From award-winning author Malaka Gharib (I Was Their American Dream) comes It Won’t Always Be Like This, an intimate graphic memoir about growing up between cultures. At just nine years old, Malaka travels to Egypt for her usual summer with her father, only to discover he has remarried. Over the next fifteen years, her vacations transform into a journey of adaptation, discovery, and redefining family.
Balancing adolescence, shifting cultural expectations, and her father’s growing household, Malaka navigates what it means to belong. She doesn’t look like her siblings, doesn’t always understand the language or traditions, and struggles with her identity. Yet she learns to adapt—finding joy in music, food, and even surprising connections with her stepmother, Hala.
It Won’t Always Be Like This is both a touching time capsule and a deeply personal exploration of identity, love, and resilience. Hailed as one of the best books of the year by Book Riot and praised by Mira Jacob (Good Talk), this memoir shows how family and self-discovery often emerge in unexpected ways.
