If you enjoy reading novels by Omar El Akkad then you might also like the following authors:
Readers who appreciate Omar El Akkad’s thoughtful exploration of global conflicts and personal identities may find Mohsin Hamid equally engaging. Hamid is a Pakistani-born author known for thoughtful novels about migration, belonging, and cultural displacement.
His novel “Exit West” imagines a world where mysterious doors suddenly appear, allowing instant passage to faraway lands.
Against this backdrop, Nadia and Saeed, two young lovers living amid a crumbling city, face difficult choices and embark on an uncertain journey toward new lives. Hamid tells a moving story of love, loss, and hope in a changing world.
Readers who enjoy Omar El Akkad’s thoughtful approach to speculative fiction may also appreciate Emily St. John Mandel. Her novel “Station Eleven” presents a vivid picture of humanity after a flu pandemic has wiped out most of civilization.
The story follows a group of traveling performers who keep art and storytelling alive amid the ruins. Through connected narratives spanning decades, Mandel portrays how ambition, memory, and resilience shape people’s lives, both before and after society collapses.
It’s a book that matches El Akkad’s style in exploring powerful themes of survival and humanity’s ties to culture and community.
Colson Whitehead is an author whose stories dig deep into social issues through engaging storytelling and vividly imagined worlds. Readers who loved Omar El Akkad’s narratives of conflict and survival may appreciate Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad.”
The book follows Cora, a young woman escaping from a brutal plantation via a literal underground railroad. Her journey northward becomes a haunting exploration of freedom, oppression, and resilience, with moments of tension and hope that echo El Akkad’s powerful style.
Whitehead crafts alternate histories that invite readers to think deeply about past and present injustices.
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author known for her sharp examinations of society, politics, and human rights. Her dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” is set in Gilead, a regime that replaced the United States. Women have lost all rights and are categorized by function.
The story follows Offred, a handmaid assigned to a commander, whose purpose is purely reproductive. Through Offred’s eyes readers see how ordinary people respond when faced with oppression.
If you enjoyed Omar El Akkad’s exploration of conflict and humanity in “American War,” Atwood’s vision of a stark future offers a fascinating perspective on society and survival.
Books by Arundhati Roy often explore profound social and political themes through deep, personal narratives.
In her novel “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,” Roy creates a vivid cast of characters who grapple with love, loss, and survival against the backdrop of India’s complex politics.
The story follows Anjum, a resilient transgender woman building a home amid the chaos of Delhi society, and Tilo, an independent woman whose past intersects with activism, conflict, and troubled romance.
Readers who appreciate Omar El Akkad’s sensitivity in capturing individual struggles amid larger social turmoil may find a similar emotional depth and richness in Roy’s powerful storytelling.
Readers who appreciate Omar El Akkad’s vivid storytelling may connect with Jesmyn Ward’s powerful narratives. Ward is an American author known for her honest portrayals of family, grief, and resilience in Southern communities.
Her novel “Sing, Unburied, Sing” follows young Jojo on a road trip through Mississippi with his troubled mother and little sister. Along the way, ghostly figures reveal haunting truths about the family’s past.
Through Jojo’s eyes, Ward explores themes of race, poverty, and history in a story filled with emotion and depth.
Ben H. Winters is an author known for sharp, thought-provoking narratives that blend mystery with speculative fiction. His novel “Underground Airlines” explores an alternate America where the Civil War never happened and slavery remains legal in several states.
The story follows Victor, a skilled black bounty hunter tasked by government officials to hunt down escaped slaves.
As Victor navigates his dangerous mission, he faces internal conflicts and moral dilemmas that reveal deeper truths about freedom, power, and justice in this unsettling version of America.
Fans of Omar El Akkad’s storytelling style and themes of alternate realities, political tension, and human resilience may find Winters’ challenging perspective equally engaging and meaningful.
Octavia E. Butler explores themes of survival, identity, and societal upheaval through compelling science fiction narratives.
In her novel “Parable of the Sower,” readers follow Lauren Olamina, a young woman who navigates a chaotic and fractured America ravaged by climate change, collapsing economies, and widespread violence.
Lauren, gifted with a condition called hyperempathy, experiences the pain and pleasure of those around her, intensifying her struggle as she develops a new philosophy called Earthseed.
Fans of Omar El Akkad’s “American War,” with its powerful depictions of societal collapse and human resilience, may find Butler’s vision equally thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.
Books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offer powerful storytelling with a sharp eye on politics, identity, and human connection.
Readers who enjoy Omar El Akkad’s blend of personal stories set against broader social conflicts could find Adichie’s novel “Half of a Yellow Sun” deeply engaging.
Set during Nigeria’s brutal civil war in the late 1960s, the book captures the chaos and heartbreak experienced by sisters Olanna and Kainene, their loved ones, and communities caught between shifting ties of love and loyalty.
Through vivid characters and gripping scenes, Adichie explores relationships at a time when ordinary choices became life-changing decisions.
If you enjoy Omar El Akkad’s stories of personal struggle set against the backdrop of bigger historical events, you may appreciate Khaled Hosseini’s novels. Hosseini, an Afghan-American author, is great at depicting human drama within the turbulent history of Afghanistan.
His novel, “The Kite Runner,” explores friendship, betrayal, and redemption through the story of Amir and Hassan, two boys from vastly different social standings.
Their bond shifts drastically after a traumatic incident during a kite-flying tournament, changing their lives forever.
Hosseini vividly shows the lasting effects that a single choice can have, leading readers through the complicated layers of grief, guilt, and eventual reconciliation.
Readers who appreciate Omar El Akkad’s powerful storytelling may enjoy exploring the works of Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy’s novel “The Road” follows a father and his young son on a journey across a bleak, post-apocalyptic America.
They face harsh landscapes, scarce resources, and dangerous encounters with other survivors. Amid devastation, the bond between father and son reveals humanity’s fragile but persistent hope.
McCarthy’s spare prose and thoughtful exploration of survival offer readers an intense yet reflective narrative.
Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian-American author whose storytelling blends historical depth with emotional clarity. Her novel “Homegoing” follows two half-sisters born in 18th-century Ghana.
The novel traces their descendants across centuries and continents, from the legacy of the slave trade in West Africa to its impact in America today. Gyasi explores personal identity and ancestral history through each generation’s distinct voice.
For readers who appreciated the character-driven narratives and social themes in Omar El Akkad’s work, Gyasi’s exploration of family roots and historical trauma in “Homegoing” could offer another meaningful reading experience.
Kazuo Ishiguro is a British author known for thoughtful, emotional novels. If Omar El Akkad’s themes of identity, memory, and profound human relationships resonate with you, Ishiguro is an author you’ll want to read.
His novel “Never Let Me Go” presents the lives of Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth, who meet at a secluded boarding school called Hailsham. At first, Hailsham seems normal enough, but bit by bit, the students uncover the unsettling truth about who they are and why they’re there.
Ishiguro quietly explores what it means to be human, how friendships evolve, and the tragic consequences of accepting the lives others choose for us.
Severin Bosch writes vivid stories that blend personal drama and speculative fiction. Bosch’s novel “The Echo of Forgotten Names” follows a refugee named Elias across the disintegrating borders of a near-future Middle East.
Elias navigates the chaos of shifting alliances and vanished homelands in a world reshaped by climate disaster.
Readers drawn to Omar El Akkad’s “American War” will find familiar territory here: a harsh, haunting vision of displaced lives transformed by global conflict and climate upheaval.
Bosch tells an intensely human story filled with complex characters caught between hope, survival, and memory.
Readers who enjoyed Omar El Akkad’s blend of speculative worlds and sharp commentary might find China Miéville fascinating. Miéville is known for his ability to craft vivid, imaginative cities and societies that expose real-world themes and conflicts.
His novel “The City & the City” offers readers an intriguing detective story set in two overlapping cities whose citizens must consciously ignore each other’s existence.
The tension builds as Inspector Tyador Borlú investigates the murder of a woman who suddenly crosses the divide. This novel blends crime fiction with social commentary, offering a thought-provoking exploration of division, borders, and perception.