{"id":996,"date":"2026-05-27T12:53:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/?p=996"},"modified":"2026-05-28T13:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:04:40","slug":"author-unmasked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/author-unmasked\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Unmasked"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light has-parallax\" style=\"min-height:70vh;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><div role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Fantasy writer George Jreije '17, MBA '18\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-995 size-full has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/George_Jreije_2026-70.jpg)\"><\/div><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#ededed\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-heading-font-family has-large-font-size is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d6b9ab57 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"min-height:150vh;line-height:1.2\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-true-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7c6056f1ffb5ed6fe60f24c050998da7 is-content-justification-right is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f1f2ed93 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignfull has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#ffff005e\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:55%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-right has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-fc793f1ef4bcb8efe22ec26c676e0bc8\" id=\"h-author-unmasked\" style=\"color:#5c2600\">Author Unmasked<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:5%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:65%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:35%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-orange-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f6a1468f31e4f2d1f8d7faac593cb13d\">Fantasy writer George Jreije \u201917, MBA \u201918, draws on many inspirations, but his book about a young man\u2019s bout with alopecia will be his most personal yet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"color:var(--clarku-color-gray-600)\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">by melissa hanson<br>Photographs by steve king<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">Tarik is a daydreamer,&nbsp;his pre-teen fantasies transporting him as far as his imagination will allow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when he begins to lose his hair inexplicably, the vivid scenes dancing through Tarik\u2019s mind are monstrously transformed. Nefarious forces seem to pursue him as his tresses thin. He fights the demons ferociously, before resigning himself to a difficult fact: The harder he resists, the harder it will be to adapt to the inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tarik may be a fictional character, but his story is grounded in the true-life experience of his creator, George Jreije \u201917, MBA \u201918, who, while a student at Clark, endured his own tug-of-war battle with the hair-loss condition known as alopecia. When Tarik makes his debut in <em>Tarik\u2019s Bazaar Adventure<\/em>, the tentative title for Jreije\u2019s forthcoming graphic novel to be published by HarperCollins, readers will experience the many emotions that swept through him as he underwent a personal metamorphosis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9ca8fe7c94af24e2c85cedd4b6605f82\" style=\"color:#5c2600\">\u201cThe mask was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Once he began to lose his hair, Jreije felt embarrassed and concerned about being judged by his peers. Hair is more than just a physical trait for Lebanese Americans like himself, he says\u2014it\u2019s an integral part of the Arab identity. Without hair, he felt exposed; his identity compromised. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije also recognized that he was facing a biological imperative over which he had no control. So, he surrendered to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a melting away,\u201d he recalls of that time. \u201cThe mask was gone.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting to this stage required deep reflection, radical self-acceptance, and a fierce support system for Jreije to discover that his \u201closs\u201d could actually be his gain. The discovery proved to be revolutionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was like being able to breathe out of a second nostril for the first time when you\u2019ve only breathed out of one your entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/George-Jreije-2026-69.jpg\" alt=\"Fantasy writer George Jreije '17, MBA '18 holding his novel, Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria\" class=\"wp-image-1020\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">George Jreije displays the cover of his first novel.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije grew up in the Harry Potter generation, but, unlike many of his peers, he wasn\u2019t entranced by the story of the boy wizard\u2014or any other novels, for that matter. He wasn\u2019t a regular reader through elementary and middle school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the time he was a junior at Clark, Jreije had read enough books and penned enough essays that he felt inspired to take a stab at writing fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t good,\u201d he recalls with a chuckle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith anything new you try, the more you do it, the more you realize you have room to grow,\u201d he says. \u201cThat might turn some people off, but it excited me. When I realized I had room to grow, I went at it harder.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The political science and management double major stayed at Clark for a fifth year to earn his MBA, then forged a business career that took advantage of his skills in B2B marketing, digital strategy, and content marketing. Working full-time did not keep him away from his keyboard, where he created the character of Shad Hadid, a 12-year-old burgeoning alchemist who embarks on an adventure at a fabled magical school.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije wrote until he felt confident enough to pitch a literary agent, who began reaching out to publishers. HarperCollins outbid the rest of the \u201cBig Five\u201d publishing house at auction for <em>Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria<\/em> (2022) and <em>Shad Hadid and the Forbidden Alchemies<\/em> (2023), the first two in his fantasy series. A short comic series inspired by the Shad Hadid books is forthcoming as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije is expanding his HarperCollins repertoire with <em>Tarik\u2019s Bazaar Adventure<\/em> and a second graphic novel to follow, <em>Lilo and the League of Librarians<\/em>, which chronicles librarians fighting off spirits determined to consume books, an intentional metaphor for the wave of book-banning across the country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Releasing in May is <em>Bashir Boutros and the Forgotten Realm<\/em>,&nbsp;the second book in another series featuring a formidable pre-teen engulfed in a fantastical adventure. The first installment, <em>Bashir Boutros and the Jewel of the Nile<\/em>, published last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-image:url(&apos;https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/gradient-1.jpg&apos;);background-position:88% 51%;background-size:cover;\" class=\"wp-block-group alignfull padded is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:15%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"429\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/alchemist-alexandria.jpg\" alt=\"Book cover, Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria by George Jreije '17, MBA '18\" class=\"wp-image-1022\" style=\"width:400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:15%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1511\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/forgotten-realm.jpg\" alt=\"Book cover, Bashir Boutros and the Forgotten Realm, by George Jreije '17, MBA '18\" class=\"wp-image-1019\" style=\"width:400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:15%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1510\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/jewel-of-the-nile.jpg\" alt=\"Book cover, Bashir Boutros and the Jewel of the Nile, by George Jreije '17, MBA '18\" class=\"wp-image-1018\" style=\"width:400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-bottom is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:15%\"><div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">Covers of Jreije&#8217;s Books: ARTWORK BY KHADIJAH KHATIB<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije says his brain is too busy to sit still for dedicated writing sessions. Instead, he\u2019ll write from bed, in a coffee shop, or during meals, jotting down small bits as inspiration strikes. He\u2019ll scribble a few sentences during a TV commercial break, maybe a couple of paragraphs on his commute. He insists these \u201cin-between moments\u201d bring out his best writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWriting a little bit each day creates a story,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not this giant act of will; it\u2019s actually the sum of a lot of small decisions.\u201d These are the kinds of lessons Jreije dispenses as a creative writing teacher for the Gotham Writers Workshop as well as a frequent speaker at conferences and schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through Instagram posts, Jreije deflects criticism that middle-schoolers\u2014and even adults\u2014won\u2019t be interested in his books when other popular series like <em>Harry Potter<\/em> and <em>Percy Jackson<\/em> are available on the same shelves. His books have reversed the tropes of the fantasy genre. Instead of characters arriving at intrinsically magical places such as&nbsp;Percy Jackson\u2019s Camp Half-Blood or Harry Potter\u2019s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Shad Hadid arrives at Alexandria Academy to find that alchemy has been banished from the premises, gatekept by villainous forces. Shad must find a way to restore the lost art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe magical school isn\u2019t quite so magical until Shad makes it so,\u201d Jreije says. \u201cEveryone tells Shad that alchemy doesn\u2019t exist and that he looks silly for trying to preach about it and ultimately bring it back. But in being his authentic self, he ignores those voices against all odds.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije was about 12 years old when he was diagnosed with alopecia, a condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss on the scalp, face, or body. Alopecia areata is one of the more common types of hair loss, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, and usually presents in patchy splotches. More rarely, a person can lose hair on their scalp and throughout their body. Initially, Jreije\u2019s loss was restricted to his limbs, which made him breathe a little easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When high school came around, however, Jreije discovered he had developed the most severe strain of alopecia. During his first year at Clark, the condition accelerated. By his sophomore year, Jreije had lost all his hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a35aa9f81a804e4840809724c827d0cc\" style=\"color:#5c2600\">\u201cThere\u2019s no greater gift in life than having a strong sense of purpose and knowing that what you\u2019re doing is helping to foster empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a wonderful thing to be at Clark because everyone was so welcoming and so kind,\u201d he says. \u201cI had a support system at school, and a lot of those folks are my friends to this day. I don\u2019t know that I would have had the same support system at another college.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Few people publicly share their alopecia journey\u2014Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and actress Jada Pinkett Smith are among the few prominent figures regularly raising awareness, sporting their baldness with pride. Jreije wanted to enter the public conversation through his writing, but he recognized the story he would tell needed a twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s how I birthed the idea of adding a fantastical element to Tarik\u2019s story,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause, to be frank, I might not have been interested as a reader without it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jreije was surprised to discover how much he enjoyed infusing pieces of himself into his writing, which is why we first meet Shad Hadid in front of a bakery window, salivating at the sight of the pastries on the other side of the glass. Jreije bequeathed his own sweet tooth to Shad. On his quest to defeat evil forces, Shad encounters rose water, a key ingredient in baklava, what Jreije calls the \u201cHoly Grail\u201d of Lebanese sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-image:url(&apos;https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/large-gradient.jpg&apos;);background-size:cover;\" class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group padded is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1811\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/Comic-Pages.jpg\" alt=\"Illustrations from a novel by George Jreije '17, MBA '18, Tarik\u2019s Bazaar Adventure\" class=\"wp-image-1021\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div style=\"color:inherit\" class=\"eyebrow  has-text-align-left\">PANELS FROM<br>TARIK\u2019S BAZAAR<br>ADVENTURE WITH<br>ARTWORK BY UMAIR<br>NAJEEB KHAN.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As Jreije transitioned to a vegan diet, his characters opted for plant-based staples of Middle Eastern cuisine. He has grown so fond of vegan kibbeh that the dish appears in the Shad series. \u201cI reference vegan foods in my books now to push my agenda,\u201d Jreije says with a cheeky grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shad Hadid\u2019s story is ultimately a celebration of Arab culture. The series earned praise from Arab readers who craved more literary representation while also resonating with those eager to learn about a culture new to them. The positive reception inspired him to introduce his audience to alopecia through the character of Tarik, who he saw as an instrument of acceptance and awareness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coming of age in post-9\/11 America, Jreije spent years repressing his Lebanese roots. In the grade school lunchroom, peers shot quizzical glances at the lunches his mother packed. Strangers sometimes lobbed the word \u201cArab\u201d in his direction as though it were an insult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing has become the catharsis for working through the negativity. His characters live their lives fully, even brazenly, in the face of unwarranted scrutiny. Shad Hadid can\u2019t resurrect alchemy without wanting to be an alchemist himself, a journey he completes despite judgment and ridicule. Tarik will be encouraged to explore treatment for his alopecia rather than wear his condition proudly (something Jreije also was urged to do). Their stories are meant to inspire readers to cast aside the fear of being different and move forward, empowered to live authentically and unapologetically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no greater gift in life than having a strong sense of purpose and knowing that what you\u2019re doing is helping to foster empathy,\u201d says Jreije. \u201cBooks do this more effectively than almost anything else because you have no choice but to get inside the heads of these characters whose lives you\u2019re experiencing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd the more that we can learn to embrace and appreciate the little parts of ourselves, the little experiences, the more we will learn to appreciate everything.\u201d<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tarik is a daydreamer,&nbsp;his pre-teen fantasies transporting him as far as his imagination will allow. But when he begins to lose his hair inexplicably, the vivid scenes dancing through Tarik\u2019s mind are monstrously transformed. Nefarious forces seem to pursue him as his tresses thin. He fights the demons ferociously, before resigning himself to a difficult [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"wp-custom-template-feature","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"departments":[],"issues":[],"class_list":["post-996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Author Unmasked | Clark Magazine | Clark University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/author-unmasked\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Author Unmasked\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tarik is a daydreamer,&nbsp;his pre-teen fantasies transporting him as far as his imagination will allow. But when he begins to lose his hair inexplicably, the vivid scenes dancing through Tarik\u2019s mind are monstrously transformed. Nefarious forces seem to pursue him as his tresses thin. He fights the demons ferociously, before resigning himself to a difficult [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/author-unmasked\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Clark Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClarkUniversityWorcester\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T16:53:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T17:04:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/90\/George-Jreije-2026-69.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@clarkuniversity\" \/>\n<meta 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