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nataliecoyne's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? No
3.25
Solid 3.25 stars. That being said (and before I get into why), I think this would be a great book for teens to read (you know, the typical target audience for YA). From the fact that it focuses on the Black Muslim experience (which is very underrepresented) to the power of young people using their voices for good (and the power of friendship and all), it has great lessons.
But, I'm not a teen. I'm 27, and so this book just didn't hit the spot for me. That's fine, like I said the typical target audience for YA is teenagers. I'm an adult who knowingly picked up a YA book, but the reason I did was because there are a lot of YA books I do like and the plot seemed interesting (plus, again, the representation of such an underrepresented community). Unfortunately, the overarching plot didn't seem really that strong, and that it was more mini-plots and some slices of life of the three teenage main characters.
What made that worse is that, while I found Sabriya's story to be very compelling and Zakat's to be somewhat compelling, I couldn't really get into Farah's story. Yes, again, I appreciate her strong sense of justice and using her voice, but the things with her dad, siblings, boyfriend, computer science, etc., well, it just lost me. That's also why I only find Zakat's story somewhat compelling, as the stuff about deciding on colleges, whether she will stay in-state or go out-of-state, just lost me. These are probably very relatable for teenagers, but it just made this not the book for me.
An actual critique I have, though, is that this book was a bit outdated for the fact it was only published in 2022. I do love reading acknowledgments so I see the author mentioned starting this book in 2017, and that's probably why, but I think it should've undergone another round of editing to make sure it still stood up to when it was published. The references to Trump's Muslim ban, and the fact there were questions about if the characters ever used Zoom before (and one of the characters hadn't), made it seem outdated. Post-2020 (and, again, this book was published in 2022), Americans who have never used Zoom are the overwhelming minority.
That's all I really have to say. I recommend it for teenagers. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for those of us who are adults, even those of us who do enjoy a lot of YA.
As a final observation, I did begin to wonder about three-quarters of the way through if Sabriya was somewhat of a self-insert for the author. This isn't a critique per se, Sabriya's story was the most compelling to me (as I previously mentioned), but the fact both are from DC and the character's name (Sabriya) resembles the author's last name (Sabreen) made me very curious about this.
But, I'm not a teen. I'm 27, and so this book just didn't hit the spot for me. That's fine, like I said the typical target audience for YA is teenagers. I'm an adult who knowingly picked up a YA book, but the reason I did was because there are a lot of YA books I do like and the plot seemed interesting (plus, again, the representation of such an underrepresented community). Unfortunately, the overarching plot didn't seem really that strong, and that it was more mini-plots and some slices of life of the three teenage main characters.
What made that worse is that, while I found Sabriya's story to be very compelling and Zakat's to be somewhat compelling, I couldn't really get into Farah's story. Yes, again, I appreciate her strong sense of justice and using her voice, but the things with her dad, siblings, boyfriend, computer science, etc., well, it just lost me. That's also why I only find Zakat's story somewhat compelling, as the stuff about deciding on colleges, whether she will stay in-state or go out-of-state, just lost me. These are probably very relatable for teenagers, but it just made this not the book for me.
An actual critique I have, though, is that this book was a bit outdated for the fact it was only published in 2022. I do love reading acknowledgments so I see the author mentioned starting this book in 2017, and that's probably why, but I think it should've undergone another round of editing to make sure it still stood up to when it was published. The references to Trump's Muslim ban, and the fact there were questions about if the characters ever used Zoom before (and one of the characters hadn't), made it seem outdated. Post-2020 (and, again, this book was published in 2022), Americans who have never used Zoom are the overwhelming minority.
That's all I really have to say. I recommend it for teenagers. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for those of us who are adults, even those of us who do enjoy a lot of YA.
As a final observation, I did begin to wonder about three-quarters of the way through if Sabriya was somewhat of a self-insert for the author. This isn't a critique per se, Sabriya's story was the most compelling to me (as I previously mentioned), but the fact both are from DC and the character's name (Sabriya) resembles the author's last name (Sabreen) made me very curious about this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Violence, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Stalking
Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia
amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Islamophobia
Minor: Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
hankatcol's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Minor: Violence
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
This was an absolutely incredible book about standing up for what you believe in and having the courage to be yourself, itโs about stomping out hate with love and raising your voice about what really matters. Such an incredible story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Violence, and Islamophobia
Minor: Police brutality
janvpals's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Islamophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
kayden__reads's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
maple_dusk's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
You Truly Assumed has three MC's, and they're all Black, Muslim, and female, which make them targets for bigots. This book is set right when the 9/11 attacks happened, although the settings are away from any of the targeted locations. However, the destruction affected the girls, the environments they were in, and everywhere else in the United States. "When threatening comments and emails try to silence them, the three must decide: shut things down and stay safe . . . or risk it all and let their voices be heard."
What I Liked:
What I Liked:
- I was really able to relate to the feelings of hopelessness, fear, and despair in this book, feelings that often accompany many people when faced with bigotry
- Discussions surrounding bigotry
- And more which I cannot grasp from the top of my head
I-I don't know how to round up this review. ๐
Quotes:
CW: Mentions of: Racism, Islamophobia, Homophobia
It's gross that people get to have racist, Islamophobic, or homophobic or any of the other countless "phases" that get written off as them simply being children. Especially without any regard as to how what they said or did during their "phase" hurt others. (pg. 59)
Even though growing up, Inglethorne was mostly just Black and Latinx, with gentrification happening now, more and more white people are buying up the property and putting up Black Lives Matter signs on their lawns without realizing the irony of the fact that Black and Latinx people were forced out because they couldn't pay the rent anymore. (pg. 74)
TW: Mention of death
"Can I come with you?" Ally asks. "One of my friends goes to the mosque that got attacked. She's really sad about what happened, and I want to support her."
I smile. "Yeah, of course you can come with me."
It's just walking, so I don't mind Ally coming with me to support her friend. As long as she sticks with me and doesn't get lost, us going together shouldn't be a problem. Plus, I like Ally and Samson so far, and stepping into a big sister role doesn't seem to be as overwhelming as I thought it would be.
Jess's fork slips from her fingers, the metal clattering against her plate. "No, Ally, absolutely not. It'll be too dangerous. There's been talk about threats at vigil, and I don't want you to be in an environment like that." She turns to me, her expression sharp. "Please don't talk about the vigil anymore."
I pause, not exactly sure how I should respond. For starters, I'm pretty sure that Ally's thirteen and would be fine going to the vigil with me. I haven't heard any speculations about threats, and even though I won't write them off completely, I think if Ally wants to stand up for her friend and for what's right, then Jess should support her instead of trying to shield her. Not everyone gets the privilege of being shielded. But hey, what do I know? (pg. 216)
CW: mention of racial slur
"As much as I feel bad about what happened to Khadijiah, my main concern is keeping Ally safe," Jess says, once the kids leave the room. "She's still young. There are some things that she isn't ready to see yet."
I blink in shock. The fact that Jess thinks that she can hide Ally from seeing hate and injustice reminds me of the white mom who was walking with her son the day I was called the N-word in elementary school. She had looked at the car the slur had been hurled from, at me, and then she tugged on her son's hand and kept walking. Maybe Jess has the privilege to look way, but she shouldn't make Ally do the same. (pg. 217)
"Look, I've lived in Kirby since I was your age, and nothing like this has ever happened here. I want you and Ally to have a relationship, but I don't think that the vigil needs to be a part of that. In fact, you might want to reconsider going to the event yourself, Farah."
I look at Tommy, waiting to see if he'll disagree with her. But his silence is the only answer I get.
"You two really don't get it," I say. (Pg. 217)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Islamophobia
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, and Violence
Terrorism (minor), Cyberbullying (graphic)anniereads221's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Murder