‘Catching a Glimpse of America’ Shares Stories Bridging Morocco, America

Rabat – In a collection of articles entitled “Catching a Glimpse of America,” Moroccan author Mohamed El Hassan Abou-El Fadel describes the changing American life from a foreigner’s perspective.

In his book review, the author said that the readers can perceive the book as a “a record of what is new, interesting, practical, rewarding or inspiring as well as what is different, enchanting, exotic, intriguing or intellectually challenging.”

Through his book, Abou-El Fadel aims to depict an image of 21st century America, where “building bridges of understanding and cooperation between peoples and nations has become a much sought for alternative to conflict and turmoil.”

“Catching a Glimpse of America” tackles historical Moroccan-American relations, facets of American life, and the author’s reflections based on three personal experiences in the US.

Abou-El Fadel was first introduced to the American lifestyle during a high-school exchange program in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976. He later returned to the US in 2004 and 2005 to pursue two Fulbright programs as an exchange teacher in Morristown, Indiana, and an alumnus at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.

The events the author narrated in the book took place across the US, covering 20 states, “from New York in the North-East all the way to White Mountain Apache reservation in Arizona and from Albuquerque in the South-West all the way to Indianapolis and Chicago in the Mid-West or the Great Lakes area,” the author stated.

The book also includes a collection of photos taken by the author and his friends during his journeys in the United States. Some of the pictures are forty-six years old and taken by Kodak Instamatic camera while others are more recent, taken by digital cameras.

“Catching a Glimpse of America” is an addition to the body of Moroccan literature produced in English since it provides a detailed and informative description of the journey of a Moroccan student and teacher in the United States in different spaces and periods.

Abou-El Fadel is a teacher at Morocco’s Ministry of Education. He previously worked at Morocco World News as a contributor and co-editor between 2013 and 2015.