American Dervish

ayadakhtar.com

Ayad Akhtar’s book "American Dervish" (Back Bay Books/2012) has launched a flurry of praise as an intelligent, self-assured debut novel. The main character is a Pakistani-American boy growing up in Milwaukee. Akhtar has also stirred controversy for creating idiosyncratic, even unflattering portrayals of Muslim-Americans. Host Frank Stasio is joined in the studio by Ayad Akhtar to talk about writing and identity.

Author

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Shawn Wen

Shawn Wen joined the staff of The State of Things in March 2012 and served as associate producer until February 2014.

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