A Gulf Arab Between Two Worlds: What One Book Reveals About Belonging

Klaus Schmidt · 2026-11-05

What happens when you grow up in one culture and spend years living inside another? That's the question at the heart of a new book by Emirati author Jamal Al Shehhi, and it's the kind of question that sticks with you long after the conversation ends. On November 5, 2026, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library hosted a session to launch and discuss *Here, Wisconsin: A Gulf Arab Between Two Worlds*. The event drew a thoughtful crowd and turned into something more than a book launch — it became a conversation about identity, memory, and what it really means to belong somewhere. ### A Conversation Worth Having The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sulaiman Al Hattlan, who guided the session through Al Shehhi's experience of studying and living in the United States. Rather than staying on the surface, the conversation dug into the messy, human parts of living between cultures. Here's the thing: when you spend time in a place like Wisconsin — small towns, cold winters that hit well below freezing, and a pace of life that feels miles away from the Gulf — you start to see yourself differently. Al Shehhi's story captures that shift. The session was attended by H.E. Mohammed, along with a mix of readers, students, and curious minds from the community. ### What the Book Actually Explores At its core, *Here, Wisconsin* isn't just a memoir about an international student. It's a book about the small everyday moments that reshape how you see yourself. A few of the ideas that came up during the discussion: - How memory works when you're far from home — what you hold onto and what fades - The quiet tension of feeling like a guest in one place and a stranger in another - Why exposure to different cultures doesn't erase your identity, it stretches it - How language shapes the way you carry yourself in unfamiliar rooms Al Shehhi doesn't offer tidy answers. And honestly, that's what makes the book feel honest. Belonging isn't a switch you flip. It's a slow negotiation. ### Why This Matters Beyond the Gulf You don't have to be from the Gulf to relate to this. Anyone who's moved to a new country — or even a new state — knows that strange in-between feeling. You're not fully from where you came from anymore, and you're not fully from where you are either. As one attendee put it during the session: > "I thought I was reading about someone else's experience. Halfway through, I realized I was reading about my own." That's the pull of a story like this. It reminds us that identity isn't a fixed thing you carry like a passport. It's something you rebuild, piece by piece, in every place you live. ### The Takeaway Libraries hosting conversations like this one do more than promote books. They create room for people to sit with hard questions about who they are and where they fit. If you've ever felt caught between two worlds — or you're just curious about what that feels like — *Here, Wisconsin* is worth picking up. The book is available now. And if you're in Dubai, keep an eye on the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library's calendar. Sessions like this one don't come around every week.