What books has Ilhan Omar written and how much did she earn from book advances or royalties?

1. The book Ilhan Omar wrote — a single, widely distributed memoir

Omar’s principal published work is a memoir titled This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman, released in 2020 and carried by mainstream publishers and booksellers including Dey Street/Hurst, Goodreads, ThriftBooks and Better World Books ^{[1] [2] [7] [8] [3]}. Reviews and publisher pages describe it as an origin story and personal memoir that received attention from national outlets such as USA Today and The Guardian ^{[9] [10]}.

2. Other books about Omar — critics and opponents have written books too

Conservative authors have produced critical books about Omar, such as American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party (Bombardier Books, 2020), which appears in library catalogs and retail listings ^{[11] [12]}. These are separate works by others, not authored by Omar ^{[11] [12]}.

3. What sources say about advances and royalties — conflicting official findings

The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) report stated Omar “may have received an advance payment on royalties related to her memoir” and transmitted findings to the House Committee on Ethics, flagging potential House rule violations if true ^[4]. Omar’s congressional office and a spokesman later emphasized that the OCE matter was dismissed and stated she did not receive a book advance; the Committee on Ethics voted not to further review the matter and the OCE referral was not pursued to sanction ^{[5] [6]}. The OCE’s phrasing and the committee’s actions together create a factual dispute in public records ^{[4] [6] [5]}.

4. How much she earned — available sources do not provide definitive figures

Public reporting and the cited sources do not provide a verifiable dollar figure for any advance or total royalties Omar received from her memoir. Media and net-worth sites speculate that book income contributed to estimates of her net worth (various articles estimate $1–3 million and say royalties/speaking fees are part of that), but those are estimates and not primary financial disclosures of a book payment amount ^{[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]}. Available sources do not mention a confirmed six-figure advance or a specific royalties total in official filings ^{[6] [4]}.

5. Disputes, political context and how to read the record

The question of book payments has been litigated in public filings and partisan commentary. The OCE report’s language that she “may have received” an advance ^[4] fueled complaints and watchdog activity ^[18], while Omar’s office presented the Committee on Ethics’ dismissal as vindication and reiterated there was no advance ^{[5] [6]}. Net‑worth and gossip sites often fold speculative book income into overall valuations, but those outlets do not replace official disclosure or publisher statements ^{[19] [20] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]}.

6. What’s missing and what to check next

Primary documents are not reproduced in the set of sources provided. The exact contractual terms — whether an advance was paid, how much, and the total royalties disbursed — are not publicly detailed in these sources. To resolve the remaining uncertainty, consult (a) the House Committee on Ethics public report or published disposition (beyond the summaries cited), (b) Ilhan Omar’s official financial disclosure forms and any amendments, and (c) publisher or agent statements and book contract records — items not contained in the current reporting (available sources do not mention the specific dollar amounts in those primary documents) ^{[4] [6] [5]}.

Sources cited: publisher and bookseller pages and reviews confirming the memoir and its release ^{[1] [2] [9] [3] [7] [8]}, OCE and Committee/office statements about possible advance/royalties and the dismissal ^{[4] [5] [6]}, and reporting/estimate pages that include book income in net-worth calculations ^{[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]}.