent, are explored with subtlety and candor. The reader will not be left unsatisfied by the powerful stories in this collection. In a style reminiscent of Anton Chekhov, this is the right book at the right time."

—Julia Nunnally Duncan,
author of A Place That Was Home, and A Part of Me

"The Alexandria You Are Losing is a searing addition to the growing body of literature in English focusing on place, displacement, and the complicated relationships between characters with dual Eastern and Western connections and identities. A renowned doctor, El-Sayed tells stories with surgical precision, giving voice to feelings of loss and longing."

—Allen Mendenhall,
editor of Southern Literary Review

"Beautifully poetic prose fill the pages of The Alexandria You Are Losing as lost souls search for home, for a place to belong... El-Sayed's characters drift without the anchor of home to moor them, yet their warmth and humanity as they stumble for footing draw you to them."

—Lara Bernhardt,
author of Shadow of the Taj