Marguerite Dabaie

Marguerite Dabaie is a Palestinian-American illustrator and comic book artist.[1] She is the author of the graphic novel The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories and the fantasy novel Legends in the Heights (2026).

Early life and education

Dabaie was raised in San Francisco.[2] Her grandparents were from Palestine. Dabaie attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating in 2007.[2]

Career

Dabaie illustrates for numerous publications.[3] She is also an editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.[3]

In 2007, Dabaie wrote and illustrated the semi-biographical graphic novel The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories exploring aspects of her life as a Palestinian Christian American.[4] After over 10 years working on the illustrations that make up the book, Dabaie obtained 2 grants which allowed the book to be published in 2018.[2]

In 2020, Dabaie wrote and illustrated a short story about the Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for the DC Comics anthology Wonder Women of History.[5] The same year, she illustrated a short story in the book PANDEMIX: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona.[6]

Critical reception

Of her book, The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories, the Routledge Handbook on Women in the Middle East said "Dabaie explores themes such as ethnic belonging... non-conformity to “traditional” gender roles, and her incompetence at seemingly banal tasks her Palestinian family members effortlessly perform.[4]

The Comics Journal said "Dabaie’s work exploits the fine line between ‘political’ and ‘humanitarian’ with humor."[7]

Meanwhile, researcher Dr. Dekel Shay Schory, speaking to Haaretz, said Dabaie "write[s] about [her] divided identity and about what it is like to be Palestinian in the U.S. [Her] social commentary is not directed at the Arab world, but at the way in which American society has been viewing them".[1]

Pop Matters called the book "an intentionally scattered memoir in comic strip form of a childhood and young adulthood navigating the cultural hazards of growing up Palestinian in the US".[8]

Works

  • Legends in the Heights (2026) Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 979-8881611729
  • Pandemix (2020).
  • Wonder Women of History (2020) DC Comics.
  • The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories. (2018) Rosarium Publishing. ISBN 978-0998705927[4][8][1][7]
  • Dabaie, Margueritte. "Nell's women." The Women's Review of Books, July–August 2010, 17.
  • Unsichtbares/Sichtbares: Your Guide to Fashionable Living[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Drawing the Strip: How graphic novels depict the Arab world today". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2026-05-25. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Salavetz, Judith; Drate, Spencer (2010-09-01). "Marguerite Dabaie". Creating Comics!: 47 Master Artists Reveal the Techniques and Inspiration Behind Their Comic Genius. Rockport Publishers. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-61060-167-2.
  3. 1 2 "A Conversation With Marguerite Dabaie – Baladi". Baladi Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  4. 1 2 3 Joseph, Suad; Zaatari, Zeina (2022-12-30). Routledge Handbook on Women in the Middle East. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-351-67643-4.
  5. ↑ "WONDER WOMEN OF HISTORY Celebrates Real Life Heroes". Yahoo Entertainment. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  6. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Read Marguerite Dabaie's entry in the PANDEMIX anthology". Comics Beat. 2020-07-22.
  7. 1 2 Velentzas, Irene; August 15, 2018. "The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2026-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Gavaler, Chris (2018-06-22). "On Marguerite Dabaie's Graphic Memoir of Growing Up Palestinian in the US » PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
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