Tag Archives: Muslim Ban

Apr14

Say Something, Poupeh Babaee!: A Graphic Novel by Haleh Massey illustrated by Ghazal Qadri

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Say Something, Poupeh Babaee!: A Graphic Novel by Haleh Massey illustrated by Ghazal Qadri

I had planned to just flip through this 176 page middle grade graphic novel to see primarily if there was any Islam mentioned, and if so, to see how it was framed. The blurb makes it clear it is culturally Iranian immigrant in focus, and set during the Muslim ban.  The heightened intrigue is that it isn’t just metaphorically about finding your voice, the character is labeled as having selective mutism and the author who is a clinical psychologist truly has her protagonist voiceless in nearly every setting for the majority of the book. The bright illustrations, and easy read though, had me reading the book front to back and finding that Islam is by-and large-not present. The flashbacks to her life in Iran show her wearing a scarf, and praying, and the memories are warm and inviting, with no internalized Islamophobia or political commentary, or Islamic practices at all following Poupeh to America. In fact when sought after news is finally heard the family exclaims, “it’s a Christmas miracle.”  It is hinted that the female cousin has a girlfriend, and the book features a lot of stereotypes about aggressive men, name mispronunciation, bullying for ethnic foods, and anti immigrant ideologies.  On the plus size it normalizes therapists, shows character arcs for the main and minor characters, and shows that inability to speak, doesn’t mean someone doesn’t understand.  While the book was better than I thought it would be in many ways, it ultimately didn’t have a climax, all the build up for two questions, really fell flat for me.  I also felt like while the Muslim ban was a fairly unique premise (shout out to Kareem Between!) all the other tropes are overly done, and render the book forgettable even though the format of a graphic novel should make it a standout.

SYNOPSIS:

Poupeh Babaee has come to America from Iran alone, her parents were held up settling their affairs, and they didn’t want her to miss more school, so she is sent ahead to stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She understands English, but when she messes up the national anthem on her first day of school and is teased, she simply stops talking, not even to correct when everyone starts calling her “poopy baby.”  When the Muslim ban blocks travel for her parents to come, the fate of her family rests on being able to plead their case in an immigration interview. Yes, she is 10 and will be asked two questions to determine if her parents are terrorists or not.  There is teasing, tension with the cousin she has to share a room with, and a sympathetic therapist that flesh out the story of trying to get Poupeh to say something.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like many of the pieces, and I like the format, but I really felt that the build up to the interview, the pressure she was under, was not warranted by the interview itself.  Had some commentary existed about the brevity of the interview or the chaos of America’s immigration policies perhaps it would have been worth the anticipation.  As written though, it felt rushed.  Same for the portrayal of the men in the story: from Poupeh’s own father, her uncle, to Trevor’s dad, all are aggressive, and I’m glad her own father apologizes, but again, it felt rushed and anti-climatic.  I don’t expect literary masterpieces from most mg graphic novels, but some of the “meanness” seemed abrupt for shock value, and made the cousin, the dad, the uncle read very inconsistent.  I had hoped a therapist author would have brought not just a storyline of mental health, in this case, selective mutism, but some nuance to the immigrant experience, moving beyond food, clothes, and names.  Speaking of names, I googled what Poupeh’s name means in English, and it really should have been in the book, or at least the backmatter.

FLAGS:

Stereotypes, racism, hate speech, hints and relationships, mental health, anger, homesick, bullying,

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

The level and format would not make it a good choice for a book club read.  I probably would not unshelve this book, but I wouldn’t seek it out either.

Mar31

Kareem Between By Shifa Saltagi Safadi

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Kareem Between By Shifa Saltagi Safadi

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It doesn’t matter how many Word documents you read, Goggle docs you add comments to, and screen shots you revise; to hold a physical book in your hands that you have been blessed to observe from the sidelines through numerous revisions, is mind blowing.  Reading the final version from page 1 to page 324, plus the backmatter, has left me at a loss for words with tears streaming down my cheeks. I truly cannot imagine the book any other way. All past drafts and storylines, were just stepping stones to get the book to this version, and as a fan of literature my whole life, to see this metamorphosis in real time has added to my respect and admiration of authors.  Enough about me though, this review is of the middle grade novel in verse that tells the story of Syrian American Kareem, a loveable boy caught in between choices, siblings, friends, labels, and global acts beyond his control.  He makes mistakes, he tries to make things right, and at the center of it all is his Islamic identity, love of football, and genuinely good heart.  I am biased in that I have self appointed Kareem as my nephew, but even after dozens of readings, I was moved to tears three times during the course of this reading.  I made my teens read the book and they loved it, and like them, we hope we get more Kareem in the future.

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SYNOPSIS:

Kareem loves football, particularly the Bears, and dreams of seeing his Arabic name on an American jersey one day in the NFL.  Unfortunately, he hasn’t made the school team, his best and only friend Adam has moved away, and the coach’s son is offering to talk to his dad for Kareem in exchange for some school help.  Add in a new Syrian kid at school, his mom going to Syria to take care of his grandfather, and the fruition of Executive Order 13769 aka the Muslim Ban, and seventh grade has Kareem scrambling on every down to say the least.

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WHY I LOVE IT:

The football framing, the literary inclusions, the Arabic, the Islam, all combine with such tangible heart to create a seamless read both as a compelling story and as an example of literary craft.  The language is on point and intentional, that even if you don’t know the character or novel referenced, the Arabic words included, or football terminology used, you will be invested in the characters and plot, and find yourself cheering for Kareem.  Often debut authors show promise, but their stories have plot holes, or pacing issues, or inconsistencies, that is not the case with this book.  The crumbs are there that tie everything together, the depth of the characters’ personalities reveal how developed they are, and the timeline keeps the book moving forward.  There are no dry or slow spots in the entire novel, it is easily read in one sitting as you find yourself nervous for Kareem, and curious how it will resolve.

Boys and girls, Muslims and non Muslims, Arabs and non Arabs, all will find themselves drawn to this book, and thinking about the characters, particularly Kareem, long after the final page is read.

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FLAGS:

Some stress and anxiety with missing parents.  Death, bullying, cheating, fighting, lying, racism.

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TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

The book is a solid middle grade, but the quality of writing and engaging plot makes it work for a middle school book club read as well.  I cannot wait to share this book widely.

Preorders speak volumes and I truly hope if you are able that you will preorder a copy, you can do so here.  Requesting your local public library to shelve the book is also a tremendous help to signal to publishers what type of stories and OWN voice authentic representation consumers will support.

Oct7

We are All We Have by Marina Budhos

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We are All We Have by Marina Budhos

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In many ways this book reads like a reboot of the author’s 2007 book Ask Me No Questions, there are sprinkled in references to Islamic culture, but nothing about the characters or the author truly show the book to be a Muslim story, or Islam centered.   Much like Ask Me No Questions, the book is told through a female protagonist who is forced to figure out why a parent is detained, what to do now that they are on their own with a sibling, and figuring out why they are being forced to leave America if they are not undocumented, but asylum seekers.  And much like that book, the protagonist is really whiney, entitled, and annoying, as is the mother.  This 256 page middle school/young YA read draws drama from the 2019 Muslim ban and ICE raids, but is more a character based plot than a political focused telling.  Because of the similarities to the earlier published book, and the lack of Islam in the text, and being unclear regarding the faith of the author, I’m just going to write a quick review and move on. The book is a quick read it has flashbacks to Pakistan and in those scenes mentions mosques, Eid, and Ramadan in passing. A few cultural side characters mutter an inshaAllah on occasion and there is a clear #muslimintheillustrations like side character that is remarked to wear a scarf on her head named Amirah, but is barely in the story.  Worth being aware of for younger readers is romance, kissing, making out, between Rania and Carlos, and *SPOILER* that the mother left her husband for another man years earlier.

SYNOPSIS:

Rania is weeks away from high school graduation when an ICE raid casts a wide net and picks up her mother as collateral.  Rania has always known they check in regularly to appeal their status, but with her journalist father killed years earlier in Pakistan, the family fled to America for safety, Kamal was even born in America, it has never been a concern.  As her mother gets taken away, Rania starts to wonder about the secrets her mother has always kept and the truth starts to unravel.  In the process though, protective services takes her and her brother to a shelter where they meet Carlos and escape.  Once on the run, they attend Rania’s graduation, spend months on Cape Cod, gain protection from a congregation at a synagogue all while trying to piece together Rania’s truth.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like that it touches on the Muslim Ban and the fear that gripped the nation for anyone in the process of being a citizen or trying to travel to the flagged countries.  I wish it would have actually spent a bit more time on that.  The title of the book makes it sound like the family is completely alone and isolated, yet, they are constantly surrounded by people that are looking out for them and sympathetic in their choice not to ask too many questions.  I struggled with liking Rania, when you write a book about people that may or may not have broken a law, regardless of if you agree with the law or not, you really have to make it compelling. You have to get behind the character and their motives, and I never did.  I did not understand why she for example finally finds her uncle or an aunt and doesn’t demand answers, it is like, I’m tired, I’ll nap and we will talk later, no, not believable.  Additionally, I could not get a feel for the younger brother, I get that he is sheltered, but he reads like he is four years old, not that he is in second grade at best, I think he might be in fourth.  Really all over the place.  And the Rania and Carlos relationship, should have stayed awkward.  They at times are like siblings, and when the line is crossed, Carlos even remarks on it, and I think having it be weird, but clear that they have a bond, would have been a much stronger choice.  A lot of the plot holes make the story drag such as what was the problems at the bank for the uncle, but because it is short, I think older readers will get through it. I don’t think I’d suggest anyone read the book, but it isn’t so awful that I would warn too harshly against it.   The characters don’t identify or act Muslim, so when they kiss or lie, it isn’t a reflection on the religion.

FLAGS:

Kissing, lying, running away, making-out. Muslim friend sneaking out, drinking, partying, stereotypical oppressive Muslim dad and meek mom.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don’t know that I would throw the book out, but I wouldn’t actively seek to acquire it to shelve either.

Jun10

Welcome to the New World by Jake Halpern illustrated by Michael Sloan

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Welcome to the New World by Jake Halpern illustrated by Michael Sloan

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I really like the concept and approach of this 192 page non-fiction graphic novel.  It isn’t a memoir or OWN voice retelling, it is basically an in-depth news story about a Syrian refugee family that has been fact checked and then illustrated.  Unfortunately, parts of the story are really choppy and unresolved, details shared for no purpose and occasionally reinforcing of stereotypes.  The book is an easy read and the Muslim family is shown to practice and be fleshed out, but more than once I found myself questioning what the author’s commentary was suggesting/implying based on what was being included.  I allowed my 12 year old son to read it before I was finished, but the last few pages had both misogynistic and homophobic slurs coming from bullies so I made sure to discuss that with him.  I think upper middle school to YA is probably the ideal readership because of the subject matter of escaping war, facing financial insecurities, PTSD, bullies, islamophobia, and navigating a new environment when you are not quite a child, but not yet an adult either.

SYNOPSIS:

Naji’s family is undecided if they should leave Syria or not.  Part of the family has permission to travel to Connecticut in America, but part of them still do not, including Naji’s grandmother.  The war has already imprisoned Naji’s father and uncles in the past and with the US election showing Trump having a chance, they feel like they need to make a decision quickly.  Naji loves all things American and is the only one in the family anxious to get to the US and get on with life, but when the moment of saying good-bye arrives, he has doubts.

Once they arrive in America, all their doubts multiply as life is difficult, help is hard to come by, and day to day fears of safety have not been left behind.  School, finding jobs, learning the language, and facing hate are just the big things that plague a family who has left everything to start over in this detailed account that follows Naji and his family as they navigate their new world.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like that the book has been approached as a news article.  I just didn’t like the unresolved threads that seem to take up so much of the narrative only to be abandoned.  I really struggled with the idea that Naji knows America and obviously media is global, but is shown to be confused by a dining table.  I didn’t like the commentary of Naji’s sister Amal and her hijab, I find it hard to believe there aren’t other hijabs in the school or larger community and why it is made to be such a big deal by her, and those trying to help her.  It would seem small after everything she has been through.  I do like that there are a few other Muslims in the school and at least they discuss that there is not a nearby masjid.  I wish other Muslims would have been around to help settle the new family.  I know a few groups that helped in immigrants in New England, so that there were no Muslims in the welcoming groups seemed hard to accept.  By and large it does show Islam being practiced, not just names and hijabs, which I appreciated, but for a book that is based on a real family, with graphics, I really expected a stronger emotional impact that ultimately for me was just not there.

FLAGS:

Death, abuse of power, war, language, bullets, shooting, kidnappings, detainment, destruction, kids making out in hallways, implied rape/sexual assault, death threats, racism, islamophobia, misogyny, slurs, name calling, differential treatment, fear.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This wouldn’t work for me for a book club selection, but if I ever teach a journalism class again, I think I would some how incorporate this book as a way to show what journalism can be, and also as a clear way to show how what parts you include and what parts you keep out affect the messaging of the story as well.

Nov27

Flying Over Water by Shannon Hitchcock and N.H. Senzai

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Flying Over Water by Shannon Hitchcock and N.H. Senzai

This middle grades, upper elementary book is a character driven contemporary story of two friends with their own fears coming together: one a native of Tampa, the other one a refugee from Syria arriving in the US on the day Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’ goes in to effect. In 272 pages of alternating narratives, two 12 year old girls find strength and kindness in themselves, in each other, and in many around them. Islamaphobia is focused on in the story, but the inclusion of diversity, Black Lives Matter, anti semitism, mental health, social justice, and US immigration makes the book relatable to everyone and interesting to explore. The book is remarkably similar to another book published this year, A Galaxy of Sea Stars, and I wish I had not read them so close together. Both are well done, and I honestly don’t know if one is better than the other, but space them out so you don’t find yourself comparing them. I got my copy from Scholastic, and I’m always happy when the school market shows accurate strong Muslims, so if you see this in the book order forms that come home or book fairs and are wondering if you should get it, do it, it is worth your time and your child’s, inshaAllah.

SYNOPSIS:

Noura’s family has escaped Syria and had been living in Turkey when they learn they have been granted assylum in Tampa, Florida, USA. When the book opens Noura is practicing controlling her fear of water as the plane flies over the ocean. Her twin brother, Ammar, her parents and baby brother Ismail are greeted with protesters when they land. Whisked away by a church group and local Muslims, the family is given support and assistance in a new country.

One of the members in the church group that have volunteered to help the Alwan family, is Jordyn and her mother. Jordyn is going to be Noura and Ammar’s Student Ambassador at Bayshore Middle School and Jordyn’s mom has offered to help Noura’s mom learn English. Jordyn is the state title holder in swimming, but while she was swimming her fastest race, her mom was having a miscarriage, and both have a lot to work through to function as they once did.

The two girls immediately hit it off, and the families follow. Noura’s love of birds is mirrored in Jordyn’s love of water and fish, and both have their fears and mental health coping skills to bond and confide in with one another about. The girls and Ammar are assigned a Social Studies assignment and Jordyn getting close to the Alwans is not well received by Jordyn’s close friend Bailey who’s brother was killed while fighting in Afghanistan. Other classmates also show bigotry and with the real incidents of 2017 incorporated in to the story of a mosque being burned, Jewish cemeteries being ransacked, pedestrians being run-over in France, and more, the Alwans are questioning their new country, and their friends are wondering how America has gotten this way.

While praying at school Ammar and Noura are constantly harassed no matter where they relocate to, and finally ask the administration if there is a safe place they can worship. Florida law says a space can be set aside for all faiths to have the same access as clubs do (I’m overly simplifying), and many different and diverse students come together to turn an old closet into a place of peace, worship, freedom, reflection, and meditation. As expected, the space is destroyed, the culprits never caught and complaints to the school board mount. The ultimate climax involves the kids speaking up about what the space means to them, and waiting to see what the final school board vote is. Along the way there are smaller victories, such as Jordyn teaching Noura to swim, Ammar speaking about the white helmets saving him, and Jordyn and her mother working together to heal.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the Muslim Ban is discussed in a way that it is personal, not political. By highlighting a fictional manifestation of refugees affected by such policy, even people that don’t know anyone affected, I’m certain would feel a connection to a concept and its affects in a very real way. I love that N.H. Senzai was brought on to make the story’s Islamic elements ring true and that the prayer room, a very American Muslim construct ends up being at the center of the story. Noura and her family eat halal, wear hijab, and pray. I enjoyed that other diversity and acceptance issues were carried in to the story by the supporting cast including a Jewish boy, a Cuban girl, a Hindu and more. Overall the book is well written and solid, the mental health and coping skills are so beautifully normalized. Both girls have sought help and found success with it, and both are brave in addressing their fears and opening up about them to those around them. It really is empowering.

The end of the book features more information about the real Syrian children heroes mentioned in the book: the ten year old model builder Muhammad Qutaish, the Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini, and education activist Muzoon Almellehan. There is also information about the two authors and how their collaboration came to be.

I would love to not compare this book to A Galaxy of Sea Stars, but just to highlight a few of the near exact similarities would prove my point that had these two books not been published the same year, one would definitely be accused of copying the other. Both feature middle school girls, both have a refugee arriving to a coastal town with their families (one Afghan one Syrian), both have the American born protagonist loving water, being an only child, and have mothers going through their own life changing crisis. Both have two side kick friends, one that is very anti Muslim and one that is on the fence. Neither have a completely resolving happy ending with the three girls’ friendship and there is doubt in both books of friend’s possible involvement of hate motivated actions. Both feature a side character’s brother being killed in conflict in a Muslim majority country. Both feature an amazing teacher that is very involved in opening minds and facilitating growth regarding prejudice. Both feature PTSD issues, and fear of water issues as well as a major hobby being destroyed by an angry classmate character. The ‘ethnic mom’ in both stories is rather one dimensional but loves to cook and feed everyone. Sure they also have their differences, one alternates point of view and is tied closely to current real events, but both have remarkably similar themes of friendship, overcoming fear, and finding similarities over differences.

FLAGS:

Some mention of violence as the Alwans recall the destruction and fear of war in Syria. Mention of a cartoon drawn by a classmate mocking Jordyn getting her first bra, but it isn’t detailed. The swimming coach is a lesbian and she mentions her wife at one point.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would definitely encourage elementary teachers to have this book on their shelves and encourage students to read it and respond. I think it would be too predictable for middle schoolers to read in a critical manner, however, they would probably enjoy it as a light read. With Covid 19 still keeping me from starting up book clubs again, I have been asked to consider helping put together some side reading lists/suggestions, and this book would definitely find its way on that.

Happy Reading!