A review by jackelz
Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab by Priya Huq

challenging informative
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Nisrin chooses to wear hijab as a way of overcoming her trauma. For her, it is a symbol of pride, resilience, and resistance. Her family doesn’t practice Islam, but she wants to learn more about it. During her research, she figures out the internet isn’t always the best place for answers. There is a lot of unspoken history as to why her family doesn’t practice, and I wish this was elaborated on more. 

Firuzeh, her friend that witnessed the attack, was also struggling and Nisrin really had no idea. The friendship dynamic was interesting, and definitely true to the age range, but I wish they could’ve communicated better. Nisrin was going to therapy and I loved how that helped her, but it wasn’t helping Firuzeh. This was a great depiction of how trauma affects people differently and also how people cope differently. I wanted to give Firuzeh a big hug and be there for her, because she was so alone. 

I loved the artwork, it was so vibrant with beautiful watercolor. The best part of the book, for me, was seeing Nisrin’s project on Bangladesh at the end. It was interesting to read and learn about family dynamics and Bangladeshi culture. 

This was a great book to discuss for book club and I appreciated hearing everyone’s thoughts on it.
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