I Was Their American Dream: How Visual Literacy Tells a Bigger Story (Unit 2)

In his essay "Literacy Is Not Just Words Anymore," Pavel Zemliansky explains that literacy is no longer just being able to read and write—now it is about understanding visuals, context, audience, and purpose. This idea is immediately evident in Malaka Gharib's graphic memoir I Was Their American Dream, which uses hand-drawn illustrations, playful fonts, and creative layouts to tell a very personal story of being an American of Filipino-Egyptian heritage. The book is aimed at capturing the struggle of managing multiple identities and cultural expectations while also presenting an honest and recognizable portrait of the immigrant experience. The target audience for Gharib's book is first- and second-generation immigrants, young adult readers seeking identity, and anyone interested in race, family, or belonging. Visually, the book appeals to feeling (pathos) by evocative illustration, conveys trust (ethos) through her naked truthfulness, and makes abstract ideas simple to comprehend (logos) by means of charts, diagrams, and visual metaphors. Post-9/11 America and growing racial awareness add background which makes her message more profound, and the imagery reinforces this by varying tone, style, and hue to match the emotional content. According to Zemliansky, it can be clearly seen that Gharib's memoir is a great example of visual literacy, meaning how images and layout can be just as important as language.