Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Contempory

Pages: 276

Amazon

Author

I received a free copy of this book through KidLitExchange. All opinions are my own.

A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape--perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson, and Adam Silvera.

Maya Aziz is torn between futures: the one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter (i.e.; staying nearby in Chicago and being matched with a "suitable" Muslim boy), and the one where she goes to film school in New York City--and maybe, just maybe, kisses a guy she's only known from afar. There's the also the fun stuff, like laughing with her best friend Violet, making on-the-spot documentaries, sneaking away for private swimming lessons at a secret pond in the woods. But her world is shattered when a suicide bomber strikes in the American heartland; by chance, he shares Maya's last name. What happens to the one Muslim family in town when their community is suddenly consumed with hatred and fear? - Amazon.com

I am loving these Own Voices novels I keep finding. And if you have any more you want to suggest to me PLEASE DO! I loved this book and it touched on islamophobia that has regretfully consumed many people. I loved that the main character was a Muslim girl, which you don't see a lot in many books unfortunately. I can't speak on how well the representation was to the average Muslim girl but on Goodreads there are many Muslim girls on there that have voiced their opinions of this so I would implore you to read thier comments. For my own reading I felt most of the characters were very well developed and the plot was intriguing. While you may not have been the target of islamophobia you can't help but feel for Maya. I also felt the pacing was very well done and the writing was magnificent.

However, I did have some issues with the main character and her parents. While I am not Muslim and I did not grow up in that culture, I do know and hope that parents out there hope for more than just their child to get married off. My mother's concern, while mainly being for me to find a good spouse, was to find true happiness. I also felt that Maya's character was a bit unrealistic. No matter what type of relationship you have with your parents, you're going to feel some guilt or some remorse for going behind thier back and I didn't feel like Maya had this. I was a teen once and I did dumb things in the name of love, but it didn't make me feel any less guilty.

Verdict: Overall, I think this book is an important book to read. We're in an age where there is outright hatard for a people and a culture that the average person is ignorant to or refuses to learn about. I've had a friend (ex-friend now) that pulled her son out of school because he was learning about the Muslim culture in a geography class and she didn't want him to know about the culture or religion because she holds very racist views on the Muslim people unfortunately. This is just one book, but I think it has the power to change a lot of people's perspectives on their views of the Muslim culture and the people who believe in Islam. I implore you to read this and many other novels with Muslim characters in it.