''Towelhead'' is a novel written by

Alicia Erian Alicia Erian (born 1967) is an American novelist. She was born to an Egyptian father and American mother of Polish descent. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Binghamton University and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Vermont ...

and first published April 6, 2005. Alicia Erian is the first holder of the Newhouse Visiting Professorship of Creative Writing at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

Plot

The novel is about a thirteen-year-old girl

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

. Physically developed for her age and looking slightly older, she does not understand how to deal with the effect she has on older men. After her American mother's boyfriend starts behaving inappropriately towards her, her mother sends her from

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

, to live with her Lebanese father in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, believing he will be a strong disciplining force in teaching her how to be more modest. Her father's stricter discipline, coming from a culture she has not grown up in and does not understand, only makes it more difficult to comprehend her surroundings, which include a bigoted Army reservist she is attracted to and a liberal couple.

Adaptation

The novel has been adapted into a film, '' Towelhead'', by screenwriter and director Alan Ball. The film starred newcomer Summer Bishil in the lead role and includes actors

Aaron Eckhart Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his hi ...

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, includ ...

Maria Bello Maria Elena Bello (born April 18, 1967) is an American actress and writer. Her film roles include ''Permanent Midnight'' (1998), ''Payback (1999 film), Payback'' (1999), ''Coyote Ugly (film), Coyote Ugly'' (2000), ''The Cooler'' (2003), ''A Hist ...

, and

Peter Macdissi Peter Macdissi (Arabic: بيتر مقدسي ; born May 14, 1974 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese actor and producer. His filmography consists mostly of television work, most notably playing recurring character Olivier Castro-Staal on Alan Ball' ...

. It premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

on Saturday, September 8, 2007 and at the 2008

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on January 19, 2008. It is currently in DVD release.

External links

''Nothing is Private'' on IMDB
2005 American novels American novels adapted into films Lebanese-American culture Novels set in New York (state) Novels set in Houston Novels about rape Arab-American novels American bildungsromans {{2000s-crime-novel-stub