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mrsbennettreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Islamophobia, Physical abuse, and Rape
hanvnah's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death and Islamophobia
Minor: Rape and Torture
serendipitysbooks's review
4.5
I expected The Bad Muslim Discount to be a light read. This was based on the cover and also on Anvar, the main character whose most noticeable characteristics seemed to be his irreverent sense of humour and his inability to abide by the expected codes of behaviour in his community. Yet behind his flawed and flippant facade there was a real strength of character which came into play later into the book when the plot ventured into some very heavy territory (plenty of CWs -especially for emotional abuse, domestic abuse, gun violence).Anvar and the book were better for this. I loved the deeper storyline and the way he came into his own and found something he wanted to stand up for - even if it didn’t go according to plan. His word plays and banter were fun to read but it was the exploration of the darker side of humanity that really made this book shine for me.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gun violence
Moderate: Islamophobia
kniticaltherapy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Islamophobia
Minor: Torture
biblio_jordyn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Then, there’s Safwa, who we first see Baghdad, suffocating by the war torn city and by her conservative father, while trying to fill the role that has been decided for her...and then she makes the dangerous journey to the US.
This book talked about immigration (both legal and not), the complexity of one’s relationship to religion, finding yourself and your place in the world, relationships and the complexity of them when it comes to, both, familial and romantic.
I loved this book.
I loved the writing.
I loved how this author captured these characters, their relationships with people and their faith or lack thereof.
I loved how he intertwined humor and sadness and happiness and tough topics all seamlessly together.
I loved the authenticity and how much I FELT for these characters.
I loved learning more about another culture and peoples experiences without feeling like I was learning in the moment.
I loved the messages interwoven in the story of empathy, and understanding, and love, and change, and so much more.
I love how the author made my heart connect to the words on the paper and made me want to both savor every sentence but also devour the book whole.
I could talk about this book all day...but, here is ONE of my favorite quotes from the zillion I wrote down that isn’t too long:
“Remember to never take more from the world than you can give back to it.”
Thank you so much @doubledaybooks for this #gifted copy this was definitely my favorite read of January and will probably remain one of my favorites of the year.
Graphic: Islamophobia and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Torture, Animal death, and Rape
now_booking's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The book tells the story of 2 central characters who are imperfect and broken in different ways. Anwar is an irreverent skeptic from a Muslim family. Born and raised in Pakistan, his clever humorous wit and irreverent questions about matters of faith were already a concern to his religious mother, long before he moved to America. Now a wise-cracking, chronically underachieving adult, he finds himself in Hafeez Bhatti’s rundown building as one of the philanthropists collection of bad Muslims a.k.a broken and imperfect people in need of help. There he meets Azza, an undocumented immigrant who shares his lack of ability to settle and find peace, and a history that is more devastatingly brutal than he can imagine.
It’s incredibly difficult to summarize this book and the intersections of the characters and their story without giving it all away. This book examines themes of love, family and friendship in a way that is beautifully relatable, but also themes of religious faith, resilience, and fear in ways that any person of faith or lack thereof would find compellingly apt. The book is divided into parts which represent different timelines- from the mid 1990s in part 1 to 2016/2017 and the election of Donald Trump into office. This isn’t an especially political book, other than the way politics intersects with life, until the end when clearly during the 2016 election which happens near the end of the book, populist ideologies become a reality for the characters in a way. But even though Islamophobia is a minor theme in this book, this is not a book about that or about us vs them. It’s a book about people. The characters felt incredibly real and that verisimilitude, whilst emotionally engaging when reading Anvar’s sections, becomes almost brutal when reading Azza’s. And yet as emotionally-charged as this novel is, it’s perfectly balanced with Anvar’s dark sense of humor and Azza’s almost fatalistic sense of reality. This book is sad and painful, but you won’t be able to put it down. The language is beyond gorgeous, the insights eminently quoteworthy- I found myself highlighting large swathes of this book and its brilliant takes on faith and brotherhood, injustice and fear. I found Anvar to be an odd mix of bold irreverence and cautious fear.
This book won’t be for everyone. I am a person of faith (Christ follower) and I get not every book that questions faith will be for everyone- we are all at different points in our acceptance that someone questioning our beliefs doesn’t have to be blasphemous or doesn’t have to mean that we question our beliefs. If you’re conservative especially conservative Muslim and you might be offended by a protagonists irreverent journey to come to terms with his faith, this might be one to avoid. For me as a Christian, even though this was clearly a book where Anvar’s (the main character’s) relationship with Islam was explored extensively as a major theme, I found this applicable and relatable as someone who also grew up in the Christian faith as a practicing Christian, having questions and still having faith but also trying to understand my own personal relationship with God not based on my family’s relationship or my Church’s relationship. And I think at its heart, for Anwar, that’s what this story is about. It’s about being a back-slidden person, about being a remedial person of faith, about trying to be better, and from Azza, it’s a book about this world draining the faith out of you but still finding the kernel of hope that perhaps all is not lost and there is still beauty.
I think one of the reasons why I’m so in love with this book is because I love characters that are broken and imperfect, characters that have no reason to believe in anything anymore and yet are on a journey to decide for themselves what they believe. I’m a huge fan of the characters in this book, in my life I’ve known Anvars and Zuhas, maybe only 1 or 2 Azzas, and for that reason it felt like they were getting their story. I didn’t necessarily LOVE any of the characters, but I enjoyed reading them and thinking about them and spending time with them. I think this is a great book for all the black sheep, the questioners, the ones on their own journeys of faith and life, the ones who have been hurt, the ones healing, the families that can’t speak of the love they have for each other.
I am so blown away by this book- I read it in less than 24 hours and literally couldn’t put it down needing to know what would happen next. I adored this but am looking forward to reading more own voices reviews to get other perspectives on this. For me, it was absolutely brilliant! Super grateful to Doubleday Books for a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Islamophobia and Torture
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Xenophobia