I admittedly wanted to read this book because the author is of Palestinian descent. I have seen clips of her standup and I’m not a huge fan, although I do appreciate that she doesn’t deny her culture and Islam, doesn’t let her cerebral palsy keep her from working toward her dreams, and that she is successful. All good messages for a 256 page middle grade graphic novel that is not autobiographical, but draws on her life none-the-less. I was surprised, though, that there are no Palestinian references in the book, very few Arab cultural touchstones either, and yet swearing on the Quran and not eating pork are presented fairly often, almost as “bits” to be laughed at. I truly understand that the character is presented as culturally Muslim more than centering Islam in her identity, but perhaps because the protagonist, Bay Ann, is rather unlikeable, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I love that the people in Bay Ann’s life do not caudle her, and that she is fierce and dramatic and driven, but she is an awful friend, her obsession with Alyee Maq (yes full names are used throughout) gets annoying, and I worry that some of the humor will be missed for the younger target audience and be taken as Muslim or Arab norms. The presentation of a disability in a well illustrated graphic novel is empowering, an amazing Arab dad is nice to see, a divorced family co-parenting is important, but the foundation for much of the story is Bay Ann’s crush on Alyee Maq, he does kiss her on the cheek for social media likes, the book starts with Halloween Idol, features dancing throughout, and concludes with a Nondenominational Holiday Spectacular. Bay Ann’s mom is not very kind or involved, and Alyee Maq’s mom, the only hijabi in the book, also is rather rough. This is a book where I acknowledge my own overthinking, as both an adult reader and reviewer. If you are ok with the (random) Islamic rep, kids will benefit from seeing Bay Ann as a fully capable person who happens to have a disability. I’d suggest seeing if your local library has the book and looking through it first to see if you are comfortable passing it on to your kids.
SYNOPSIS:
Bay Ann is a tap dancer and with Halloween Idol coming up, she plans to win. Her best friend Michelle is going to do her make-up as a zombie bride, and be her zombie bridesmaid with Davey Matt, the third in their trio, being the dead ring-bearer dog. They can’t be her backup dancers because she is a one woman show, but she needs them to cheer her on. When she wins, she has the spotlight stolen from her by Alyee Maq kissing her claiming he is making “a sick girls dream come true.” The clip goes viral, as Alyee Maq is a bit of a celebrity and the competition is on. Whether it is science fair, social media posts, or the class debate, Bay Ann is determined to knock Alyee Maq down, claim the online spotlight, and prove her talent is more than her disability. With each attempt failing, her resolve grows stronger and her tunnel vision pushes those closest to her away, as she joins Alyee Maq with the hopes that if she can’t beat him, she will join him and achieve the fame she seeks.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I know the book is rather intentionally ridiculous, but I wanted to cheer for Bay Ann, and I never really liked her. I don’t like how she treats Davey Matt, or even Michelle. If she was better to them at the beginning, I think it would have shown how disconnected her mom Malak is as well as the school administrators, and made it more funny, but it truly just makes her seem like she is awful to everyone, and thus you don’t really find yourself invested in her stardom, her friendships, or her defining her own narrative.
I wish their was some Arab rep, not just a few Arabic words tossed in here and there. I also wish there was more Islamic centering, or honestly even less. The swearing on the Quran really bothered me, Friday prayer is mentioned in passing, but there is no impact on the characters or the story, so it seemed misplaced.
The pacing of the story is rushed, and at times a bit chaotic. I think it is intentional, but it makes it hard to connect to the characters or to grasp their motivations. I don’t know that I truly ever understood why Bay Ann wants the spotlight, or why Alyee Maq is famous, or why Davey Matt hangs around Michelle and Bay Ann when they belittle him. It doesn’t need to be thoroughly explained, but when you finish the book, and feel exhausted, but can’t even articulate what the book was really about other than a girl that wants to be famous for her talent not her shaking, and won’t let anything or anyone get in her way, it seems like some opportunities were missed.
FLAGS:
Close male and female friendships with touching, an unwanted kiss, lying, manipulation. Swearing on a Quran, disrespect. Using people.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I don’t know that I would seek this book out to own, but in an Islamic school library if it found its way in, I would probably not object to it being shelved.
There are so few Palestinian middle grade books, so on that premise alone this 216 page book has a lot of value. Because I am not Palestinian, I do not live, nor have I ever lived under occupation, I can argue some of the concerns from a point of privilege, and I acknowledge that is not my right. I have been asked numerous times about this book and how it frames the suicide bombing mentioned in the text and blurbed about on the back of the book. It honestly is not a large part of the story, that being said, in my outside privileged view, I do not know that a 10 year old in the west will have context to understand the act of this level of desperation from the oppression and humiliation mentioned in the book. This is why I have held off my review. The truth does not need to be defended or explained, and I fear my reservations will be taken as such, which is not my intention. Would I let me 8 year old read this, yes, but we will read it together and discuss. My children are aware of what is going on in Palestine, but Karim, the 12-year-old protagonist supports the bomber, and that notion is not clearly pushed back on. With discussion, absolutely, I think readers, will truly get Karim’s perspective that something has to be done to change the status quo. The fear when Karim is alone and the target of soldiers, the settlers forcibly seizing the family land, the humiliation of strip searching men at checkpoints, the curfews, and constant fear of attack and imprisonment are all presented through the main character’s eyes, and would also do better with some discussion, so that empathy and duas and action can result. But, the commentary as to the suicide bombing are minimal, there is even a prank package bombing that is presented as rebellion by a side character, and I would worry how a young child, without guidance, would internalize it. Additionally, this is yet another difficult book for me to review, primarily because it was first published in 2003, and because I don’t know how much comes from a western gaze and how much the Palestinian voice played into it. Islam is clear on the prohibition of suicide. In the early 2000 the news out of Israel was often about such attacks, but as an outsider, I honestly do not know if it was simply Israeli propaganda and stereotypes amplifying the idea as part of their public relations strategy or reality, seeing as now that Palestinians have direct outlets to share their daily life under an oppressive occupation, there is rarely talk of suicide bombing attacks. The author states on her website:
Islamic School Librarian 