Omar El Akkad stands out as one of today’s most compelling writers and thinkers. Born in Egypt, raised in Qatar, and now living in the United States, he brings a unique perspective to his work. His journey from a seasoned journalist to an acclaimed novelist and essayist captivates readers worldwide. As of March 13, 2025, his latest book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, shakes up the literary scene with its raw honesty and bold critique of Western society. This article dives deep into his life, career, and the powerful ideas driving his writing today.
Early Life: A Global Beginning
Omar El Akkad entered the world in 1982 in Cairo, Egypt, a bustling city rich with history and culture. His family soon relocated to Doha, Qatar, where he spent his childhood surrounded by a mix of traditions and rapid modernization. Growing up in the Middle East during a time of political shifts shaped his early worldview. He soaked in stories of resilience, struggle, and change, which later fueled his creative spark.
At 16, El Akkad moved to Canada, a major turning point in his life. He finished high school in Montreal and later attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. There, he earned a degree in computer science, a practical choice that reflected his analytical mind. However, his heart pulled him toward storytelling, a passion that refused to stay quiet. This blend of technical skill and narrative curiosity set the stage for his future success.
From Code to Conflict: A Journalism Career Takes Off
El Akkad’s career kicked off in an unexpected way. While studying computer science, he joined the student newspaper at Queen’s, the Queen’s Journal. Writing articles sharpened his ability to observe and question the world around him. After graduating, he landed a job at The Globe and Mail, Canada’s leading newspaper, where he spent a decade covering some of the biggest stories of our time.
He traveled to Afghanistan, reporting on the NATO-led war with gritty detail and unflinching honesty. His dispatches from Guantanamo Bay exposed the harsh realities of military trials, earning him praise for his investigative depth. When the Arab Spring erupted in Egypt, El Akkad returned to his birthplace, capturing the chaos and hope of a nation in revolt. Later, as a U.S. correspondent, he documented the Black Lives Matter movement, shedding light on racial tensions in America’s western states.
His journalism won him accolades, including Canada’s National Newspaper Award for Investigative Reporting and the Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists. Yet, beneath the awards, El Akkad wrestled with the limits of reporting. He wanted to dig deeper, to explore the human cost of conflict beyond headlines. That desire pushed him toward fiction, where he could weave stories that hit harder and lingered longer.
Breaking into Fiction: American War Makes Waves
In 2017, El Akkad burst onto the literary scene with his debut novel, American War. The book imagines a dystopian future where a second U.S. civil war erupts in 2074. Climate change ravages the land, fossil fuels spark division, and a young girl, Sarat Chestnut, transforms from a refugee into a weapon of vengeance. Critics raved about its haunting realism, with The New York Times comparing it to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
El Akkad crafts a world that flips the script on global power dynamics. Europe crumbles, North Africa rises, and America fractures under its own weight. He draws from his reporting days, infusing the story with details that feel eerily plausible. The novel’s success skyrocketed, landing it on bestseller lists and earning awards like the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award and the Oregon Book Award. Readers couldn’t get enough of its chilling vision and emotional punch.
The book’s impact stretched far beyond sales. The BBC named it one of 100 novels that shaped our world, a testament to its cultural weight. For El Akkad, American War marked a shift from observer to creator, letting him explore themes of war, displacement, and revenge in ways journalism couldn’t. It also proved he could hold his own in the literary big leagues.
A Heartfelt Follow-Up: What Strange Paradise
El Akkad didn’t slow down after his debut. In 2021, he released What Strange Paradise, a novel that tackles the refugee crisis with gut-wrenching clarity. The story follows Amir, a Syrian boy who survives a shipwreck, and Vänna, a Greek girl who helps him evade authorities. Through their eyes, El Akkad exposes the desperation and humanity at the heart of migration.
Critics hailed the book as both tender and brutal, a rare balance that showcases his storytelling chops. It snagged the prestigious Giller Prize in 2021, cementing his status as a literary force. The New York Times and Washington Post dubbed it a best book of the year, praising its vivid prose and moral urgency. El Akkad’s time covering global conflicts shines through, giving the novel a raw authenticity that hits readers hard.
What Strange Paradise also made waves on Canada Reads in 2022, where entrepreneur Tareq Hadhad defended it passionately. The book’s focus on the global migration crisis resonated deeply, especially as real-world headlines echoed its themes. For El Akkad, it was another chance to spotlight the powerless and challenge readers to care.
A Bold New Chapter: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Fast forward to 2025, and El Akkad takes a sharp turn with his first nonfiction work, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. Released on February 25, this book isn’t a gentle memoir—it’s a fiery reckoning with the West’s role in the Gaza war and beyond. He writes with rage and grief, dissecting how language, media, and politics numb people to genocide.
El Akkad pulls no punches. He calls out Western hypocrisy, from politicians who preach freedom while funding bombs to journalists who cloak atrocities in neutral jargon. Drawing from his own journey as an immigrant who once believed in Western ideals, he lays bare his disillusionment. The book doubles as a time capsule, capturing the horrors of Israel’s 2023-2025 Gaza offensive and the world’s complicity.
Readers and critics alike feel the heat. Posts on X praise its blistering critique, while interviews—like one with Electric Lit on March 7, 2025—highlight his takedown of empire-driven language. Published by Penguin Random House, the book stunned El Akkad himself; he told the Los Angeles Times he never thought they’d greenlight something so raw. Yet, it’s already sparking conversations, from thoughtful debates to heated clashes on his press tour.
FAQs About Omar El Akkad
What inspired Omar El Akkad to switch from journalism to writing novels?
El Akkad spent years reporting on wars, protests, and crises, which gave him a front-row seat to human suffering and systemic flaws. He loved journalism but felt its limits—facts alone couldn’t capture the emotional depth he wanted to explore. Fiction offered a wider canvas to weave those experiences into stories that hit readers on a visceral level, pushing him to craft American War and beyond.
How does his background influence his books?
When Growing up in Egypt and Qatar exposed El Akkad to political upheaval and cultural shifts, while moving to Canada and the U.S. broadened his lens on Western power. His journalism in conflict zones like Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay floods his writing with gritty realism. That mix shapes his focus on displacement, war, and moral decay, making his stories feel both personal and global.
Why did One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This cause such a stir?
Released in February 2025, the book confronts the West’s role in the Gaza war with unfiltered anger and insight. El Akkad rips apart the sanitized language of media and politicians, calling out complicity in genocide. Its rawness shocked even him—he doubted Penguin Random House would publish it—but its timeliness and boldness have ignited fierce debates and deep reflection.
What awards has Omar El Akkad won for his writing?
Ray He’s racked up some big ones. His journalism earned Canada’s National Newspaper Award and the Goff Penny Prize. American War snagged the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award and Oregon Book Award, while What Strange Paradise took home the 2021 Giller Prize. Both novels also landed on best-of-the-year lists from outlets like The New York Times, proving his chops across genres.
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