Review: Sabaa Tahir draws from her own lived experiences to create this heart-wrenching novel and I cannot even begin to express how powerful it is. “All My Rage” needs to be read and it needs to be taught.

The novel is told from the perspective of three different characters—Misbah, Salahudin, and Noor—spanning across generations. They are all intertwined by faith, friendship, and the real issues they grapple with (many of which tore my heart right out of my chest) as they navigate life in the United States as Pakistani-Americans. 

Misbah, Salahudin’s mother, has many hopes and dreams. But after tragedy strikes, her husband, whom she was arranged to marry, becomes an alcoholic. She struggles to shield her son in a foreign country and seek the treatment she needs to combat her newly diagnosed kidney disease. 

Noor’s family dies in an earthquake in Pakistan. She is forced to abandon her culture when she moves into her uncle’s house in the United States. She experiences physical abuse under his care and discrimination at school. 

Salahudin loses his mom to disease and his father to alcohol. He nearly loses Noor, his best friend, when he is caught dealing drugs to afford the expenses surrounding his family’s motel. 

I seriously cannot say enough about this book. It left me broken. “All My Rage” is definitely Tahir’s best work. She leaves the reader feeling raw and I admire her strength in telling this story.

If you have not read this book yet, I urge you to do so. The representation provided by this novel is extremely important, as it reflects the hardships experienced by so many immigrants and people of different ethnic backgrounds in the United States.