Tag Archives: Muslim

Review: Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,
Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin

Unbecoming
Seema Yasmin
Simon & Schuster
Published July 9, 2024

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About Unbecoming

Two Muslim teens in Texas fight for access to abortion while one harbors a painful secret in this funny and heartfelt near-future speculative novel perfect for fans of Unpregnant .

In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas.

In response to the unfair laws, underground networks of clinics have sprung up, but the good fight has gotten even more precarious as it becomes harder to secure safe medication and supplies. Both Layla and Noor are passionate about getting their guide completed so it can help those in need, but Laylah treats their project with an urgency Noor doesn’t understand—that may have something to do with the strange goings-on between their mosque and a local politician.

Fighting for what they believe in may involve even more obstacles than they bargained for, but the two best friends will continue as they always together.

My Review

The book begins with a note from the author explaining that she began writing this story about a dystopian future in which girls and women could not access birth control or abortions before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. I don’t know how that change in the law impacted her journey writing the book, but I imagine there were some big, complicated feelings.

This was a hard book for me to read, but I think the author does an amazing job balancing the hard parts of the story with lighter parts, such as Laylah’s Bollywood blackouts. (I kind of wish there were more of those, honestly.) There are also lots of scenes showing baking and celebrating the joy of preparing and eating food together. The book also lifts up the power of support women offer other women. Most of the story’s central characters are female.

Unbecoming also shows the messy side of activism. It’s easy for anyone to believe claims that echo what we already believe to be true and to do harm by perpetuating unverified information. It’s also easy for us to reduce our understanding of people to one idea or one virtue/vice. And it’s easy amid fear and turmoil to forget that we need each other; we need community and a support network.

Though this story left me feeling more somber than many others I’ve read lately, I think it raises some really important questions and offers valuable insights about friendship, activism, and community.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Laylah and Noor are both Muslim. Noor is pansexual and in a relationship with a girl. Laylah’s little brother has Down Syndrome.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
F-bombs appear somewhat frequently with other profanity used here and there.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex. Kissing between girls.

Spiritual Content
Noor recalls attending events at the mosque and why she stopped going. Laylah is still connected to the mosque community and prays at different times of day.

Violent Content
References to the death penalty. References to police brutality against protestors.

Drug Content
Birth control and hormone therapy of any kind are outlawed in the book. Medications that cause an abortion or are used for IVF are also illegal.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Three Summers by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan

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Three Summers: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of War
Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published April 9, 2024

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About Three Summers

An epic middle-grade memoir about sisterhood and coming-of-age in the three years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide.

Three Summers is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia. They navigate the joys and pitfalls of adolescence on their family’s little island in the middle of the Una River. When finally confronted with the harsh truths of the adult world around them, their bond gives them the resilience to discover and hold fast to their true selves.

Written with incredible warmth and tenderness, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess takes readers on a journey that will break their hearts and put them back together again.

My Review

This memoir is broken into three sections, one for each of the summers Amra spends with her cousins. Before that first summer, her family experiences a terrible loss, and Amra sinks into a dark depression. As she gets to know her cousins, she begins to have hope again, confidence in herself, and the courage to form friendships with others.

Her love for her family is so clear in the pages of the book. It celebrates familial bonds, especially those between a child and their parents, and the bonds between siblings and cousins.

This is the first book I’ve ever read about the Bosnian Genocide, though it isn’t the author’s first memoir about that time. After reading this book, I ordered a copy of her YA memoir, THE CAT I NEVER NAMED, so hopefully I’ll be ready to share my review of that book soon, too.

Technically, this book focuses on the years leading up to the genocide, in which the government becomes more and more hostile, one slow step at a time. I’m not gonna lie; it is harrowing to read a story like this and see parallels in some of the dehumanizing rhetoric certain political leaders are using right now.

Those comments make stories like this critically important because we need to remember that genocide doesn’t begin with the targeted deaths of a group of people. It begins with the systematic dehumanization of them.

I’m so glad Sabic-El-Rayess continues to write about her experiences in a way that kids can read about. The scenes in this book stay focused on Amra’s experience as a child, looking through her eyes. This is an important book, especially now. I hope that many people will discover and read it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Amra and her family are Muslim. Amra’s older brother has Marfan syndrome.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to different faith practices of different groups around Amra.

Violent Content
Death of a sibling on scene. References to Islamaphobia. References to torture and execution.

Drug Content
One teen character smokes cigarettes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Rana Joon and the One and Only Now by Shideh Etaat

Book Review and Content, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

Rana Joon and the One and Only Now
Shideh Etaat
Atheneum Books
Published July 25, 2023

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About Rana Joon and the One and Only Now

This lyrical coming-of-age novel for fans of Darius the Great Is Not Okay and On the Come Up, set in southern California in 1996, follows a teen who wants to honor her deceased friend’s legacy by entering a rap contest.

Perfect Iranian girls are straight-A students, always polite, and grow up to marry respectable Iranian boys. But it’s the San Fernando Valley in 1996, and Rana Joon is far from perfect—she smokes weed and loves Tupac, and she has a secret: she likes girls.

As if that weren’t enough, her best friend, Louie—the one who knew her secret and encouraged her to live in the moment—died almost a year ago, and she’s still having trouble processing her grief. To honor him, Rana enters the rap battle he dreamed of competing in, even though she’s terrified of public speaking.

But the clock is ticking. With the battle getting closer every day, she can’t decide whether to use one of Louie’s pieces or her own poetry, her family is coming apart, and she might even be falling in love. To get herself to the stage and fulfill her promise before her senior year ends, Rana will have to learn to speak her truth and live in the one and only now.

My Review

At first I wasn’t sure when this story was supposed to take place. Some of the words used felt more modern to me– for example, lots of characters say “ya” instead of “yeah,” which I thought didn’t start until later. But Rana does learn about Tupac’s death in one scene, which pretty firmly anchors the story in the past. There are some other clues, too, like her watching the show FRIENDS with her mom.

The writing, especially the poetry Rana and Louie write, is absolutely beautiful. I definitely got swept away by those lines and had to slow down to savor them as I was reading. I love the way Rana’s writing represents her journey through grief and acceptance of her identity.

Through the scenes in the book, Rana navigates changes in her relationships with her parents, both of whom seem distant for different reasons. I love the moment in the garden with her dad, and the scene where she finds her prom dress with her mom.

Rana also grapples with complicated grief as she nears the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death and begins to realize that there were things she didn’t know about her friend, things he didn’t or couldn’t tell her.

All in all, the emotional arc of the book is so well-crafted. I cried through her moments of loss, but more than that, I felt Rana’s triumph as she discovered her voice and finally spoke up for herself.

I think fans of MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley or YOU TRULY ASSUMED by Laila Sabreen should check out RANA JOON AND THE ONE AND ONLY NOW

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Rana is Iranian American and a lesbian. Her best friend and his twin brother are biracial.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. Brief, graphic descriptions of sex between a boy and girl, references to sex, and brief, graphic descriptions of sex between two girls.

Spiritual Content
Rana’s friend had a tattoo of Buddha on his arm and followed a British philosopher. One of Rana’s friends is Muslim, and Rana identifies as Muslim to her dad.

Violent Content
Rana’s best friend died in a car accident. The accident is very briefly described. A boy torments Rana in class, and she slaps him in the face. One of Rana’s friends was expelled from school for fighting (before the story begins). The story briefly touches on Tupac’s death.

Drug Content
Rana and other characters smoke weed in several scenes. Teens drink alcohol in a couple scenes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of RANA JOON AND THE ONE AND ONLY NOW in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Yes No Maybe So
Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
Balzer + Bray
Published February 4, 2020

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About Yes No Maybe So

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely.

My Review

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a long time. I think I ordered it during the early days of the pandemic. When I noticed the audiobook version was available at the library, I decided it was time to read it! I’ve liked books by both Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed before, so I figured it would be a solid pick.

And it is. It’s a sweet story about childhood best friends who lost touch and reconnect during their volunteer work with a local political campaign. I liked the development of the friendship and romance between Jamie and Maya. I liked Jamie’s friend group, too, and his relationship with his little sister, Sophie.

I’d say the focus of the story was pretty evenly split between Maya and Jamie’s relationship and the political campaign. We get to follow some of the ins and outs of how a local campaign operates and see Maya and Jamie canvas houses. I thought that was a cool idea. It seems like that could easily inspire readers to get involved in their own local politics by sort of demystifying the process a bit.

On the whole, this was a sweet story about love and getting involved in your community. I enjoyed reading it, and I think readers who liked THE VOTING BOOTH by Brandy Colbert should definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Jamie is Jewish. Maya is Muslim.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently in the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Someone leaves a suggestive comment on a picture of Maya and Jamie that appear online.

Spiritual Content
Maya celebrates Ramadan and Eid with her family. Her mom talks to her about keeping her relationships halal– no kissing or physical intimacy before marriage. Jamie celebrates Shabbat with his family. His sister celebrates her bat mitzvah.

Violent Content
An antisemitic meme has been appearing in Jamie’s town. He and Maya witness a woman confronting someone who was placing meme stickers on a car. A politician sponsors a bill that would discriminate against women who wear hijab.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

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All My Rage
Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill
Published March 1, 2022

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About All My Rage

Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today’s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness—one that’s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.

My Review

Well, if I thought Sabaa Tahir was going to go easier on her characters in a contemporary novel(versus fantasy), I was very much mistaken. Because, oh my gosh, the things Noor and Salahudin go through and have been through. Wow. I loved both of them right away. It took me longer to understand why Misbah’s point of view was part of the story. She begins in the long past and gives some context to some of Sal’s past and explains her husband’s alcoholism. But those sections continue into the present part of the story, too. Late in the book I realized how things connected and reading her point-of-view made a lot more sense then.

There’s one part, maybe roughly three quarters of the way through the book, where the story drops several big bombshells that I wasn’t prepared for. I mean, I wondered what the deal was with certain things, but didn’t know for sure that there was necessarily going to be more of an explanation. And then, bam. I felt like I was still reeling from that when another thing happened.

You know when you see a character doing something, and you’re like, “No. Bad idea. Stop!” Yeah, I definitely had that moment in this book. I’m like, this is a terrible idea, please do not do the thing you’re doing. This is going to go badly.

That only happens when I’m really invested in a book, though, so I feel like that’s clear evidence that ALL MY RAGE really hooked me. I think one of the most brilliant things about the book, besides its beautiful characters, is that the balance between rage and vulnerability is perfectly executed. I felt Noor’s rage with her. And it made perfect sense. She had every right to be angry. Also, I loved that she faced her anger, even when it was messy.

The ending of the story– no spoilers– really moved me, too. It resolved a lot of things in a way that felt both realistic and hopeful, and I love it for that.

All in all, I’m so glad I read this book. I was a big fan of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, so I was really curious to see Sabaa Tahir write a contemporary story. The characters in EMBER are so strong, I had pretty high expectations for ALL MY RAGE. The book definitely exceeded my expectations. I loved it and definitely recommend it.

Content Notes

Content warning for reference to sexual assault, drug overdose, alcoholism, domestic violence, loss of a parent, earthquake, racism and Islamophobia.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Misbah and Noor were born in Pakistan and emigrated to the United States. Salahudin is Pakistani American. They are also Muslims.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Reference to arousal.

Reference to sexual assault, but without description.

Spiritual Content
Noor visits a mosque for prayer. Misbah and Salahudin reference prayer.

Violent Content
A man hits a teenager in the face. Brief description of a man and woman electrocuted to death. Graphic description of a man beating up a teenager.

Drug Content
A couple of characters sell drugs to other students. Sal’s dad is an alcoholic and is drunk in several scenes. Sal cares for him while he’s drunk and passed out. A girl overdoses on painkillers.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Loophole by Naz Kutub

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Loophole
Naz Kutub
Bloomsbury YA
Published June 21, 2022

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About The Loophole

Your wish is granted! This YA debut is equal parts broken-hearted love story, epic myth retelling, and a world-journey romp to find home.

Sy is a timid seventeen-year-old queer Indian-Muslim boy who placed all his bets at happiness on his boyfriend Farouk…who then left him to try and “fix the world.” Sy was too chicken to take the plunge and travel with him and is now stuck in a dead-end coffee shop job. All Sy can do is wish for another chance…. Although he never expects his wish to be granted.

When a mysterious girl slams into (and slides down, streaks of make-up in her wake) the front entrance of the coffee shop, Sy helps her up and on her way. But then the girl offers him three wishes in exchange for his help, and after proving she can grant at least one wish with a funds transfer of a million dollars into Sy’s pitifully struggling bank account, a whole new world of possibility opens up. Is she magic? Or just rich? And when his father kicks him out after he is outed, does Sy have the courage to make his way from L. A., across the Atlantic Ocean, to lands he’d never even dreamed he could ever visit? Led by his potentially otherworldly new friend, can he track down his missing Farouk for one last, desperate chance at rebuilding his life and re-finding love?

My Review

For some reason I thought this book was going to be a romcom type of story? The cover copy makes it sound like this light, fun romp around the world for love, and it is those things. But it’s also got some heavy stuff in it that I wasn’t expecting. The scene where Sy’s dad beats him with a belt. Reggie’s clear and heartbreaking alcohol addiction.

I really liked Sy. He’s messy and flailing and desperately trying to figure his life out. The one thing he knows for certain is that he loves Farouk. That love is his guiding star, and I loved that element of the story. I loved that he learns so much on his journey and finds confidence in his independence.

There are two notes the story didn’t hit that I wished it did. So, Farouk left on this glorious world-traveling trip. Sy stayed behind because he was afraid. The cover copy tells us that much. But then we learn that Sy is seventeen. And has an abusive dad. And eventually we learn the circumstances surrounding Farouk’s request for Sy to come with him, but that’s spoiler-y, so I won’t clarify that. It didn’t help how I felt.

I think I wish that Sy had paused to examine what was happening there and ask whether it was actually reasonable for Farouk to expect him to come with him. Or whether it was reasonable to lay the blame for their breakup on Sy for not going. Or whether it was more complicated than him simply being afraid.

Another thing that I wish the story addressed is Reggie’s alcohol addiction. Sy seems to think he can manage her addiction by distracting her with his friendship. I wish that there had at least been some mention of her getting professional help or recognizing that rescuing someone from addiction is not a burden that a friend can carry.

All that makes it sound like I expected every issue to be fully examined and processed by Sy before the end of the story, which I know isn’t reasonable. I guess I tend to struggle with that in the books that I read. It’s pretty realistic for some things to be left unexplored by the hero. It also leaves a lot of space for readers to examine things and draw their own conclusions.

Anyway, I still loved a lot of things about THE LOOPHOLE, especially the way Sy grows and builds his friendship with Reggie. I loved the scenes in Istanbul especially. Fans of THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS by Bill Konigsberg or ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Benjamin Alire Sáenz should check this one out.

Content Notes for The Loophole

Content warning for homophobia, Islamophobia and abuse.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Sy is Indian American, Muslim, and gay. Farouk is Pakistani American and gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. In one scene, they go skinny dipping together. Sy’s dad has a second family in India.

Spiritual Content
Sy visits a mosque and prays. His family believes being gay is a sin.

Violent Content
Sy’s dad beats him with a belt because Sy is gay. Sy reveals this isn’t the first time his father has done this. Sy learns of a terrorist attack in London. At an airport, officers detain Sy and threaten him with a strip search. Sy and Reggie hit an officer while trying to get through a police barricade.

Drug Content
Reggie drinks alcohol almost constantly. Sy drinks alcohol a couple of times.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE LOOPHOLE in exchange for my honest review.