Category Archives: YA FICTION

Aug14

Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali by Marc Bernardin illustrated by Ron Salas

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Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali by Marc Bernardin illustrated by Ron Salas

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I’m always curious how books about Muhammad Ali will present his “Islam” and this 240 page graphic novel was no exception.  I was a little hesitant with the title, and with the foreword establishing that this book is akin to the heroic poems of Odysseus and Gilgamesh, and that “inspired by truth, and truth itself, aren’t the same thing.”  I did appreciate that it says if you are going to take a test on Muhammad Ali and this is your only source, you will fail.  It seems to recognize that Ali means a lot of very different things, to different people and this book at times is true and at times just feels true.  Broken into 12 chapters, 12 rounds, the author offers sources in the back, but leaves wiggle room for creative liberty.  I think if you are familiar with Ali’s life the book doesn’t provide anything shocking and you will enjoy seeing it play out in graphic novel form. If you aren’t familiar with him, the book is a little too choppy to paint a comprehensive biography and you will be confused and need outside clarification at times. I looked into the book before diving in, and many reviews say that the story makes his life accessible to middle grade and middle schoolers, the publisher says 10th-12th grade, and I think with the panel of a prostitute trying to talk to him, alcohol being offered to him, the recreation of him being positioned as a saint being martyred for a magazine cover shoot, comments about being with a lot of women, and some of the politics, the book is best suited for high schoolers.  

SYNOPSIS:

Framed around the lighting of the Olympic torch in 1996 the book then goes back and fills in the gaps on some of the big events of Muhammad Ali’s life:

Round One: Schwinn. 1954. Having his bike stolen and being introduced to boxing.

Round Two: Olympian. 1960. Winning Olympic gold.

Round Three: Church. 1961. Meeting Malcolm X.

Round Four: Sonny Liston. 1964. The fight.

Round Five: Media. 1967. Interview with Howard Cosell.

Round Six: Martyr. 1968. Esquire cover shoot.

Round Seven: Defendant. 1971. Draft evasion charges and fight with Joe Frazier.

Round Eight: Candle. 1974. Meeting a child with leukemia.

Round Nine: Rumble. 1974. Rumble in the Jungle.

Round Ten: Patient. 1980. Early signs.

Round Eleven: Shepherd. 1990. Iraq hostage negotiations with Saddam Hussein.

Round Twelve: Survivor. 1996. Lighting the Olympic torch.

WHY I LIKE IT:

It does articulate that he parted ways with Nation of Islam in chapter 11, Elijah Muhammad and Nation of Islam is pretty prominent in the book up until then, and then in Iraq it does show him praying salat, mentioning the blessings of Allah swt in freeing the hostages, and noting he is going as the most recognizable Muslim American.  I always enjoy reading about Ali and Cosell’s relationship, so I particularly enjoyed those scenes and like the premise of the book established, who knows if they are true, but they feel true and in many ways make Ali seem almost fictious with his equal parts arrogance, humility, humor, and insight.  I had to do a bit of outside reading about the Esquire cover shoot, and the Iraq hostage situation, the book did not seem to make it clear, and got me to thinking perhaps some of the other chapters only seemed clear because I had read about those incidents before.  

Normally I like books to be sourced and a book that is biographical to be accurate, but I almost wanted this book to just be extravagant.  To have fun with the persona of Ali and make him into something of legend that the foreword seemed to hint at.  What I thought was going to make him even more so “the greatest” seemed to just provide a safety net of protection to imagine what was going on in Ali’s head during the 12 rounds highlighted.

FLAGS:

There are some offers of alcohol which he refuses, some pointed political positions, a prostitute in a hallway invites him for free, he refuses. He recreates a martyr scene even once he established he was Muslim and wasn’t ok with it, but a phone call to Elijah Muhammad’s son, made it ok because it was for money, there is a lot to unpack there for kids.  He makes a comment about being with a lot of women at one point, not in your face, but in a graphic novel, to dedicate a panel to it, makes it stand out.  Racism, hate, bigotry, prejudice.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I am a bit on the fence with this book.  I think it would work for a high school book club, but with a lot of context.  If you are discussing Ali, this would be a suitable supplement in a high school classroom.  If you are an English teacher talking about Homer and heroic poetry, I think this would be a great contemporary example. I don’t know that I would stop mature middle schoolers from reading it, but I don’t know that I would be suggesting it either.

If the book seems like a good fit for you, you can order it here.

Jul14

Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy

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Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy

There is nothing quite like reading a YA graphic novel where you feel so completely seen, where you laugh out loud and snort at the shared idiosyncrasies, and where you don’t have to worry that the next page will normalize something haram.  This book, and the entire series, are such a gift to us all that I’m posting this review now, knowing full well that the book does not release until October, with the hopes that you will all preorder it.  This OWN voice authentic rep needs all the support we can offer it to signal to publishers that we want to see books like this published for our kids, ourselves, to share with our Muslim and non Muslim friends and that we want to see similar unapologetic voices in the future.  Huda loves Islam, she is Muslim, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel uneasy at the idea of praying in public, or making wudu at a rest stop.  Her sisters sing Native Deen’s M-U-S-L-I-M to call her out, she fan girls about We Hunt the Flame, and the entire book reads like time spent with friends who can keep you laughing, comfort you when needed, and who are willing to share their very real relatable world with you as they take on Disney World.

SYNOPSIS:

It is summer and Huda and her family are heading on a road trip to Disney World. One sister hangs back for a Quran intensive, the one sister she likes.  Determined to make the best of it she piles in the back seat of the family car with her three other sisters and they hit the road.  The 24 hour one way trip is filled with sibling bickering, rest stop stresses, and parental gems.  Once they get to the park though, their parents have some surprises for them, and Huda finds herself bonding with her sisters despite herself.

FLAGS:

Fart jokes, bullying, punching, self defensive, hitting a boy in the privates for attempting to pull off a hijab, forced physical touch, lying, nothing YA can’t manage.  The title might seem crude to some, I, personally, love the ownership of one’s name, but the book is not offensive.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This book won’t work as a book club selection, but I hope it finds its way to every home, middle school and up class and library.  Boys and girls will enjoy the content and I have no doubt, like the other books in the series preteens and teens will be regularly thumbing through the pages giggling and sharing their favorite parts.  You can preorder your copy here https://amzn.to/44Be87O

Please preorder if you can, and if you cannot please request your public library to shelve it, check it out, read, suggest, and enjoy!

Definitely one of my favorite books of the year, decade…..ever?

Jun16

The Grimoire of Grave Fates by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

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The Grimoire of Grave Fates by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

I keep saying I won’t read anymore anthologies or collections, but this 464 page YA fantasy mystery intrigued me because each chapter is written by a different author, presenting a different character to unravel a whodunit.  In total there are 18 character perspectives, 18 authors, and one murder that needs to be solved.  With two Muslim authors included and it created by a Muslim writer, I hoped there would be some Islamic representation.  The list of authors is quite diverse, and I think every character presents some minority label to normalize a specific culture or identity.  The Muslim characters both wear hijab, but nothing more about their religion is mentioned and no other faith is included.  There are Black, Asian, Hispanic characters, and every letter of LGBTQ+ is highlighted and seemingly the focus of the book.  At times it is just attempted normalizing that a character is queer or gay, but other times it is central to the plot such as when two girls spending the night together provides an alibi, and a few times it really takes away from the story, for example at one point two boys (one magical, one neutral) kissing and falling in love.  There are gender fluid, non binary, pronoun preferences, trans male-to-female, female-to-male characters as well. I kept reading to get to Hafsah Faizal and Karuna Riazi’s chapters, which were 10 and 12 and by then I was so close to the conclusion, I just finished.  Some chapters are stronger than others, but the resolution was really anticlimactic and didn’t do the buildup justice.  I share this review not just to comment on the story, but to also give a heads-up to the content so that you can decide if the book is suitable for you and your children.  I would not shelve this book in our Islamic school library, which is unfortunate, because I think even with the weak ending, I like the theoretical storytelling concept.

SYNOPSIS:
In moving school for magical students, a murder has been committed, and the students who all feel like they are the “chosen one” are determined to solve the case.  The characters share what they know and add to the “solving” of the case for the reader with their different magical abilities.  Some of the students are werewolves, some necromancers, there are those whose dancing is magical, others whose embroidery is, a few are the same, many are unique.  They don’t compete with one another so much as they are in their own world trying to prove their worth and right to belong.  When a homophobic, racist teacher “dies” secrets are uncovered and dirty administrators are called to account.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like seeing a glimpse of the action from a character and then not really seeing that character again, it made it seem more puzzle-like in the coming together of the clues.  I also liked it because if I didn’t particularly like a character or writing style, it didn’t last the duration of the book.  I wish it didn’t feel so token representation though.  If the goal was to be inclusive, the mirroring uniqueness was lost when each character seemed to have to tick a box.  It made it read formulaic.

The conclusion just unraveled, and I know mysteries and horror stories tend to fall in to this trap, but I was hoping it would go out with a bang.  The buildup was strong, but then it became a lot more just telling, then sleuthing, and I don’t know if it was a reflection of the individual authors, or the overall arc of the book.  Either way, I felt like it could have concluded with a bigger punch and wrapping up of some of the loose ends.  Hanna Alkaf didn’t have a chapter, presumably she wove it all together and made it flow cohesively with the internal memos and emails and notes.

I wish the two “Muslim chapters” would have had some more representations about Islam or the girls’ cultures influencing their magical style or goals, but with token rep it is often just a label, an identifier, and then nothing more.  The two connect over fear of Islamophobes blaming them for the death of their teacher.

FLAGS:

The focus of the book is largely on relationships, mostly LGBTQ+ but some hetero crushes as well.  Trans, non binary, gender fluid, bullying, racism, prejudice, murder, magic, lying, sneaking. The Muslim characters do not have crushes or romantic relationships mentioned, but one has a close male identifying gay friend that she does have physical contact with, a reassuring hug- so the book does have Muslim girls with close male friends. Fear of Islamophobia, stereotypes.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would not be able to teach this book or shelve it in an Islamic school.

Jun9

Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed

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Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed

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This YA magical realism book by a Muslim author contains no Islam, and while it is a love story of sorts, and there is a kiss, it remains clean for the demographic.  It is a snapshot of daily life for a few characters in a small magical town.  There is no real understanding of the premise, or the magic, nor resolution to what happens or why any of it matters, there aren’t even forty words for love provided, yet the author is good at writing, so I kept reading, even when the plot holes and rationale for the “point” of the book clearly were not coming.  The ethereal lilting tone was lovely and lyrical at times, but honestly, I was left with more confusion about the leaves, the tree, the pastel waters and the cause of blame and bigotry at the end, than when I started.  It is an easy read, I don’t regret it, but it is hard to suggest others invest in a 304 page book that doesn’t really leave you feeling satisfied.  I wouldn’t object to it on a shelf, and others might absolutely love the infusion of other worlds into a grounded reality to tell a story of industry leaving a town, and two kids moving from friendship to romance, but I just wanted more: more world building, more tension, more resolution, more backstory, more detail, more magic, more understanding, more character development and connection.

SYNOPSIS:

In the vey first chapter, a small child drowns.  The child had wandered off from his nanny and died in the ocean.  That is the day that the pink and purple waters of Moonlight Bay turned angry and black.  Eighteen year old Raf, a Golub, blames himself because he was about to tell his childhood friend Yasmine that he was in love with her.  A rule that he has been told for the last decade will mean that his leaf on his arm will fade and he will have to leave his community.  When he is about to approach Yas he sees that she is cozying up with Moses, and he stops.  When the body is then found, a scream breaks loose and  everyone runs to the little boy. Later that night the Golub tree opens and two kids, a brother and sister emerge, and the tourist rich city is no longer beautiful.  The candy factory that relies on the healing waters closes up shop and most of the townsfolk move away.  Many of those that remain blame the Golub for the town’s misfortune.  The Golub arrived by tree a decade before when their own homeland froze over.  They live in the forest and eagerly await the tree to thaw signaling that it is safe for them to return home.

Yas and Raf carry on, Raf working in the diner, and Yas gathering shells for her mother to shape into stars that heal.  Both dream of leaving the confining town, pursuing their passions: Yas art and Raf architecture, but rules, family, and obligation keep them from leaving and keep them from being more than just friends.

WHY I LIKE IT: (SPOILERS):

I like the tone of the book.  It is like a dreamy lullaby that floats around, but I really needed answers.  If certain threads were unresolved, I could take it as being left up to interpretation, but this was more than a literary devices, this reads underdeveloped.  So much happens in the first chapter, and the rest of the book really doesn’t keep up.  The reader never learns why the leaves fade or pulse or why Uncle came to the conclusions he did even if safety was his motivation, we don’t know how Kot and Nara got through the tree or survived for 10 more years in Golub.  It is hard to believe that in a decade so few Golub tested out their leaves? And what purpose do they even have? They allow them to return, that is it? That is their rumored, untested magical ability? Were the waters healing before the Golub came, the confusion of what Yas and her mom do and the arrival of the tree seem a bit inconsistent. Yas feels electricity when Raf is around it is mentioned a few times, but never explored.  We are told that Jake hates Golub, but does anyone else really?  How can a city that reads like 10 people have its own high school? It doesn’t feel fleshed out, it reads like there are a few families is all, and doesn’t contrast it to when the town was thriving, it is rather stagnant.  I get that bigotry and hate are illogical and the story is perhaps a bit of an allegory for that, but the town has pink and purple waters with healing properties that changed overnight and a group of people arrived through a tree with leaves tattooed on their arms, I don’t see how the magic or the leaf on their inner arm is what is being blamed for Sammy’s death or the water changing.  It is a weak premise.  Even when we learn that Uncle lied, no one seems to get any truth out of him or be determined to figure stuff out. It is a bit hard to believe no one ever looked at the beach at night, and what exactly are the Weepers doing?  Some history or back story about Moonlight would be great to explore. Are Golub and humans different in any way? What was the cause of death of Raf’s dad? Absolutely nothing set out by the book is resolved, nothing is learned, no characters grow, the only closure is that Raf and Yas have told each other how they feel, and the Golub have learned that they can travel further than 40 miles from their tree, that is it.

I do like the mix of names of the characters coming from different cultures all existing without othering or explanation. I like that the slow burn angst is clean, it is nothing a 14 and up couldn’t handle, even if it is a bit obvious.

FLAGS:

Magic, a gay couple own the movie theater, there is some angst, a couple of kisses between Yas and Raf, bullying, premonitions, family fighting, lying, sneaking, romantic hetero affection.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

There is no Islam and the plot is centered around two teens’ feelings for one another so I would not host this as a book club, nor would I really want to do so.  But, if I knew there was a a group of people gathering to discuss this book, I would totally join in to see if any insight to all the unanswered threads could be resolved.

Jun2

When a Brown Girl Flees By Aamna Qureshi

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When a Brown Girl Flees By Aamna Qureshi

when a brown girl flees

I was both nervous and excited to read this contemporary book having loved the author’s fantasy, but unsure how a Brown Muslim Pakistani American girl running away from home would be presented.  Alhumdulillah, the author approached the story from a place of love.  There is no internalized Islamophobia, self othering, or in broad strokes even an identity crisis. The protagonist has made decisions, drastic ones, and is trying to piece her life back together on her own terms, but the love of culture, family and faith, is always upheld.  It reads like Islamic fiction, with very didactic passages and moral positioning, I’m still quite surprised that it is traditionally published.  The version I read had grammar errors, so I’m hoping that they will be corrected when the book releases in a few weeks.  The story is engaging, but the writing a bit monotone.  Much of the story is telling, not showing, and because of the surface level spoon feeding of so much of the plot, when the catalyst or rationale is not provided, the book seems underdeveloped, or lacking, unfortunately.  I would not recommend this book for the target audience of YA readers (12/13 and up) it contains sex, slut shaming, self harm, depression, suicidal thoughts, physical and emotional abuse, profanity, and mentions drug use.  I do think though, early college age readers will enjoy and benefit from reading the book.  At a time in the reader’s life when they are defining themselves on their own terms, owning up to their own mistakes and laying out a future path, this book will provide relatability amplified by religious and cultural touchstones.  The heart of the story is the connection of a girl with Allah swt after she has sinned, the guilt and regret she feels, and how she finds herself, and returns to try and fix things with her family.  The characters are flawed and the overall messaging beautiful, hopeful and uplifting.  Unfortunately, it just reads like an early draft and I wish it had a bit more refinement.  Keeping that in mind though, it does have a place, and I’m glad to see our “new adults”  can find reflections of  themselves in a piece of literature that amplifies their Islamic identity instead of criticizing or questioning it.

SYNOPSIS:

The book starts with Zahra deciding to run away from home.  She parks her car, leaves her phone and catches a flight to New York from California.  The reader doesn’t exactly know why she is running, only that a few days after high school graduation she is escaping a toxic home life, an impending wedding, and misery.  As the story peels back layers we start to see some of the nuance of what she is running from as characters from her past find her and physical space allows her some perspective to see her own role in her “old” life.  When she arrives in New York, it isn’t the city life that she seeks, but rather the nature and pace of Long Island that offers her a fresh start.  She heads to the masjid, makes a friend, and starts to put her life together without parental obligation, outside interference, and self loathing.  She cannot run forever though and she cannot escape herself.  She must confront her past, own her mistakes, be honest with her new friends, and find peace with her family, not because she has to as a Brown daughter of immigrants, but because she trusts Allah, loves her family, and wants to “fix” things.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I’m a sucker for books that show redemption through the love and mercy of Allah (swt).  Yeah her new friends were idyllic in their family life, relationships and worship, but we all want friends that make us better Muslims, so I let it slide. Islam is centered, she wears hijab, she reconnects with salat, it is her identity even when she is just going through the motions. The author at times conflated culture and faith, but it never issues blanket statements or falls into universal stereotypes for Desi culture or Muslims.  She does a good job of keeping the negatives to the people and the critiques to the failure to push back on dangerous expectations. My issues weren’t the character flaws either, I’m onboard with the messiness of being human and the ability to seek and receive forgiveness from our creator.  I just wanted to feel things more.  So much was just told when it should have been shown.  I wanted to see the stress and anguish of her family life, not simply told it was depressing.  I wanted to see her cutting life long friends out and being isolated, not told she had lost her friends.  The book focuses on her running, and why she ran, but a big plot point for why she ran, having sex, needed more fleshing out.  Why was she driven to such an act? I know that she was depressed, I’m not belittling that, but what pushed her to such a strong stance, when she was already allowed on the school trip, she hadn’t yet been given the ultimatum and over and over the book says “I miss my family,”” I miss my home,” “I miss my mom.”  I didn’t feel the connection or understand what she was feeling, thinking, and it seemed like a huge hole in the book.  For all the themes of mental illness, faith, generational trauma, misogyny, abuse, expectation, depression, lying, culture, life choices, higher education, family dynamics, self harm. the book never quite felt rich with emotion or deeper than the surface level story.  At the beginning the author says she first wrote the book when she was a senior in high school, and while that may have made the main character’s perspective and voice ring true, as a successful author now, I wish she would have added the nuance, the insight, the subtlety that would have drawn the reader in and allowed them to get inside Zahra’s head and heart to see her and perhaps even themselves.

FLAGS:

The author and book identify triggers in the book “please be mindful of TWs: depression, anxiety, emotional abuse, physical abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, slut-shaming, PTS.”

There is also music, boys and girls alone in cars together, lying, cursing, generational trauma, misogyny, abuse, expectation, depression, anxiety, guilt, life choices, higher education, family dynamics, cutting, a brother who is often high or smells like weed/pot, it mentions partying, a sexual event, deceit, physically assaulted by a parent.  Nothing haram is glorified, but it is there and it is detailed, and not everything is resolved.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would not be able to shelve or teach this book in an Islamic school library, but in a college MSA book club or a youth group of a similar age this book would be incredible to read and discuss.

May12

Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle 

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Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle 

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I really want to be raging furious and upset by the lying, premarital hetero sex, normalized/celebrated lesbian Muslim, internalized Islamophobia, gaslighting, abuse, and labeling of Muslims as “conservative” and Islamic principles as “ancient and ridiculous” (keep in mind the characters and author are all Muslim). But honestly, the writing is so terrible that to feel that much emotion is just not that warranted for what the story is. I’m so disappointed in the entire writing quality of the book, that I couldn’t appreciate the characters or story as written.  I know elements of the story probably ring true, my privilege and arrogance don’t blind me to recognizing that, and whether I agree or relate or identify with the Islamic representation is subjective, but it is not a good sign when reading- that screen shots are not enough, and I have to break out paper and pens to note the contradictions, plot holes, and inconsistencies.  The cover is the best part, with its beautiful Black Muslim inviting YA readers to crack open the book and spend time with Fatima who dreams of following her culinary dreams despite family and toxic relationship obstacles.  Sadly though, the text does not live up to the expectations the cover sets forth.  It reads like a very early draft where the plot points, the climax, and the conclusion are laid out, but the dialogue, backstories, and relationships are yet to come in this very mature 304 page book.

SYNOPSIS:

Fatima Tate dreams of culinary school, but her mother demands a more practical degree of nursing.  The only child of a nurse and mechanic, Fatima goes to a virtual charter school and has a best friend since 5th grade, Zaynab. who goes to a private school, yet constantly chauffeurs her around, covers for her, and whose relationship with Amber is a major thread in the story.  One day, when Zaynab fails to pick Fatima up from her shift at the soup kitchen, Raheem, her crush who she has never really spoken to, offers to drop her off, he uses the excuse of not wanting to miss Asr salat to get in her house, and by the time the prayer rug is put away the two are kissing and holding hands.  It has been a busy day for Fatima, she was also invited to join a teen cooking competition, and with that, all in the first chapter, the direction of the story is set.  Add in the twist that her parents don’t know about her joining the cooking competition, Raheem being revealed as a narcissistic, controlling, wealthy, manipulator who has his mom properly meet Fatima’s parents resulting in the two quickly become engaged, and Fatima at some point having to finalize her college plans and you have most of the plot and spoilers of the book.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I wish there was more OWN voice Black Muslim culture inclusions.  As with all the potential themes of the book, the writing just feels so superficial.  The only thing quicker than the instant romance, is the reader’s (my) instant disdain for the creep that Raheem is: from his arrogance to his ghosting, his hypocrisy to his gaslighting.  There is no angst, attraction, sympathy, intrigue, nothing in his character makeup or in the relationship he and Fatima have.

The cooking thread is equally lackluster, I think most bakers have heard of refrigerating cookie dough, and where I should have been hungry or had my senses tingling, I found myself annoyed by the almost childish portrayal of the food scenes.  If it was meant to show passion or a divide with her parents, it was all talk and no show.  At times the text says how close Fatima is with her parents, how much she respects her mother’s strength and her father’s kindness, but lie after lie to them and their distance from the heart of the book, definitely do not show a complicated relationship, it once again, yep you guessed it, reads really flat and one dimensional.

Islamically there are concerns with the premarital relations, but even before that with the male and female being alone, the lying, the lgbtq+ relationships.  I never understood why Fatima refuses to pray in congregation and attend Jummah it just says she doesn’t join the community prayer, but she also doesn’t pray with Raheem, which might have actually been sweet.  She is noted to pray fajr late and it is a point of contention, she wears hijab, and says a lot of inshaAllahs, but while the text sprinkles in these touchstones, they don’t seem to shape her identity, it feels like it is just the paradigm that she knows.  She finds the mahr concept to be “ancient” and “ridiculous.” The one character that speaks out against same sex relationships wears abayas, black abayas to be exact. She is also labeled the “haram police.”  Zaynab doesn’t pray, doesn’t cover, but presumably identifies as Muslim.  Raheem says he is fine with her lesbian identity, but fears Fatima’s relationship with her will ruin his future political career.  The book never has any substantial commentary on the Islamic view of queer relationships and labels any one that has a problem with them as being “strict” and “conservative.”  The book says “love is love” and leaves it at that.

Constantly the reader is told that Fatima and Zaynab are best friends since 5th grade, no backstory as to why Fatima left for virtual school and Zaynab for private.  We never see Fatima add anything to the friendship, Zaynab drives Fatima, feeds Fatima, consoles Fatima, it is all very one sided.  So many story lines just fall off the page without resolution or insight.  At one point Fatima is angry at Zaynab and doesn’t want to share her with Amber, but then is mad that Raheem is wanting to take her away but nothing is ever done or explained or internally pondered over, it is just forgotten.  I really despise how we are also told that Zaynab and Amber are the ideal couple, but nothing ever shows it. NOTHING. They are always fighting, Fatima is always on edge to even ask Zaynab about Amber.  Zaynab and Amber fight about their graduation party and it magically all works out.  Amber is shocked to know that Muslims won’t accept them, and they seem to break up, but then they are together at the end so how did that get resolved?

Major plot holes: When Fatima’s mom asks Fatima if she knows Raheem, she says no and four pages later her dad asks her what she thinks about Raheem and she answers him.  This inconsistency mitigates the “reveal” at the end that they knew each other at the soup kitchen.  Speaking of soup kitchen, the reader sees she goes once and then stops for finals and never resumes going, so how is it such and important part of her or Raheem’s life? Does he return? Fatima gets driving lessons and a car, and is then driving alone, time line doesn’t work, nor does what she is driving get articulated if she returned the Lexus.  Extravagant gifts aside, it never fully explains where Raheem’s grandfather made his wealth, it seems lacking because he doesn’t want Fatima to work, but his mother does, in managing her father’s inherited wealth.  At the walimah it is very awkward between Zaynab and Fatima’s mom, almost to the point I thought they might not know each other, or might have issues with her lifestyle, but by the end it is clear they know each other well, so I think the scene is just written poorly.  I went back and read it and the familiarity of the families is definitely unclear and not consistent throughout.  For Fatima’s graduation Raheem gets permission to take her to dinner alone, for someone who is constantly watching money and loves cooking, it felt like it would be a big deal to be able to go out alone with her finance, to a fancy restaurant and savor all the flavors and ambiance.  Nope, the scene is skipped, no details, no nothing.  Lots of little details are skipped quite often, for example five people are qualified for the finals, only three names are given, just throw two more names in there, nope we get dot dot dot- it reads unfinished.  At one point when Zaynab once again saves the day and picks up Fatima, they come back to Zaynab’s house with Starbucks and meet at the fridge to get Pepsi’s out, like three sentences later, Starbucks on the table forgotten.

Zaynab does have a slight character arc, but throughout needs someone to constantly side with her, and I don’t know that she is very independent at the end.   I don’t think there is a decent relationship in the book between any of the characters, which is unfortunate, and religion and the masjid (labeled “patriarchal”) are often portrayed in a negative light. The internalized Islamophobia was hard to swallow.  At one point Fatima shakes a man’s hand and says that she isn’t one of those Muslims that has issues with that.  It seems like this book checked a lot of boxes and for whatever reason didn’t get the polishing it needed.  It is unfortunate because OWN voice Black Muslim books with authentic rep and joy and complexities and nuances are so desperately needed, and this one just felt underdeveloped and raw.

FLAGS:

Language, closed door premarital sex, talk of sex, talk of condoms, child out of wedlock, cheating, lying, hetero and same sex couples, dancing, music, physical abuse, verbal abuse, gaslighting, controlling, stereotypes, internalized Islamophobia, male and female friendships, manipulation, blackmail, judging, deceit, hypocrisy.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

The cover will tempt younger readers to pick up the book, my only hope is the poor writing will cause it to be abandoned before the haram is glorified, normalized, and celebrated.

Feb17

Free Radicals by Lila Riesen

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Free Radicals by Lila Riesen

radicals

This contemporary 400 page YA book about an American Afghan girl dealing with life and boys and worrying about family in Afghanistan since America’s withdrawal from the country, is written by an Afghan Australian, raised in America, and thus it seemed like a book I should review from an Islamic lens even if the blurb on the back seemed a little stereotypical with the oppressed-can’t-meet-with-boys theme.  Well, suffice it to say the blurb on the back is terribly misleading and this OWN voice book lightly sprinkles in Islam as cultural adoptions and there are flags, oh so many flags.  In the first 20 pages alone there is normalizing and discussion of sex, watching pornography, voyeurism, a females breast being exposed, drinking alcohol, a trans character changing, cheating, gossip of the main character circle jerking three guys, partying, a boy sneaking over, parents vacuuming to cover the sounds of their son and his girlfriend in the bedroom, attempted sexual assault, and the book doesn’t just say it is young adult, it specifies, 7th grade, ages 12 and up! I’m reviewing it as an Islamic School Librarian, but I am not ok with any 12 year olds reading this, and worry the American flag on top, the masjid on the bottom and the young girl on the side, just might entice a young reader to start reading, and that is alarming. The characters do not identify as Muslim, the grandpa known as Baba is a “conditional Muslim” he skips Ramadan, celebrates Christmas, and only prays a few times a week, so the drinking and the dating are really not concerns for the characters. I kept reading to see if there was some religious arc with the family in Afghanistan possibly coming, but SPOILER, I’ll save you the read, there is no Islam, a Quran is mentioned to be stored in a box with old shoes, the dad starts reading the Bible and considers “converting” and there are make-out scenes, a pan sexual character, vandalism, sexual assault rumors, just to name a few.  The writing is entertaining if not chaotic at times, but I cannot recommend this book for Muslim readers, and have reservations about some of the stereotypes for non Muslims, I will stay focused on the Muslim reader in this review, however, since the book is OWN voice, and just because I don’t like or agree with various aspects, does not mean that they are not accurate or real.

SYNOPSIS:

Mafi is 16 and since rumors about what she did at a party with three guys started circulating she finds herself friendless and unseen.  She has become the dealer of vengeance, working to ensure people get what is coming to them when the notes left in a tree are verified.  Living each day in sweats and hoodies she dreams of  Jalen, a basketball player, being more than just her brother’s friend.  When she starts to get sloppy in her justice “ghost” dealings she finds herself emotionally involved and her world changing as a result.  There are numerous side characters and side stories that keep this book buzzing: her parents relationship falling a part, her sister away at college, her grandfather’s dementia, her brother Rafi and his girl friend Bian, Rafi getting signed by a college for basketball that wants to make public his Afghan roots, a father who wants them to always deny their Afghan roots, Jalen’s own drive to be signed with a college, Jalen’s dad’s PTSD, motocross, driver’s license, the kid next door that smells of smoke, piercing noses, Brit, a popular trans activist with no sex drive who befriends Mafi, and rumors and gossip that poke and complicate every aforementioned character and relationship.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I have issues with the blurb on the back, the cultural/religious restraints are really non existent in the book, the SOL tree is only brought in for two acts of vengeance, and the age demographic is just too young to read about the sexual exploits, that are not detailed but are very present and normalized.  I have issues with the religious references that are present anecdotally for the dismissiveness it implies, but it is not an issue for the characters- because religion is not a part of their lives, and honestly- ultimately, I’m glad it was kept at arms length, because with so many “haram” story lines, it would be problematic to see the characters identifying as Muslim.  The writing at times was really engaging and smooth and I was shocked at how fast the pages were flying by.  At other times it seemed too chaotic and underdeveloped.  Keying a car seems such a sad planned act of vengeance, I wanted to know what acts she had done in the past other than the two mentioned in the book, there was a lot of set up to go deep on Bian, or Jalen’s dad or Mafi’s loss of friends, but it all just fizzled.  I never felt emotionally tied to the family in Afghanistan, or the dad on the deck.  I wanted to understand some of the walls the family established so that I could feel what the characters were feeling- and so often it just wasn’t there.  I absolutely loved the grandfather and his quirks and the sibling relationship of Rafi and Mafi as the story progressed.  After the initial shock value, the book really did settle down and have a lot of heart, but those first 20 pages were aggressive, and the last twenty seemed to just unravel.  I would have loved to see some commentary about the hypocrisy or ironies of Mafi’s life, she has insights, they just seemed missing when reflecting on her own family quirks: her family doesn’t want to identify as Afghan, yet all their nicknames are Afghani, she claims she can’t hang out with boys, but she seems to all the time with no problem, they have no Afghan friends and yet there is no acknowledgement of this when the man on the moped shows up, how long Baba has lived with them seems inconsistent, they eat dinner together most nights but seem like strangers.

Politically, the author has her views and thus the characters theirs.  For those not familiar there is enough information about Hazaras, and the Taliban, to understand her point of view, but I don’t know that the books really conveys a lot of the nuance or accounts for why the family would be heading to Pakistan while dropping jabs at Pakistan’s view of the Taliban. There is a bit of othering and we are the good ones not the terrorist ones that seems stereotypical, but the remarks are said in passing and not often.

FLAGS:

Sex, kissing, making out, voyeurism, porn, female breasts exposed, trans character changing, Islamophobic remarks, misogyny, bullying, language, loss, dementia, discrimination, drugs, mental health, rumors, gossip, lying, sexual assault, violence, ptsd, relationships, pan sexual, racism, theft, hate speech, death, fear, threats, sneaking out, Halloween, alcohol, hung over, violence, mention of murder, masturbation word play, a child using a dildo as a sword, pretty much every flag you can think of is present in some form.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I would not shelve this book in an Islamic school library or classroom. I would hope that public libraries would not be displaying it near the books for younger YA as well.  It isn’t that I am holding it to a higher standard than other YA books, but it would be naive to think that the Afghan architecture on the bottom right of the cover that looks like a mosque and the light hearted blurb on the back, might excite young Muslim readers, and thus I’ve posted this review as much for my own conscious in making sure parents don’t pick this up for their kids as for warning Muslims that there isn’t Islamic rep in the book.

Jan20

The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy

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The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy

next new syrian

This culture rich, American set, upcoming 416 page YA book proudly shows the characters’ Islam as it shares a story of pain, privilege, guilt, adversity, hope, and family dynamics.  The book is an easy read that is hard to put down, and is remarkably clean for the threads of romance, war, and mental health that permeate the pages (note that here are triggers of loss, separation, death, suicide, drowning, trauma, hate, and bullying).  There, however, are also some plot holes, contradictions, and weak threads that I feel obligated to note, but ultimately don’t make the book a bad read.  I think 16 year old readers, both Syrian and not, as well as Muslim and non Muslims will benefit from the characters sharing their lives and peeling back surface layers to show an intimate account of expectation and obligation for Syrian American girls in today’s world with the backdrop of war in Syria.  The book’s first few pages are powerful in their Islamic centering and unapologetic normalizing of salat and hijab and identity. The Islam in the forefront fades as the story progresses and I don’t think I can sign off on the relationship between two characters as being “halal,” but starting the story with fears of praying on the side of the road as a mom’s concern is next level.  Most book parents are trying to get their kids to pray, in this family- prayers are happening five times a day and on time, so the worry is knowing where you are when Maghrib time hits, because it obviously won’t be missed or delayed, alhumdulillah.

SYNOPSIS:

Khadija’s mom is queen bee in the tight knit Syrian community in Detroit and Khadija does not fit the mold of what the queen’s daughter should be.  It isn’t that Khadija is a rebel, she loves her mother, her faith, her roots, and well, boxing.  Khadija is wealthy, and privileged and so much of what is expected is for appearance sake only.  Khadija knows this, and takes boxing lessons for free in exchange for helping keep the gym clean as to establish this as her own thing, no strings attached.  When Khadija’s mom takes in a Syrian refugee and her daughter, Leene, Khadija has to figure out if she is threatened, jealous, or impressed by the new arrivals and what that means about her own family.

Leene shares the narrative with Khadija and shares her transition to life in America and in the Shaami home along with her past.  The loses she has faced, the obstacles overcome, and the secrets she keeps in order to face each new day show glimpses into the destruction of the Syrian war on a way of life and the beauty lost. 

The two girls are at odds with each other for much of the book, but as their stories start to intertwine, they find themselves with similarities and strengths that show they are a benefit to each other, despite their stubbornness and fiercely independent personalities.  In a race to reclaim what was once lost, the girls start to trust each other, and when family is further threatened the two girls allow themselves to be vulnerable and work together to save what matters.

Clearly I am trying not to spoil the book, nor takeaway from the climax, but I think most that start the book, will find themselves glued to the pages and will understand why I am choosing not to disclose too much.

WHY I LIKE IT:

The first chapter completely blew me away, I loved the idea of such a strong hijabi girl boxing and being so unapologetic about her Islam and culture.  I must admit I cried at the end as well.  It was tied up very neatly, arguably too perfectly, but there were tears none-the-less and no matter what I critique about the book, I was moved by it. The writing is engaging, and entertaining, no doubt, but alas, I have some questions, lots of questions in fact: How did the mom’s meet? One is super posh and high class, the other refugee with very little, how did their paths cross? How did Leene convince her mom to let her travel even if the ‘why’ was kept hidden? After everything they have been through wouldn’t being left to travel to the Middle East be a huge obstacle that needed to be overcome, it reads inconsistent and unbelievable. How hard was it for the “girls” to leave the “boys,” I would imagine it was devastating, yet it didn’t even get a mention.  

What changed so much about the family dynamic when they stopped going to Syria, the author shows the joy of Syria and being together for the family, but I think if you are not Syrian and do not know Syrians well, some of this thread, is going to fall short.  I talked to @muslimmommyblog and could see the reflection of the characters for her, but if I didn’t have her shared experience to flesh out the characters, I don’t know that I would have understood the weight of the guilt, the helplessness, and the frustration.  Similarly, only through talking to Shifa did I understand the pressures of being an American Syrian girl, if I’m being honest, Khadija the majority of the time, just reads whiney. Other family dynamic questions involve the dad and brother.  Was the dad always so absent? It must not have happened overnight, right? And exactly how old is Zain? He reads like he is 12, but he is in high school? Additionally, high school graduation is very important for both girls for very different reasons, but their is no talk of college or career plans, which was noticeably missing from the book.

Then there is the angsty storyline of Younes.  The perfectly selfless guy who doesn’t center his Islam as much, but does want to have a prolonged engagement.  What does that even mean, and how will that be ok Islamically, with them already laying on the 90s Bollywood style glances and loving confession?  Also why does Khadija frame morality through an Islamic lens for most things, but for the relationship resorts to worrying about what her mother will be ok with?  And was the family ok with Younes? How is he at the BBQ? Speaking of places he shouldn’t be, how was he at the party Nassima isn’t Arab enough for, when she at least speaks Arabic and he does not?

I think it best to just enjoy the story for what it is, not look too deep, not ask questions, and just enjoy the rep, the story, the characters, and the emotions released with the climax and conclusion.

FLAGS:

Romance, crushes, road rage, bullying, Islaophobia, mental health, death, killing, war, destruction, suicide, drowning, abandonment, separation, loss, grief, rebellion, angst, lying.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This would not work for a middle school book club, and I really should say that this wouldn’t work for a high school book club either, but I know many older high school girls that would absolutely love this book and I think it might be possible to convince them that the relationship is more than the text shared, and was approved by the families and made halal.  Considering so many holes exist, it might be possible to control the narrative in a book club setting on the permissibility of the relationship.  It would definitely depend on the girls reading the book and I would strongly suggest that whether you read this book in a group or hand it to a teen, that you make it clear what a halal relationship looks like and that this is a work of fiction.

The book releases in March 2023 and as always to show support for OWN voice Muslim character filled stories please consider pre-ordering the book: you can do so here on Amazon.  And once the book releases please purchase, checkout from your library, and encourage your schools to shelve titles to encourage similar books to be published and made available, thank you.

Jan6

We’re in this Together (Young Reader’s Edition of We Are Not Here to be Bystanders) by Linda Sarsour

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We’re in this Together (Young Reader’s Edition of We Are Not Here to be Bystanders) by Linda Sarsour

linda

I don’t have strong feelings one way or another about Linda Sarsour, so I read the book primarily to see what the messaging would be from a well-known Muslim activist to a mainstream audience, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  This YA adaptation of her adult book weaves together personal experiences with larger pushes for justice reform. It is not all memoir, there are historical blurbs, educational backstories, and centering of Palestinian occupation and Islamic tenants.  I feared that the book would be entirely self-promoting and it wasn’t, it shows her as a person, and her struggles, but the spotlight is bigger than her, as she talks about the efforts and accomplishments of others in promoting police reform, social change, elevating women’s voices, and working with Black Lives Matter.  The 229 page book is sourced and reads easily.  I think ages 13 and up will benefit from seeing the intersectionality of many current social struggles sprinkled in with historical landmarks that they have learned about in school, told through the lens of a personal, relatable Muslim, Palestinian, American voice.

SYNOPSIS:

The book starts with the Women’s March as the culmination of her status and then takes the reader back to show the pivotal moments that got her to that stage: the immigration of her parents to America, her childhood, her family’s bodega, trips to Palestine and finding her voice.  The book shows her in various stages of her life while showing what is currently happening regarding police brutality, national politics, and relatable historical movements.  It shares close relationships she has had professionally, as well as mentions her getting married, becoming a mother, and the loss of a close family member and mentor.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I was happy to see how much Islam and culture shaped her activism and identity, as both are generously sprinkled in, and are unapologetically presented.  The book is a memoir and many characters are introduced and shown to enhance her understanding or presenting her with opportunities,  yet I don’t feel I really got to “know” her or any of them.  The book is centered more on events and how she lent her voice in this arena or that.  I still don’t know that I have much of an opinion on her personally or on her work, or even felt motivated to take action because of her enthusiasm, but the book was an easy read, it was informative and reflective.

FLAGS:

Racism, oppression, murder, police brutality, car accidents, hate crimes, death, assault, systemic racism, slurs, misogyny, occupation, hate.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I probably wouldn’t read this book in a book club setting, but I think it would be a good addition to a school or library shelf.  I think you could require it in a history or civics or current events class and readers would find it compelling and relatable and be able to add their own life experiences to any discussions that would follow. It shows that the struggle in history books for justice and equality is not over, it is still ongoing and still very very real with horrific consequences.

Dec19

Rebel of Fire and Flight by Aneesa Marufu

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Rebel of Fire and Flight by Aneesa Marufu

rebel

I struggled with this 384 page young adult fantasy.  It skirts and plays with Islamic doctrine as the characters and plot points dance with fantasy and fiction; and because I never felt that the author was completely in control of the story and where it was going, I could never relax and be swept away.  The author identifies as Muslim and in the backmatter addresses how experiences with Islamophobia influenced her writing, yet I don’t know why jinn and hijab were in the book when fictionalized creatures and cultural dress would have sufficed.  Clearly the character on the cover is in hijab, the names of half the characters are Muslamic, the culture is very desi, the broad concepts of jinn, the ghaib, sihr, Prophet Sulaiman, call to prayer, are all Islamically rooted, but characters go to worship at temples, jinn and jinniya eat corpses and are described so often as looking like smoke.  There is no clear identifier that these characters are in fact Muslim, it is simply hinted at, which makes the fictional parts seem like extensions of religious doctrine and ultimately made me uncomfortable with much of the story.  It also makes me think readers will not know where the lines are, if my brain was muddled, I can’t imagine a  young teen reading it and keeping it clear.  There is a few rushed romantic scenes of kissing, there is a trans character who’s gender identity and born gender is a significant plot line in the story, and there is a lot of oppression, racism, death, abuse, misogyny and fear.  It is a dark read that metaphorically takes real societal concepts and sets them in shades of gray with the added use of fantasy. There are a lot of layers in the story, and while it wasn’t poorly written, there were definitely places it needed to be better.  I really didn’t like any of the characters, I didn’t understand their motives, their relationships, their drives, the commentary on occupiers and rebels was weak as was the push back on misogyny after the first few chapters.  I didn’t feel a love of hot air balloons or feel that the battle scenes accounted for many of the characters that would suddenly be missing from the scenes.  I think the dual perspectives kept the intensity of the climaxes at bay and halted the rising action.  Too many misses for me to recommend this standalone book, but if you’ve read it and can talk me through it, I’m willing to listen.

SYNOPSIS:

In a land where girls are running out of time to be arranged in marriage at 17 and transportation is done in hot air balloons, there are two groups of citizens: the darker Ghadaean’s are the rulers and the lighter skinned hāri are oppressed.  The book establishes this power dynamic early on in a quick synopsis: the hāri came from the Himala mountain range to trade to Ghadaea, but their greed and lust for power drove them to try and seize the land.  They failed, and now 90 years later the hāri are punished for the mistakes of their grandfathers (4%).  Both groups fear sihr and jinn.  Everyone is vegetarian because jinn are attracted to rotting corpses, animal and human, and thus anything dead is quickly burned.  When a radical hāri group, the Hāreef, is formed with a new leader, sihr and jinn are no longer enemies but tools to rebel against the racist oppression, and assist in the war to change the balance of power.  

Khadija is 16 and with her mother and younger brother deceased at the hands of some hāri, her older sister married and off in a balloon, her father is desperate to get her married.  Most females are not allowed to read, nor are they even allowed out of the house alone.  The fear of the jinn is weaponized to keep them in, and misogyny prevents from proving themselves.  While out meeting with a suitor, Khadija in a burst of desperation leaves her father and jumps in to an escaping balloon.  Khadija does not know how to fly a balloon, having never even ridden in one, but when it lands in different town she meets Jacob.

Jacob is hāri and the second of the dual perspectives telling the story, he is orphaned and is unique in that he is an apprentice of a glass blowing Ghadaean.  He meets Khadija and offers her food, and in the span of a few hours she saves him and he saves her and both seem to have a dead glass blower on their hands.  Add this to his growing rift with his best friend William, who has joined the Hāreef, and is now dead, and you have Khadija and Jacob escaping in a balloon, not trusting each other nor knowing who and what they support.

From here on the two’s friendship and motives wax and wane as they are drawn in to battle together, and against each other.  Neither are “good” or “bad” nor are their decisions always clear, but they will be forced none-the-less to figure out what they want and what they stand for as peri’s are tortured, nawab’s are killed, jinnya queens are called upon, wishes are granted and a group of hāri and Ghadeans known as the Wazeem offer a unified collective.  Unfortunately, change and power never come easy and when a dead son is brought back as an ifrit and an ancient princess in the jinn world is ready to battle, all the shades of gray that exist in politics, revolution, rebellions, families, hate, racism, gender identities, and control all come spilling out from balloon baskets and the ghaib. 

WHY I LIKE IT:

I honestly kept reading to see how the author was going to bring it to a conclusion and wrap up all the loose threads.  And while the book lagged at times, she definitely got it concluded.  Aside from the religious signaling, but never owning identity problems, I struggled with the writing too.  The hāri Jacob doesn’t read like a little brother, he and Khadija read the same age, and so his importance in the Hāreef seems an ill fit.  Plus he is very duplicitous and I get that that is part of the story, but I never liked him so it just got annoying how many second, third, fourth chances he got, and I mean, why would anyone care? 

Khadija seems like she is going to battle misogyny early on, I hate that marriage and arranged marriage is equated to oppression, but the not being allowed out and not being educated seems to fizzle in the middle and then come out a bit in the final scene.  I hoped it would have been commented on in every new city they arrived at.  The set up was there, but because it wasn’t, it made it seem more of a shortsightedness of her own father, and not a larger problem when strong women existed elsewhere.  This also reinforced a “brown Muslim” man stereotype that is never pushed back on.  

The racism, power struggle oppression is more consistent, but with the foundation that the hāri came and tried to take over nearly  90 years ago makes it hard to feel too bad for them.  They tried to occupy and now are enslaved.  Neither is ideal, but why didn’t they just go back? We aren’t talking more than one generation, it is the “crimes of their grandfathers,” they had a home, they were kicked out, they should leave.  Yes, I know they are human and racism is wrong, my point is a literary one, that the foundation should have been stronger, more detailed.

The love interest I also felt was lacking, Darian comes out of nowhere, they are in love, he gives her his heart so he is saved, I didn’t feel the tension, I didn’t get it, not at all.  It was forced and cheesy and I just know he kept getting hurt, they would kiss, and then he was back to getting hurt or possessed or something, had no personality what so ever.

The seal of Prophet Sulaiman and the hundreds of pieces of it didn’t sit right with me, nor the jinns being smoky and eating corpses.  I truly don’t understand why very real Islamic concepts were brought in and twisted.  Why not just create your own characters and say they were loosely inspired.  I felt like the religious rep and OWN voice kept one foot in the religious inspired world and one in the fantasy is fiction so I can do what I want, and it didn’t work for me.  I think it crossed in to being disrespectful, and had the author not identified herself as Muslim, I would have been furious as the book reads like an outsider who doesn’t get that jinn are real, Prophet Sulaiman was real, sihr is real, the ghaib is real.  It really needed some some clarification on where the story existed and where the religion or religious inspiration started and stopped.

The trans character is worth highlighting because it does touch into Islamic rulings regarding hijab, even though we don’t know if Anam or any of the characters are Muslim. Anam is born a male, but leaves her family of exorcists and is a leader of the Wazeem as a female. She presents as a female, but when she enters a room where numerous Wazeem women are changing many hide, draw their hijabs, make horrified gestures etc., it has to be explained to Khadija why this is.  It does not bother Khadija. Story wise it is a critical point because the Jinniya Queen Mardzma is the queen of female warriors and it is unknown if Anam would be seen as female or male. When Anam went from being an exorcist to the greatest human warrior present is beyond me, but there was a lot of assumptions you had to accept while reading.

FLAGS:

Death, erroneous religious rep, kissing, murder, killing, lying, torturing, threat of sexual assault, murder, coming back from the dead, oppression, racism, trans, misogyny, abuse, hetero relationships, stealing.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would not shelve this book in an Islamic school library or classroom, nor would I use it as a book club selection.  Although if my local public library or some adult Muslims read it and were planning to discuss, I would join to hear their thoughts about it.  I would not be able to lead, but I would enjoy picking it apart with others.

The book releases shortly, just because it didn’t work for me, if you think it sounds like something you would like, you can preorder and purchase it HERE.