"ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND"

www.ArcadiaPublishing.com

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"ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND" (Released August 21, 2005).
  1. You can order the book at any Book Store
  2. Or, order online at Amazon.com
  3. Visit Arcadia Publishing at www.ArcadiaPublishing.com

Get information on Corrections to the Book (Errata). Go there?
(If you notice a typo or name spelling error -- Arabic names are often spelled differently even in the same families -- please send me an email note so I can correct future editions and place a note on this web page)

View additional information on the history of Arabs in Chicago. Go there?

View additional information on post-Sept. 11 anti-Arab hatred in America. Go there?

read View Ray's Standup Comedy Performances?
read View Ray's Online Comedy Demos?


New book details history of Arabs in Chicagoland

(note to editors: a picture of one a grocery store operated by Palestinian Ahmad Ziyad, founder of Ziyad Brothers Importing, who came to Chicago in 1961 can be provided if requested.)

(Arab American Media Services, July 15, 2005, Chicago) -- Author and syndicated columnist Ray Hanania has completed a new book called ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND that details the history of Chicago's Arab and Muslim community that will be published August 21 by Arcadia Publishing, a publisher of the Images of America series throughout the United States. Only a few books have been published that attempt to document the history of Arab and Muslims in America.

Hanania's Arabs of Chicagoland is the first attempt at documenting Chicago's history. Arabs first arrived in Chicago in the middle of the 19th Century. Documents kept by social activist Jane Addams at the Hull House museum identified a group of about seven Arab immigrants who lived together in what is today the University of Illinois' Chicago campus. These first Arab settlers participated in craft shows displaying their cultural handiwork.

The first large waves of Arabs to arrive in Chicago began about the same time with Lebanese Christians who migrated through other regions of the country including Michigan and New York to eventually settle in Chicago following the battles at Zahlah in Syria in the 1860s. They were followed by a large number of early Palestinian Muslims from the village of Beitunia. The area of 18th and Michigan Avenue in Chicago is often viewed as Chicago's Plymouth Rock. 

These early waves of Arab immigrants, along with Arabs from other Arab countries including Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, lived together in flop houses and apartments, often sharing the same centers for religious services. Muslim and Christian Arab clerics would travel to Chicago from other Arab communities and provide those services. One of the most influential magnets for Arab immigration to Chicago was the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. The World's Fair featured a massive display called "Cairo Street" where Arab World merchants sold merchandise. Their tales of business success reverberated among Arabs in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, and immigrants seeking to earn profits began settling with the intention of making money and then eventually returning.

Several studies were conducted in the 1950s and 1970s by PhD students examining the history of Arab settlement in Chicago and are cited in the book, ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND. And, Hanania was the publisher of the first English-language newspaper in Chicago, The Middle Eastern Voice (1975-1977), which featured interviews and photographs of Arab Americans at the time. Hanania also published The Arab American View (1999-2003).

Photographs and first-person interviews with Arab Americans are featured in the book. ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND includes 205 photographs with more than 757 people pictured of the community's history dating back to the 1920s, collected from families and from Hanania's newspaper archives.

The book includes profiles of several early Arab American settlers, including a the transcript of an interview recorded with one Palestinian, Jamal Kateeb, who came to Chicago in 1921. Like most Arab immigrants at the time, he began work as a peddler going door-to-door. The difficulty of selling from a suitcase was often described as "Knocking on God's door." Kateeb describes how he arrived in the middle of winter and in the middle of the night and stood at the corner of where the Arab community was located until an Arab saw them and walked them to a corner coffee shop where they sat and had coffee until the wholesale store that provided sale items to Arab peddlers would open. The license to sell was purchased from two local Chicago aldermen, Hinky Dink Kenna and Bathhouse John Coughlin. Also featured are Jordanians, Lebanese and Egyptian early settlers.

Today, Chicago is predominantly Palestinian with the community almost equally divided between Christians and Muslims. The majority of Muslims come from Beitunia in Palestine and live along the Southwest corridor of Chicago and its suburbs stretching as far southwest as Orland Park where a new mosque was approved over the intense objection of the community's citizens. The majority of Christian Palestinians live along the Northwest corridor of Chicago through the far Northwest suburbs and originate from Ramallah, Palestine, the sister city of Beitunia. The next largest communities consist of Christian Lebanese, Christian Jordanians and Egyptians of the Muslim and Coptic faiths.

Despite the long history of Chicago's Arab American community, there are no landmarks recognizing their many contributions to the city and the region. Chicago celebrates Arab Heritage Month every November, but the event is ignored by Chicago's major media despite an array of Arab sponsored activities that take place. Although Chicago has more than 75 Arab American restaurants, not one has been featured or included in Chicago's high profile Taste of Chicago festival, although last year Hanania was invited to perform his standup comedy routine at the performance stage hosted by Comcast Cable TV.

"Chicago's Arab American community is significant in the bigger picture of Arabs in America, yet we have been unable to coalesce and work together for the greater good," said Hanania who is an award winning syndicate columnist, journalist, author and humorist.

"I think our real tragedy is that we have allowed the city of Chicago, the second largest city in America, to ignore our community and take us for granted. The book helps to identify many Arab Americans who have achieved success in Chicago and I am hoping it will reinforce the pride that young Arab Americans can experience knowing that despite not being recognized by American society, we have done much to make this a great country."

Hanania is also the publisher of the humor book published in 1996 called "I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America" (which is available only online from Amazon.com). His columns analyzing Middle East issues were distributed by Creators Syndicate (www.Creators.com) and his comedy has been performed at festivals and haflis across the United States. In August 2002,Hanania was thrust into the national spotlight when Jewish American comedian an anti-Arab critic Jackie Mason refused to perform on stage with him because Hanania is Palestinian. Today, Hanania also writes print and online columns for the Southwest News-Herald (www.SWNewsHerald.com) on regionalMidwest issues. Hanania also writes a regular column for the Arlington Heights Daily Herald and an exclusive Talking to Israels, a collection of columns in which Hanania uses humor, satire and straight talk to Israelis on the tough issues that drive anger, animosity and hatred between Palestinians and Israelishumor column for www.YnetNews.com, the English language web page of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest newspaper.

Hanania's latest book is "Talking to Israelis," a collection of 59 of his YnetNews columns. Get information? Or, order the book?

Hanania can be reached at www.hanania.com. Information on the book can be obtained at www.ArcadiaPublishing.com.


Ordering Information for Book Stores, and other Retail Trade Stores. If you are a book store or retailer, you can qualify for a 20 to 50 percent wholesale discount by ordering directly through the publisher:

TRADE TERMS

1-9 copies ..................................................................................................30%

10-79 copies ..............................................................................................40%
An extra 2% discount will apply for pre-paid orders over 10 books

80-199 copies ............................................................................................42%  

200-299 copies ..........................................................................................44%

300-399 copies ...........................................................................................46%

400 copies or above ...................................................................................50%

Libraries ......................................................................................................20%

Individuals List Price

PAYMENT OPTIONS & TERMS

You may pay by credit card (Mastercard or Visa), check, or money order. Any order under 10 copies must prepay. Customers requesting credit will receive an invoice by mail 10 days after their shipment. Terms are strictly 30 days from invoice.

DISPLAY UNITS

We offer counter display units free of charge with an order of 15 books or more.

RETURNS POLICY

We will accept returns of books in saleable condition within 12 months of the date of invoice, provided that you call the number below to obtain a returns authorization number. All books must be returned to:

Arcadia Distribution Center
420 Wando Park Boulevard
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

FREIGHT INFORMATION—TRADE CUSTOMERS

Quantity of Books S&H Charges Quantity of Books S&H Charges

1 $6.00 80-89 $22.00

2-9 $6.00 90-99 $30.00

10-15 $6.50 100-119 $36.00

16-19 $10.00 120-159 $46.00

20-24 $8.00 160-199 $58.00

25-29 $12.00 200-239 $68.00

30-39 $14.00 240-279 $78.00

40-49 $12.00 280-319 $88.00

50-59 $18.00 320-359 $98.00

60-69 $22.00 360-369 $100.00

70-79 $24.00 400- Negotiable

SHIPPING OPTIONS

Arcadia uses UPS unless you request otherwise. For other methods of shipment, including express delivery, please call our order hotline 1-888-313-2665. Please notify us if you would like goods shipped by FedEx or UPS collect to your own account. Goods are shipped under cover of a packing note.

INDIVIDUALS/RESIDENTIAL SHIPPING COSTS

Shipping & handling for our personal shoppers are per our freight table above. On-line ordering carries a special, cheaper freight rate. Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com for details.

ORDER HOTLINE 1-888-313-2665


Corrections to the book/Errata:

Corrections/Errata: Errors and typos and mistakes are inevitable. But I am determined to provide the most correct and informative history possible. So please, if you notice and error, please let me know. I will include it here.

Please send a note to Ray Hanania by email at rayhanania@aol.com or by fax to 708-575-9078.

Errors listed by page:

Page 124: Top Caption. Edition is 1977 (wrong date given).

Page 120: Photo of Zouheir al-Halabi, a Druze Lebanese American journalist and activist. (Name was left out).

Page 127: End of bio. Web page is www.YnetNews.com. (Web page was incomplete).

 

 

 

ONLINE VIDEOS

SonyWatchArabs of Chicagoland: A Video Tour of their settlement
Ray Hanania takes you on a video tour of Chicagoland beginning at 18th and Michigan where the first settlement of Arabs made their mark in Chicago at the turn of the century. A companion ot his new book Arabs of Chicagoland, and to the WBEZ Interview on his new book, this is the only documentary that records where the Arabs settled and how they migrated through the city over the years.
For more info, go to: www.ArabAmericanTVOnline.com

SonyWatchArab's of Chicagoland: Discussion of the new book
WBEZ Interview with Ray Hanania on the making of "Arabs of Chicagoland" and video photographic montage, and more on-demand videos and films online.
For morew info, go to: www.ArabAmericanTVOnline.com

WBEZ feature: "Arabs of Chicagoland." Listen?


Book Lectures & Select Appearances
(schedule updated regularly)
(View Comedy Performances?)

For Library presentations, please purchase books ahead of time at a local book store and bring to the library to be autographed. Discussions include: The history of Chicagoland's Christian and Muslim Arab community; their settlement, evolution as a community, where they are today; Their politics, society and demographics. The rise of extremism and militancy; making the Chicago Commission on Human Relations effective in defending Arab rights in Chicago.

(To book Ray Hanania for a discussion on Arab American history in Chicago or the Midwest, call 708-403-1203 or email him at rayhanania@comcast.net)

Arab History/Humor Presentations for Arab Heritage Month
(discussion of Arab Heritage in Chicagoland
and a sampling of Arab comedy)

NOV. 14, 2007
Morton Grove Public Library, 7 PM
Get Information?

JAN. 12, 2008
Spertus College, Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour performance
Get Information?


PAST BOOK EVENTS

Oct. 20, 2007
Joliet Public Library Author's Fair Get Information?

March 15-18, 2007,
Will Roger's Writers Conference

Oklahoma City, OK

March 10, 2007, Saturday, 6 PM
Temple Bnai Israel

Aurora, IL

March 4, 2007, Sunday, 1 PM
Plainfield Library

Plainfield, IL

Feb. 9, 2006, Friday, 9 AM
Reavis High school

Burbank, IL

Nov. 8 , 2006, Wednesday, 6:30 PM
Tinley Park Public Library

Tinley Park, IL

Nov. 4 , 2006, Saturday, 2 PM
Purdue University, Hammond

Hammond, IN

Nov. 2, 2006, Thursday, 6 PM
Indiana University Northwest

Gary, IN

Oct. 22, 2006, Sunday, 6 PM
Berwyn Public Library

Berwyn, IL

Oct. 1, 2006, Sunday, 11 AM
Niles Public Library

Niles, IL

June 5 , 2006, Monday
Orland Park Library
C-SPAN Interview

Orland Park, IL

May 31, 2006, Wednesday
Arab Detroit Conference

Detroit, IL

May 20 & 21, 2006, Sat/Sunday
Chicago "Great Spaces and Places" Tour

Led two trolleys of guests on a tour of Chicago's Arab American community on the North Side of Chicago visiting St. Elias Church, the Muslim Community Center and Little Arabia at Lawrence and Kedzie.
Chicago, IL

April 18, 2006, Tuesday
St. Xavier College

Oak Lawn, IL

March 11, 2006, Saturday
Oak Lawn High school

Oak Lawn, IL

Feb. 23, 2006, Thursday
Barnes & Noble, Schaumburg

Schaumburg, IL

Feb. 2, 2006, Thursday
Chicago Ridge Library

10400 S. Oxford

Dec. 6, 2005 Tuesday
Wheaton Borders

Borders Book Store

Nov. 29, Tuesday
Burbank Library

Prairie Trails Library

Nov 22, Tuesday
Chicago Public Library

Bud Long Woods Library

Nov. 17, Thursday
Oak Lawn Library

Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Nov 16, Wednesday
Borders Highland, IND

Borders Book Store

Nov. 14, Monday
Palos Heights Library


Palos Heights, IL

Nov. 10, Thursday
Justice Library

Justice, Illinois

Nov. 9, Wednesday
LaGrange Borders

LaGrange, IL

Nov. 8, Tuesday
Oak Brook Borders

Oak Brook, IL

Nov. 6, Sunday
Orland Park Library

Orland Park, IL

Nov. 3, Thursday
Chicago Public Library
Oriole Park Branch

7454 W. Balmoral, Chicago

Nov. 2, Wednesday
Chicago (Uptown) Borders

Borders Book Store
What a great time I had here, performing standup comedy to a large audience and autographing books. This was one of my favorite appearances.

Nov. 1, Tuesday
Oak Park Borders

Borders Book Store
Oak Park, IL
 

Oct. 27, Thursday
Naperville Borders

Borders Book Store

Oct. 25, Tuesday
Evanston Borders

Evanston, IL

Sept. 20, Tuesday
Palos Hills Library

Green Hills Library
Go to their web site?