Reviews

I really liked what the author was trying to do: addressing how Islamophobia within the U.S. carceral system has affected Muslims negatively, especially poets after 9-11 who got labeled "terrorists", and how Islamophobia is present within both U.S. political parties even if democrats aren't as brazen as Republicans. She does this through the eyes of a young Pakistani American high school student, Muslim, and poet who gets (unconstitutionally) frisked as she is trying to pray and accidentally finds herself outside of a Democratic political candidate's rally. As she tries to seek justice, she gets further entrapped in stereotypes against Muslims played up by the media especially after they find out her poet uncle is in prison for "terrorism." Luckily, she has her community and local Poets' Block to cheer her up and remind her who she is and where she comes from.

However, some parts of the story felt a bit heavy-handed and, like editing could have gone a bit deeper. The magical realism felt like it came out of nowhere instead of working with the story in the first third. The flashback to her ancestors was especially abrupt and not deep enough to be meaningful or otherwise threaded into the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC, all thoughts my own.

creatrix's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dontmissythesereads's review against another edition

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4.75

Book #38 read in 2024

This is a powerful story that shines a light on Islam0phobia and the impact words can have. I loved the interspersion of poetry written as letters. I think this is something that is a must read in the culture that we live in.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the complimentary ebook.

wheeliebridge's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was an amazing book and possibly one of my top 5 reads ever. The lyricism of her words was a balm to the wounds felt for Nida and her family as she tries to navigate an impossible situation. Balancing the fear for her mother and community and her own morals and duty to her people, Nida finds her way back to herself, through betrayals, arguments, and heart breaking loss. I cannot recommend this book enough

onecrab's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative slow-paced

4.0

I picked up this book after Mychal Threets recommended it on IG (@mychal3ts) because who am I to argue with the favorite librarian?

From the acknowledgements, "Lastly, no matter who tries to silence you, continue speaking up for good causes. There is so much darkness in the world, but there are also many inspiring people who will remind you to always have hope."

This book covered a lot! Friendship, family, generational trauma, politicians.... I learned a lot about partition and am interested in learning more, it's just not something that's widely discussed. It was a solid read.

The audiobook is well narrated by Farah Kidwai.

febrianikmadusari's review against another edition

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Nida selalu dikenal sebagai keponakan Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh, yang dipenjara karena menulis puisi, disebabkan oleh sentimen terhadap muslim setelah 9/11. Bagi Nida, puisi-puisi karyanya adalah hatinya, dan membaginya dengan dunia yang penuh prasangka terhadap agama dan hijabnya bukanlah pilihan yang tepat.

Setelah Nida digeledah secara ilegal pada acara kampanye kandidat senat partai demokrat, dia menulis puisi pedas tentang politisi tersebut, tidak pernah terpikir untuk akan viral setelah pemilu. Puisi Nida menang peringkat satu dalam kontes nasional , kontes yang tidak pernah diikutinya, dan hidupnya tidak pernah sama lagi.

Aku tidak menduga akan ada unsur magical realism ketika membaca blurb buku ini. Ketika Nida diminta oleh ibunya menulis permintaan maaf kepada kandidat senat yang dimaksud, mulai muncul tali biru yang hanya terlihat oleh Nida, muncul di pergelangan tangan dan tenggorokannya, menghalanginya untuk menulis puisi maupun berbicara.

Buku ini mengangkat tema Islamophobia, khususnya terhadap imigran dari Pakistan (ibu dan paman Nida), menunjukkan kepada audiens bahwa hal ini masih banyak ditemui di Amerika Serikat. Dilengkapi dengan puisi di setiap bab, kurasa penulis membawakan karya debut ini agak berbeda dengabnnovel kebanyakan.

Sayangnya, aku kurang cocok dengan gaya bercerita Sarah disini, walau temanya menarik buatku, Islamophobia. Namun buku ini sangat aman dibaca di bulan Ramadan.

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