Rituals of Belonging is a story for anyone who has ever walked into a room and felt rejected, invisible, or somehow less. It’s for those who’ve been judged before speaking, questioned before belonging, and made to feel “ other ” for reasons that run deeper than language or nationality. In this deeply human and quietly powerful novel, Albert Hadi, a man who has crossed borders both literal and unseen, gives voice to the struggle of staying true to oneself in places that were never built to hold your whole identity. Through characters shaped by exile, expectation, and silent resilience, the book reveals the emotional cost of trying to belong in a world that keeps asking you to change. From the lifted eyebrow at the sound of a foreign name to the quiet pressure of fitting in, Rituals of Belonging captures the unspoken toll of softening your edges just to be accepted. Yet beneath the ache lives something stronger: the courage to be seen without apology. It shines a light on the strength it takes to hold onto yourself, your voice, and your truth, even in places that were never designed to make space for them. Rituals of Belonging isn’t just fiction. It’s a mirror. One that reflects the lives of countless outsiders who’ve discovered that the hardest journey isn’t about fitting a template to gain acceptance, but about staying true to yourself in a world that keeps asking you to change.