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NPR's Book of the Day

'Shubeik Lubeik' imagines a world where you can buy and sell wishes

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR

Arts, Books

4.2671 Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Arabic, the rhyme Shubeik Lubeik means "your wish is my command." So it's an apt title for a new graphic novel by Deena Mohamed, which explores a world in which wishes are commodified and classified for consumption. Cheap wishes are packaged and sold in cans, while expensive wishes belong in bottles. In today's episode, Mohamed explains to NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how this system is meant to illustrate the ways wealth already works in our society, and how difficult it can be to decide what wishes are worth hoping for.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, it's Ed Pear's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. I think there are a lot of stories out there where the central theme of it is basically be careful what you wish for, right? I'm thinking of like every iteration of the monkey paw story to the original Freaky Friday movie. But the thing those all have in common is that the wishes are rare. You know, they're

0:23.1

special and magical. But in the world of the new graphic novel, Shubik Lubik by Dina

0:27.8

Mohamed, they're not rare at all. I mean, I guess they're still special and magical, but they

0:32.6

are commodities you can buy from any old store. And she and NPR's Aisha Roscoe get into this kind of funny but also kind of existential

0:42.1

conversation about the very nature of wishes and the role we want them to play in our lives.

0:48.3

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

0:53.1

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind

0:56.3

closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of

1:02.1

real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and

1:08.3

methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:13.0

The third class wishes are the ones to watch out for.

1:17.4

They backfire.

1:18.7

That's part of the reason why wishes are regulated in the world of Shubik Lubik.

1:23.9

The title is so Shubik Lubik, it's actually kind of a almost a fairy tale rhyme in Arabic.

1:30.1

It's what genies say when they come out of a bottle.

1:32.7

So it's sort of like abracadabra.

1:35.0

But what it actually means is your wish is my command.

1:37.6

That's Dina Mohamed.

1:38.8

Her graphic novel is called Shubik Lubik.

1:41.5

Thanks so much for talking with us.

1:43.4

Hi.

1:44.0

Thank you for having me.

...

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