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katiez624 's review for:
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial
by Rabia Chaudry
My journey to reading this book is multifaceted and seemingly predestined. My very first foray into listening to a "podcast" during my daily commute, rather than music or the radio, was This American Life, a captivating journalistic program with a weekly theme and a plethora of true stories. When Sarah Koenig, a producer for This American Life, started the show Serial in 2014, I jumped on the bandwagon immediately. I didn't know what to expect going in, but I quickly was sucked into the heartwrenching story of Hae's murder and Adnan's conviction. Every week, I learned more about the threadbare evidence, the contradictory witness accounts, and the questionable trial that played out. I was astonished at the terrible hand Adnan had been dealt and was convinced of his innocence, but since Serial ended, I had not thought about Adnan or his case for many years.
Toward the end of last year, I stumbled upon a memoir with an interesting name [b:Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family|59892260|Fatty Fatty Boom Boom A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family|Rabia Chaudry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653065920l/59892260._SY75_.jpg|94307446] centered around Pakistani food and culture, and it blew me away (review). I delved deeper into the works of this amazing writer and saw that she had devoted herself to Adnan's cause because of her personal connections to him and his family and using her law background. Her commitment to righting wrongs in the court of law extends further than just Adnan's case, and she produced an entire podcast called Undisclosed devoted to this effort.
The more I read this book, the more impressed I was with the maturity and character of Adnan, as well as Chaudry's storytelling abilities. The combination of documents, witness statements, and personal narratives tell a compelling story of the events that transpired after Hae's disappearance. The amount of anti-Muslim sentiment that permeated this case and its verdict was astounding and eye-opening. Not only must Muslim people in America contend with bigoted people and ideologies on a daily basis, but the indictment of Adnan in the murder of Hae was also predicated entirely on his ethnic and religious background.
The only criticism I have for this book is that some of the scanned letters included in the text were difficult to read. I wish these letters were transcribed or if they were just there for visual effect, that that was indicated. Aside from that minor critique, this book is a beautifully written work of art. It reveals an abundance of research and expertise that was done by the author, as well as her own personal experience with Adnan and his family and being part of the Muslim community.
I am elated with the recent developments of Adnan's conviction being overturned. Despite the injustices he suffered, he is still ceaselessly gracious and positive, which is incredibly admirable.
Toward the end of last year, I stumbled upon a memoir with an interesting name [b:Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family|59892260|Fatty Fatty Boom Boom A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family|Rabia Chaudry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653065920l/59892260._SY75_.jpg|94307446] centered around Pakistani food and culture, and it blew me away (review). I delved deeper into the works of this amazing writer and saw that she had devoted herself to Adnan's cause because of her personal connections to him and his family and using her law background. Her commitment to righting wrongs in the court of law extends further than just Adnan's case, and she produced an entire podcast called Undisclosed devoted to this effort.
The more I read this book, the more impressed I was with the maturity and character of Adnan, as well as Chaudry's storytelling abilities. The combination of documents, witness statements, and personal narratives tell a compelling story of the events that transpired after Hae's disappearance. The amount of anti-Muslim sentiment that permeated this case and its verdict was astounding and eye-opening. Not only must Muslim people in America contend with bigoted people and ideologies on a daily basis, but the indictment of Adnan in the murder of Hae was also predicated entirely on his ethnic and religious background.
The only criticism I have for this book is that some of the scanned letters included in the text were difficult to read. I wish these letters were transcribed or if they were just there for visual effect, that that was indicated. Aside from that minor critique, this book is a beautifully written work of art. It reveals an abundance of research and expertise that was done by the author, as well as her own personal experience with Adnan and his family and being part of the Muslim community.
I am elated with the recent developments of Adnan's conviction being overturned. Despite the injustices he suffered, he is still ceaselessly gracious and positive, which is incredibly admirable.