Rebels by Accident

by Patricia Dunn

  To Ahmed Nassef, for his faith in this book. To Evelyn Fazio, whose genius helped make Rebels by Accident possible and whose mother’s prayer group prayed for my son when we needed prayers the most. To Leila Rand, my great friend and Web designer, who, with passion, compassion, and patience, brings our vision to life.

  To my writer’s group, the fabulous five (Alexandra Soiseth, Jimin Han, Kate Brandt, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Gloria Hatrick), who meet week after week to discuss our writing, lives, loves, and hates. Without your love and commitment, I would not be writing today.

  To Adrienne Dunn Petilli, my mother: thank you for always pushing. Ma, you have taught me three of the greatest lessons a writer needs to learn: never, ever give up; never take no for an answer; and when all else fails, ask to speak to the manager. To John J. Dunn, my father: you made it possible for me to dream, and encouraged me to take risks and never be afraid to fail.

  To Eugene Petilli, my stepfather, whose red gravy has nourished both my son and me so I could spend time writing instead of burning dinner. To Safi Nassef, my son’s grandmother and a great inspiration to me. It’s her strength and her lineage of strong Egyptian women on whom I based Mariam’s history. To the late Fikry Nassef, my son’s grandfather, a great legal mind and brilliant poet, who was a constant reminder to me that only God creates; we are just the vehicle. To Trina Lynn Dunn, my sister, an artist whose honesty and eye for detail has made this book richer. To John E. Dunn, my brother: you have shown me over and over again why it’s important to make people laugh, and when one door closes, you build another. To Alix Dunn, my sister-in-law, who helped me get my book out into this world when I was ready to stick it in the drawer for good. To Robin Chance, my aunt, who has spent many hours caring for my son so that I could write. To Angela Fekete, my godmother, whose prayers for me have been answered over and over again. To all of my nieces and nephews—Alex, Jack, Katie, Julia, Kai, and Zavia—you are my constant reminders why I need to keep trying to make a difference in this world. To my family at Sarah Lawrence College: you make my day gig a place that feeds my creativity.

  To the many who have read various revisions of this book: without your feedback, this novel would never have found its place in this world. I give you a million trillion thanks, Fatma B., Maria Maldonado, Lyde Sizer, Jamal Dillman-Hasso, Mary Knight, Raymond Lai, Leora Tannenbaum, Maureen Fallon, and Muriel Harris Weinstein. A very special thanks to Sean McNeil and Amina and Ash Rand-McNeil for spending part of their vacation at my kitchen table, helping me to find the right title for the book.

  To Jimin Han, friend and co-teacher, who has taught me more about writing, teaching, and raising children than almost anyone I know, who always listens and says, “If we don’t defend our stories, then who will?” To Kathleen Hill, my mentor, who told me this book was important and needed to be read. To Cassandra Medley, whose writing exercises helped me channel Mariam’s voice. To Myra Goldberg, who told me if I really wanted to know what to do with my story, I needed to get up from the computer and go look at a painting. To Linsey Abrams, for the best writing advice ever: keep your expenses low. To Melissa Shaw, friend, astrologer, and free spirit, whose caretaking of my son, Butterscotch, and myself made it possible for me to finish this book. To Stevie Gonzales, who, under the Costa Rican moon, lit candles with me for this novel to find its right home. To Grace O’Toole, for holding the faith when I couldn’t. To Alia Yunis, who shares in the struggle.

  To Sam Aboelea, Jawad Ali, Mohja Kahf, El-Farouk Khaki, Daisy Khan, Ayesha Mattu, Nura Maznavi, Kristin Sands, Pamela Taylor, Amina Wadud, and Ani Zonneveld, who are just some of the courageous American and Canadian Muslims I’ve known whose work for justice and equality, coupled with their love of humanity, has inspired me to write characters who are Muslim, real, and flawed and human.

  To my students, who give so much to their classmates and to me. You show me that no matter what life throws at you, keep writing.

  Thanks to Doctors Linda Granowetter and Timothy Rapp and everyone at the Stephen Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders for helping my son to heal and giving me the peace of mind to finish this work.

  Finally, to Ali Ahmed Dunn Nassef, my son, who always tells it like it is (whether I want to hear it or not). He gave me no choice but to write this book.

  About the Author

  Patricia Dunn’s writing has appeared in Salon.com, Christian Science Monitor, Village Voice, The Nation, LA Weekly, and others. With an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College, where she also teaches, the Bronx-raised rebel and former resident of Cairo is now settled in Connecticut, with her husband, teenage son, and toddler dog.