A Memoir of resilience
This book is for those who seek comfort and inspiration in others' journeys. Whether you’re missing home, you’ve been affected by heartbreak or divorce, you're an immigrant, your parents are immigrants, or none of the above: this book is for you.
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Our debut
Now available via Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover.
An unorthodox immigrant memoir
Anas Afana, the son of a Jordanian diplomat, comes of age amid continuous riots in Sudan during the 1980s. He makes friends, pursues the mischief permitted the privileged sons of officials, and falls in love with soccer, at which he excels. Back in Jordan, his parents force him take his academics more seriously, even when he is recruited to a professional soccer team in Amman. Just hours after his last high school exam, Anas’s father announces they are leaving for America the next day. A few weeks later, he leaves Anas at a rural community college in Iowa, returning to Jordan without him.
The shock of this event marks Anas for the rest of his life.
Only seventeen and with little knowledge of English, he must suddenly fend for himself. He grows up fast.
After graduating college, Anas goes on to establish a successful business, and continues to assimilate and thrive in the US. Then, suddenly, he loses his wife and his home, and is tasked with rescuing his business from bankruptcy. Though the next several years are a personal hell, Anas’s resistance to failure leads him to emerge as a better person.
The story of a life rebuilt many times over, Destined to Fail attests to the power of resilience and personal growth. How do you reconcile an easy life with a hard one? What does a mindset of survival do to your heart?
What people are saying
Thank you to those who have provided these beautiful reviews! Leave yours HERE.
“ This book is amazing! It is written in a way that makes it impossible to not find something to relate to. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I felt the sacrifices. As a mother, I cried with a broken heart. As a friend, I ached for a lost friendship. As a bilingual, I understood the frustration. As a person who hates change, I felt the anxiety. Most of all, I felt inspired! This book reminds you that you CAN'T erase your past, but you CAN allow those events to decide how you respond in life. Your response will lead you to your outcome. The writer made me feel like I was there in every scene. This needs to be made in a movie someday!!!!! ”
—Marialina M., review from Amazon.com
“ Anas’ story is truly an unbelievable adventure. From the moment I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Inspiring, raw, emotional, but above all- a story of family and what we do for our children. ”
— Jill C Hruska, Professor at Creighton University, Omaha NE, review from Amazon.com
“ Destined to Fail relays the experience of an immigrant who comes for the 'American Dream,' and finds that the obstacles to success are not limited to the tangible. While it may be about an immigrant’s journey to achieve success, it resonates with anyone who has come of age through any of the fires of poverty, infidelity, and cultural barriers. The story of Anas is one that resonates because we have all faced dark, hopeless periods in our lives. "
— Scott Reiling, Scientist & Educator
“ Absolutely fantastic read. Following Anas on this emotional roller coaster ride feels like you are right there along with him. This truly is a story of resilience, grit and determination. I don't want to give too much away, but there are truly heartbreaking moments, shocking moments, and triumph. If you are reading this buy the book. Trust me you won't regret it. ”
—Tonya L., review from Amazon.com
“ The book chronicles the life of Anas, a young boy from Jordan with dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, but forced into a world and an adulthood he was not prepared for. Growing up privileged and with "street smarts" and wisdom beyond his years, Anas finds himself navigating through things we can’t imagine a child having to endure. Ultimately his hard work pays off, only to have life throw more unexpected challenges his way. This is story about bravery, resilience, and yes the harsh realities of life. Whether you immigrated to the U.S., or have toiled and sacrificed your entire life to achieve the "American Dream", there is something in this book for everyone, and it is a reminder that even if life doesn't always go your way to never give up. Stella Bellow beautifully tells his story in a manner that keeps the reader engaged, and the pages turning quickly. I would highly recommend. ”
— Tony Buccheri, CFC, CEC, Omaha NE, review from Amazon.com
“ Redefining the American Dream. In reading this memoir, I’m surprised how his story carries thought provoking themes that resonate in my life but also remain rich and unique. ”
— Ashley Dodge, Marketing Professional
“ In the process of writing this book, it is hard not to be inspired by his journey. The hard look of what we define as success and failure will have people talking for generations. Anas’ childhood into adulthood read like it was out of a movie. The resilience he possesses gives permission to anyone struggling that there is always hope in not only overcoming obstacles, but in healing through survival and trauma. A must read! ”
— Samantha Joy, best-selling author of The Less Effect
Anas afana
Anas owns a business in Omaha, Nebraska, and has two grown-up children, Nader and Danah, who are now in college. He travels between the heartland and Denver to spend time with his wife, Natasha. This is his first book.
Stella Bellow
Stella is an artist and writer with a BFA in Illustration and Literature from Parsons and The New School. Originally, she hails from the ancient hills and woodlands of the Berkshires, where she spends her summers working and creating. This is her first book.
Thank you
The creation of this book was hugely collaborative. An enormous thank you to the following:
Natasha Afana, for her thorough feedback and ongoing, loving support of this project; Scott Reiling, not only for his thoughtful and consistent edits of the manuscript, but for encouraging Anas to write his memoir-- it was more than worth it; Anas’s children, Nader and Danah, for their testimonies, feedback, and moral support; Mohammed Afana, for his interview on his experiences as a diplomat and the geopolitical climate, and for every one of his stories, especially the one about his childhood and his testimony of the Nakba; Siham Afana, for giving us excellent information and details about events; Amelia Reiling, for getting the project off the ground and editing throughout the process; Samantha Joy, our guide throughout the journey of finalizing and publishing the book, for her invaluable wisdom, encouragement, and support; Issam Affaneh for his beautiful insights; Heather Bellow, for toning down the flowery stuff and helping with the better beginning; Wayne Rasmussen, for copyrighting the content and giving us wonderful feedback; Anas’s good friends for their beautiful testimonies of him: Tony Buccheri and Maurizio Gagliolo; Brandi Nowak Dalton for her support and investment in this book; the talented dentist and artist Trent Tobler, for the gorgeous portrait; James Hetfield, Ace of Base, and Beyonce Knowles Carter, for getting us through the difficult and the surreal; and The Universe, for doing its thing.