Halal Pork and Other Stories

by Cihan Kaan

In Halal Pork and Other Stories , Cihan Kaan projects an avant-garde, post 9/11 world, from the perspective of a young Muslim New Yorker. It's a place where Coney Island meets Mars; where hijabi girls are punk rock dervishes; where identity salesmen count pigeons at insane asylums as a cream cheese conspiracy brews in gitmo; where rich boys pay to be Muslim for a day; where the transgendered are holy; and where the bacon is halal. Kaan offers up five urban Sufi tales in the swirling graffiti of Brooklyn.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

142 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ammu · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I have read something that I know would have been recommended to me by a writer I admire and hold in esteem. Luckily, I met with someone who is said author/writer/poet/extraordinary person that gave me a copy of this book, and I am thankful for that.

I will admit that the American education system failed to teach me much about how populations/cultures/countries, etc got abolished by other nations, so it was good to read in one aspect for it made me want to learn more about the history of Crimea and Turkey. It was great to read in other aspects because this is one very visually creative author. The images he conjured up for me were ones I would never have thought up on my own, and I'd like to think I'm creative.

The short stories in this book take you on different adventures throughout Brooklyn, NYC, in differing time periods, but all focusing on a post-9/11 NYC. Being a South Asian NYer, I resonated with a lot of what the author brought out in his various characters.

Something I'll definitely take away from this book (to make my husband laugh, mostly) is his use of "Pap Smear Ribbon" beer. That was awesome.

Want to chuckle and also get a dose of realities that are not represented in the main stream culture? Then read this.

[Paula Koneazny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halal Pork is an immersion experience, a millenial, "ethno-punk," pre/post 9/11 acid trip (make that mushrooms)identity (what did you say your name was?) mash-up. At times brilliant, at others a bit much (excess can cede to tedium). Since I was mostly "off-the-grid" during the 80s and 90s, many of the urban pop/punk cultural references go right by me. On the other hand, "the horror, the horror" quote from Heart of Darkness winks so obstreperously that even a reading-recluse should have no trouble parsing these stories by the contrails of their post-postcolonial shrieks and shreds.

[Ruth Hablo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exploring the misinterpretations, discriminations and general state of confusion about an entire people, religion, or even one's own identity has never felt more like a guilty pleasure than it does in Halal Pork... The wicked humour Kaan displays serves as the perfect chaser to the hard truths usually glazed over by other media. Exhibiting a natural mischief that keeps the reader engaged, and a history that keeps them informed, is further proof that this book is a must-read, for open and closed minds alike.

[Bill DeGenaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often surreal collection of short fiction about the "alien" experience of being Muslim in the post-9/11 U.S. Kaan weaves history and gritty realism with fantasy and the avant-garde. Some stories work better than others. When he's at his best, Kaan is provocative and compelling.

[Zohra Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach this book in my post-9/11 portion of American literature course and my students have loved his work. Smart, unapologetic and hilarious.

[FATHOM+HATCH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious | Controversial | Smart satire | Worth buying

[Melody Moezzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! I've never read anything like it, and I can't wait for Kaan's next book.