Tag Archives: sewing

Dec2

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

Posted on December 2, 2022 by islamicschoollibrarian

This new YA book features Muslim characters, but is not a religious conscious read that fits in the halal category. There is a lot of Islam: waking up for fajr, celebrating Eid, a hijabi, mention of jummah, but the OWN voice rom com sets boundaries based on Bangladeshi culture and American perspectives. The book does not other, or have internalized Islamophobia, or fall in to tropes of oppression and rebelling- quite the contrary- it normalizes everything: LGBTQ+ relationships, dating, music, etc. The book is well written from a literary perspective: easy read, fleshed out characters, resolved plot lines, I wish there would have been more slow burn and heightened emotion, and cathartic release, but it happily held my attention for 388 pages, so I can’t really complain about plot holes or development. The problem I have as an Islamic School Librarian is the non issue dating and romance is for the characters with their parents knowledge, both lesbian and heterosexual. The book doesn’t get graphic, in fact there is only a handful of kisses, but there is a lot of hand holding and pdas in front of parents and even a sleepover with a lesbian couple in a Muslim family’s home, again, nothing “racy” occurs, but the normalization is worth noting for those thinking a Salaam Reads book is going to be a more Islamically centered publication.

SYNOPSIS:

Zahra Khan has graduated high school, and while she’d love to be heading to Columbia to study writing with her best friends, she is stuck deferring her admission and scholarships, and hiding her dream to be an author. Two years earlier her father has passed away and Zahra works in a tea shop to help keep a roof over the heads of her mother, grandmother, and siblings. In the Bangladeshi community in Patterson, New Jersey Zahra’s mom imagines arranging a marriage to a wealthy family for Zahra to ease their financial stresses. When a potential match comes a possible reality, Zahra takes control to try and keep the peace and keep her dreams within reach. In Jane Austin-y feels, a love triangle emerges, friends step up, culture and family touchstones shared and appreciated, and decisions about the future will have to be figured out at 18 years old.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I loved how easy a read the book is, the cultural framing was warm and rich and never overly explained or apologized for. It is what it is, it is who the characters are, and while at times they push back on the negatives, it doesn’t disregard the love that exists at the core. Unfortunately, I really struggled though with the ease in which the characters date with their parents’ knowledge, hold hands, cuddle. I really couldn’t imagine a practicing Muslim family being so supportive of a lesbian daughter in the way that the Tahir family is and allowing a sleepover, nor could I see a hafiz attending musical concerts and Bollywood movies or an imam passing on “love” notes, even side comments about a loan between mother and daughter being paid back with interest felt off. I know I know, there are lots of shades of Muslims, but the normalcy of haram I feel in a review of this book should be noted. It isn’t side mentions, they are central to the story and large portions of the book. The reason I also feel they are worthy of note, is because the book includes a lot of Islam as well. The characters pray and fast and eat halal. They are conscious of chaperones in some settings and keeping things appropriate. There is no doubt that the characters are Muslim, but I think intentionally, to avoid perhaps critiques such as mine, Islam is not used as a reason to do or not do anything, Islam is not used in the thought process or conscience of the characters, culture is. There is no haram police setting boundaries, it just isn’t what “good Deshi girls do.” To be fair, I don’t think the author has ever claimed that this is a halal love story, or that the characters are exploring their Muslim identities, it is a love story that features Muslims is all.

FLAGS:

Straight and sapphic relationships, secret relationships, kissing, hand holding, hugging, lying, music, loss, bullying, interest.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would not be able to use this book, it would be very damaging to be given to a Muslim child from a Muslim teacher in an Islamic school. It normalizes a lot of haram in a familiar Islamic framing that I think would really confuse YA readers who see themselves and see no push back or consequences for actions they know to be against Islamic ideology.

Apr13

Sadiq Wants to Stitch by Mamta Nainy illustrated by Niloufer Wadia

Posted on April 13, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Sadiq Wants to Stitch by Mamta Nainy illustrated by Niloufer Wadia

This 40 page AR 4.5 book touches on gender norms and breaking cultural expectations, as well as a mother’s love and a child’s determination. The beautifully illustrated pages show Kashmir’s landscapes and culture. The message is for third graders and up with its longer passages and understanding of gender roles, but younger children will enjoy the story just as well. My only concern is the timeline of the story, the mother has a week to make two embroidered rugs and worries when she awakens with a fever on the day the rugs are expected, exclaiming that she hasn’t even started the second rug. How was she going to meet the deadline even if she wasn’t ill? Even with the extension, she asks for a few days, not a few hours. That aside, the book is a lovely glimpse into a nomadic culture and people. There is no glossary at the end explaining namaz or Chacha or Bhai, but there is a bit of information about the Bakarwals of Kashmir at the end that provides context and enhances appreciation.

Sadiq wakes up to the sounds of the river Lidder, he prays and drinks his cha and heads to the meadow to milk the sheep and take them out to pasture. His father died two years ago, and now the responsibility of the flock is his. After his chores are done he sits and watches his mother embroider. He sometimes stitches his own patterns on the edges, but his mother does not like him sewing.

When an order from the city comes in for two rugs by the end of the week, Sadiq offers to help. His mother refuses his assistances claiming that the women stitch and the men tend to the sheep in their community. Sadiq dreams of the designs and colors he would like to sew and decides he will do so in secret.

On the day when the rugs are to be picked up, Sadiq’s mother has a fever and cannot stitch. When the man comes, Sadiq’s mother starts to explain that they are not ready, but Sadiq surprises them both with his completed rug. The man likes it, but notes it is not what was ordered. Ammi wants to keep Sadiq’s rug and asks for a few more days to complete the second one, now that she has her son to help her.

Abdul agrees to a few more days, and the next morning Sadiq’s mom has hung Sadiq’s rug for everyone to see, and is proudly crediting her son’s work. She hugs him, just like she did in his dream, and chides him that she still expects him to do all his other chores before he sews.

Mar18

Zara’s New Eid Dress by Nafisah Abdul-Rahim

Posted on March 18, 2021 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Zara’s New Eid Dress by Nafisah Abdul-Rahim

The search is on for an eid dress that reflects Zara’s African American Muslim culture. This much needed representation highlights more of looking for a dress and the process of having one made, than providing information about Eid or the African American Muslim experience over its 30 pages. Iftar is mentioned on one page in parentheses, so if you omit that word it could reflect either Eid preparation. The book is cute if you are looking for a slice of life and coming together of a child, mother, and grandmother over the creation of a dress that has what Zara is wanting: pink, fluffy and containing flowers. It falls short if you are looking for a book to learn about Eid, Ramadan, what a cultural African American Muslim dress would look like, or a peek into an under represented culture. The illustrations are sufficient. I felt the girl looked younger in some of the depictions, and I was surprised that the girl’s rain boots and clothes were worn over multiple days in her search for a dress, picking out fabric and inside her house when the dress is completed. Similarly, on Eid day while her dress is stunning and fabulous, her friends are wearing the same eid clothes they wore at the start of the book from years past.

Zara has worn a salwar kameez from Pakistan with her friend Sana, an abaya like her friend Noura one year too, but this Eid, she wants a dress that shows “her own style, her heritage, a reflection of her culture as an African American Muslim. As her mom is preparing iftar she asks when they can start shopping for her Eid dress. She knows it won’t be easy to find and convinces her mother to start looking this weekend.

She pulls on her rainboots as they head out the door to find “something bright, pink, fluffy, and has flowers on it.” They go to several stores and kind find anything just right. Her mom suggests asking Nana to make it. Zara’s mom recalls the fabulous dresses her mom used to make her to wear on Eid.

Nana and Zara head out to the fabric store the next morning. First they find the pattern, then they find the fabric. After a few days of hard work for Nana, the dress is complete.

On Eid day, Zara meets up with her friends in her dress that is uniquely her own.

Nov11

My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin illustrated by Lindsey Yankey

Posted on November 11, 2019 by islamicschoollibrarian

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My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin illustrated by Lindsey Yankey

I absolutely love that this 32 page picture book for children five and up breaks so many stereotypes and highlights so many commonalities between all people, everywhere. I strongly believe that books like this, can change people’s perspective, and as a children’s books can prevent negative biases from forming in the first place.

Set in Iran, a little girl absolutely loves and adores her grandma. They pray together, they buy bread together and they share that bread with their best friends, their Christian neighbors next door. While the little girl and her friend Annette play, the two grandmas chat, drink coffee and knit blankets to donate to the mosque and Annette’s Grandma’s church.

Grandma sews chadors to wear, and Mina helps. But, mostly she uses the scarves to make rocket ship forts, and capes to fly to outer space in. When she returns to base camp grandma has cookies for her and wants to hear about her adventures.

In Ramadan, the little girl wakes up early to eat with grandma even though she is too young too fast. When she gets older, they go to the mosque together at night too, after they have broken their fast.

One time she hears her grandma praying for Annette’s grandma to go to heaven. The next day Annette tells Mina she heard her grandma praying at church for her grandma to go to heaven. The little girl imagines the two grandmas knitting and laughing together in heaven, on Mars, on Earth, anywhere.

The book ends with the little girl stating past tense how wonderful her grandma was and that she still wants to be like her.

The book touches on family, interfaith, love, helping others, faith, religion, friendship, culture, and is just really really sweet. I wish I loved the pictures, as much as I love the story, but I don’t. I think I like most of them with their texture and details, unfortunately the faces in some just seem a little off to me.

I absolutely love that there is no over explaining, and no glossary, the author seamlessly brings words like namaz, and Ramadan and chador in to the story, normalizing them as the pretend play, and familial bonds are so universal.