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A review by nhnabass
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
5.0
What an absolute rollercoaster of emotion. As others have said, this book will emotionally wreck you, but not for the reasons you'd think. I didn't read a synopsis before hand, and I'm honestly glad I didn't. I went into this book knowing it had some relatable immigrant characters and it was probably going to make me cry but I was not prepared for the very real, heavy experiences these characters go through as immigrants and children of immigrants living in modern day America.
The book follows a few different perspectives over time as the story unfolds, jumping between "then" and "now." The author's pacing is incredible as she reveals just enough of the story bit by bit until "then" meets "now" allowing the reader to slowly piece together what has happened. The two main teenage protagonists we follow in the "now" are rich, dynamic characters. Sometimes when perspectives jump around in books it's overwhelming and too heavy handed, but not here. As the reader, getting to have both characters' inner thoughts accessible was incredibly fulfilling as you get to see the same event play out from the two almost opposing perspectives.
As I began the book, I worried this was going to be another YA high school drama book. I'm not a huge fan of reading about teenagers being teenagers. Nothing against those kinds of coming-of-age stories, just too cliche and not for me. I remained skeptical until about 50 pages in when I quickly realized there was so much more here. I loved Noor's character. Maybe it's the teenage me who also clung to Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and Depeche Mode. Perhaps her character was just a little too close to home, but watching everything both her Sal and go through together really does take you right back to high school in a *not* cringey way. Right back to those very real moments of desperately wanting to fit in. Surrounded by racists and people who just don't know any better. Every single micro-aggression that does not go unnoticed.
These characters really portray the gritty, heart-wrenchingly hard truths of trying to make it as an immigrant in a community that just doesn't get you. Rather, a community that just doesn't want you. This story explores the consequences of that inherent xenophobia on the culture, tradition, and religion that immigrant communities in America cherish and thrive on. I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants that kind of inside look. This book truly has my heart.
The book follows a few different perspectives over time as the story unfolds, jumping between "then" and "now." The author's pacing is incredible as she reveals just enough of the story bit by bit until "then" meets "now" allowing the reader to slowly piece together what has happened. The two main teenage protagonists we follow in the "now" are rich, dynamic characters. Sometimes when perspectives jump around in books it's overwhelming and too heavy handed, but not here. As the reader, getting to have both characters' inner thoughts accessible was incredibly fulfilling as you get to see the same event play out from the two almost opposing perspectives.
As I began the book, I worried this was going to be another YA high school drama book. I'm not a huge fan of reading about teenagers being teenagers. Nothing against those kinds of coming-of-age stories, just too cliche and not for me. I remained skeptical until about 50 pages in when I quickly realized there was so much more here. I loved Noor's character. Maybe it's the teenage me who also clung to Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and Depeche Mode. Perhaps her character was just a little too close to home, but watching everything both her Sal and go through together really does take you right back to high school in a *not* cringey way. Right back to those very real moments of desperately wanting to fit in. Surrounded by racists and people who just don't know any better. Every single micro-aggression that does not go unnoticed.
These characters really portray the gritty, heart-wrenchingly hard truths of trying to make it as an immigrant in a community that just doesn't get you. Rather, a community that just doesn't want you. This story explores the consequences of that inherent xenophobia on the culture, tradition, and religion that immigrant communities in America cherish and thrive on. I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants that kind of inside look. This book truly has my heart.