Massoud Hayoun

Massoud Hayoun is a journalist based in Los Angeles, most recently freelancing for Al Jazeera English and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown online while writing a weekly column on foreign affairs for Pacific Standard. He previously worked as a reporter for Al Jazeera America, The Atlantic, Agence France-Presse, and the South China Morning Post and has been published widely. He speaks and works in five languages and won a 2015 EPPY Award. The author of When We Were Arabs: A Jewish Family’s Forgotten History (The New Press), he lives in Los Angeles.

News and Reviews

Publishers Weekly

“In this passionate blend of family history, memoir, and rumination on identity, journalist Hayoun utilizes family lore, journals, and photographs to tell his grandparents’ story and recreate a lost multicultural era in the Arab world … Deeply personal, moving reminiscences from his ancestors wil

Jewish Exponent

“An intriguing read for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of complex identities and mixed cultural heritage.”

Library Journal

Read a review of When We Were Arabs in Library Journal.

NPR Books

"With a clear point of view, Hayoun weaves in his family history with the politics that shaped their lives. When We Were Arabs is a nostalgic celebration of a rich, diverse heritage."

Pages

Books by Massoud Hayoun

When We Were Arabs
A Jewish Family’s Forgotten History

Massoud Hayoun