Wordfest presents Omar El Akkad

Wordfest presents Omar El Akkad

Hosted by Zain Velji

"Doom and gloom and unspeakable horror abound and overwhelm these days, but it remains important to understand what we already know is happening now and how it will be understood in the future. It helps when we feel helpless to give our time and attention, our hearts and consideration to a voice like this, a book like this, from our particular time and for it."

That's Tommy Orange (There There), highlighting the relevance and necessity of this exclusive Wordfest event with Omar El Akkad and his new book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. 

We couldn't think of a better host to guide the conversation than Zain Velji, whose first Wordfest show was also El Akkad's (when we presented his debut novel American War in 2017). Shelf Life Books will be on site with copies of El Akkad's new book, as well as his celebrated backlist. You can also pre-order here.

You won't need a final nudge to get your tickets right away, but Junot Diaz says One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is "a landmark of truth-telling and moral courage...the truest most necessary book you will ever read.” 

We are grateful to Penguin Random House Canada for making it possible to connect you with Omar El Akkad.

About One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an Empire which doesn’t consider you fully human.

On Oct 25th, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet was viewed more than 10 million times. 

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture which has occurred for Black, brown, and Indigenous North Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse. 

This book is a reckoning with what it means to live in the west. The Fire Next Time for a generation that understands we’re undergoing a shift in the so-called ‘rules-based order,’ a generation that understands the west can no longer be trusted to police and guide the world, or its own cities and campuses. It draws on intimate details of Al-Akkad’s own story as an emigrant who grew up believing in the western project, who was catapulted into journalism by the rupture of 9/11. 

This is his heartsick breakup letter with the west. It is a breakup we are watching all over the world, on college campuses, on city streets, and the consequences of this rupture will be felt by all of us. His book is for all the people who want something better than what the west has served up. This is the book for our time.

About Omar El Akkad

Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist. He was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada as a teenager and now lives in the United States. He is a two-time winner of both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award and the Oregon Book Award. His books have been translated into 13 languages. His debut novel, American War, was named by the BBC as one of 100 novels that shaped our world.

Podcast: Without

About Host Zain Velji

Zain Velji is Partner and VP Strategy for Northweather, a digital-first marketing agency that works with companies, non-profits, and political campaigns. He is also the host of the award-winning podcast The Strategists, where he dissects political strategy and public affairs issues of the day. A frequent public speaker and regular political commentator, Velji appears frequently on CBC Radio and Television, CTV, and Bell Media. In addition, he chairs the board of the YMCA Calgary and serves on the boards of the Canadian Children Book Centre, The Samara Centre for Democracy, and Pillar 9. Velji was named one of Avenue magazine’s Top 40 under 40, was awarded the Horizon Alumni Award by the University of Alberta and was a recipient of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal for his community service. He lives in Calgary with his family.

Podcast: The Strategists
Instagram/Threads: @zainvelji 

Be Curiouser

• When a Dystopian Reality is Uncomfortably Familiar. –The Kathmandu Post
• When Society Gets You Down, Build a New One. –The New York Times
• My Guilty Pleasure. –The Walrus
• Omar El Akkad Offers Warning and Hope About the Future. –Georgetown University
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