Reviews with content warning for Rape - Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab

I really loved this graphic novel! It dealt with some very heavy subjects in a sensitive and thoughtful way. The art was breathtaking! I also really appreciated the book report style appendix at the end with more information about Bangladesh.

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keljo484's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

This graphic novel felt short, but it really packed a punch. It is widely about the relationship Muslim women have to the hijab: what the hijab represents, why Muslim women might choose to wear the hijab or not, and also how outside forces can impact on how they experience this practice. I also loved the focus on relationships, especially on Nisrin and Firuzeh's relationship and the nuance that was given there. The art style was absolutely unique: colour and art were both used in a way I haven't really seen in graphic novels before. It was so emotive and expressive, and metaphoric as well. I think the best way to describe it is that it placed the importance on telling the story through art, not words. Finally the extra material of Nisrin's project on Bangladesh was a wonderful addition.

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? No

5.0

A beautifully illustrated story. Nisrin works to overcome trauma, seeks to find connections to her family's culture, faces racism, builds friendship, & showcases her excellent anime taste. I loved this, & the references were a treat. There's also an illustrated recipe at the end, & I love those! Warnings for racism, hate crime, references to rape, panic attacks, & remembering living in war/political upheaval.

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ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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? No

This is a powerful book.

Within the first handful of pages, Nisrin becomes the victim of a horrific hate crime. Nisrin is attacked while she and her friend walk home from their school's World Cultures Day presentations. There are not many words exchanged during this scene, but the illustrations give power to all that is not said. After this attack, Nisrin spends her summer isolated in her home, fearful of leaving its safety.

After visiting family before school started for the year, Nisrin decides that she is going to wear hijab and learn more about Islam. This initially outrages her grandfather and worries her mother and grandmother. Initially, her family does not tell Nisrin why her wearing hijab upsets them, and this leads to her feeling as though her voice is not being heard. Self-educating and asking questions, Nisrin becomes more and more confident in the person she is building herself up to be. As her family sees this, they start to tell her more about her family's history, including why they left Bangladesh.

Partnered with beautiful watercolor-style illustrations that bring so much to the words that are written as well as those that are not, this story is one that needs to be shared with young readers. Though this book can be extremely heavy during certain scenes, it brings light to discussions around identity exploration, familial history, and becoming happy in your own skin. Huq has crafted a beautiful story that will touch the lives of many readers in the future.

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delz's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

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

3.75

Nisrin is a middle schooler when she is attacked for wearing a head scarf. It’s a challenge getting back her life, but when high school begins she goes. She struggles at first to find her place, but it does get easier. The incident though has brought up terrible memories for Nisrin’s family who emigrated from Bangladesh to start a new life. The head scarf plays a role throughout the story. The story was very good, but the art was a little hard to follow. Sometimes it was too dark or didn’t really go with what was written. I would still highly recommend though.

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kayladaila's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad 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

3.5

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charmingreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative fast-paced

4.0

this is an incredible story and one i think everyone should read. i love the art and the book itself is really informative. definitely recommend if you want to learn more about hijab, but make sure to look at the content warnings first!

age rating: 13+

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