BookPage Teen Top Pick, January 2018

Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz wants to make documentary films, go to NYU and date as she pleases. Her parents want her to choose a college closer to their suburban Chicago home, study law or medicine and marry a suitable Indian-Muslim boy. When such a boy, Kareem, materializes at a family wedding, everyone's interests seem to dovetail. Kareem is sweet, funny and has all the right "biostats," but Maya's heart longs for Phil, the unreachable captain of the football team. As Maya attempts to balance her parents' traditionalism with her own modern outlook, a terrorist attack in Chicago inspires violent anti-Muslim sentiment in Maya's neighborhood, tying personal perspectives into a larger global picture. Maya's best friend, Violet, and her liberal-leaning Aunt Hina encourage her to make her own path in the world, but how can she take a leading role in her own story when she's most comfortable observing life from behind her camera lens?

The love-triangle trope may seem slightly stale, but debut author Samira Ahmed's treatment is anything but. Mentions of travel bans and suicide bombers are extremely timely, and the themes of immigration, family and identity broached here are always relevant.

Reminiscent of Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier, Love, Hate and Other Filters brings an authentic new voice to Muslim-American literature for young adults.

 

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

In an astute debut, Ahmed intertwines a multicultural teen's story with a spare, dark depiction of a young terrorist's act. High school senior Maya Aziz, a budding filmmaker, struggles with being the beloved and protected only child of Muslim immigrants from India while trying to live a "normal" American teenage life in Illinois and, more importantly, make her own decisions about her future. Stealthily defying her parents by applying to New York University and juggling appropriate and inappropriate love interests (all with the help of her maverick aunt), Maya finally gets up the courage to confront her parents when the terrorist's actions unleash hatred on her and her family. Ahmed builds tension by preceding each chapter of Maya's story with a terse paragraph leading to the imminent act of terror, then provides a startling twist; Maya's final and uncharacteristic act of rebellion also comes as a surprise. The characters are fully dimensional and credible, lending depth to even lighter moments and interactions. Alternately entertaining and thoughtful, the novel is eminently readable, intelligent, and timely. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. (Jan.)

Gr 9 Up—Maya Aziz should be on top of the world. She got accepted into film school at NYU, and the cute boy she has been spending time with seems to be into her. The only problem is, she's been hiding all of this from her loving but very traditional Indian American parents. They have already chosen a local college for her to attend and introduced her to a nice Muslim boy who is (eventual) marriage material. As she builds up courage to tell them the truth, a terrorist attack takes place nearby, and one of the suspects shares the same last name as Maya's family. They are suddenly the targets of suspicion, fear, and intimidation in their own community. Maya is singled out by an unhinged student at her school, and when his harassment escalates to violence, not only is she physically hurt, but all of the ground she gained with her parents is lost as their protective instincts go into overdrive. Maya's voice is pitch-perfect; funny, warm, and perfectly teenaged in its bouncing focus—she is afraid for herself and her family, crushed by the hatred she is facing in her community, scared of disappointing her parents—but she also really wants to go to film school and is really falling in love. Sweet and smart with a realistic but hopeful ending, this novel is a great examination of how hatred and fear affects both communities, and individual lives. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries serving teens.—Beth McIntyre, Madison Public Library, WI