Muslim Reads

Skip to content

Home
Review Policy
About
Contact
Bookish IRL

Search

Search for:

IMG_20180707_100543

July 7, 2018 / Jessica

Post navigation

← Review—My First Quran with Pictures Juz Amma Part 1 by Shereen Sharief and illustrated by Nicola Anderson

Instagram

📚Book Review📚 . I have a #latinxheritagemonth recommendation for you today. Yo Soy Muslim, by Mark Gonzales and illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini, is a beautiful picture book written as a letter from a father to his daughter. It explores themes of religion, culture, and language, and describes the world as a place his daughter belongs in. . My favorite thing about this book is the way that it represents intersectionality. It references Mayan pyramids and mosques, mi abuelo and crescent moons. The father instructs his daughter to say: "I speak Spanish, Arabic, and dreams." He wears Converse and his daughter wears Crocs. . In such a heartfelt, accepting story, it would have been easy to skirt around the issues inherent in differentness. But instead, he tackles them head on--he tells her that the world will ask her questions, like "What are you?" . He encourages her to relate to others on the basis of their humanity, and to be proud of her place in the world: past, present, and future--"Yo soy Muslim. I am from Allah, angels, and a place almost as old as time. I speak Spanish, Arabic, and dreams. Mi mama creates life. Mi abuelo worked the fields. My ancestors did amazing things and so will I." . Full review + pictures of the interior up on the blog. Link in my profile. . . . . #yosoymuslim #salaamreads #markgonzales #mehrdokhtamini #latinxheritagemonth #muslimreads #diversepicturebooks #latinxbooks #kidsbookstagram

No words to describe this stunning new book from @khosseini. Inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis, this book is a prayer from a father for his son as they wait to board a boat. The writing is as heartbreakingly beautiful as the illustrations are evocative. . It begins with the father's memories of the Syria before: "the creek where your uncles and I built a thousand boyhood dams." . . . . moves into the reality of this generation's Syria: "You know a bomb crater can be made into a swimming hole." . . . . and ends with the sea: "how vast, how indifferent. How powerless I am to protect you from it." . It's a book that's not easy to classify. Perhaps "an illustrated poem inspired by true events and intended for adults" is the closest I can get. In any case, it's one of my favorite books of the year. . Part of the proceeds go to UNHCR, so go get your copy now. . . . #bookstagram #khalidhosseini #danwilliams #syria #syrianrefugees #seaprayer #alankurdi #unhcr #muslimreads #riverheadbooks

Today I have Malcolm X for the whole family: a picture book for children, a YA novel for teens, and, of course, Malcolm X’s autobiography for the rest of us. . 📚 Malcolm Little, the picture book, is written by @ilyasahshabazz, one of Malcolm X’s daughters, and illustrated by @agfordart. It covers Malcolm’s childhood, beginning with his parents’ marriage and ending in the seventh grade, when he was elected class president at school. This serious but hopeful picture book focuses on his relationship with his family. The imagery of a butterfly—beginning very low, building a strong shell, growing, and finally flying—threads this heartfelt book together. . 📚 X is a YA novel also written by Ilyasah Shabazz (with @keklamagoon). Although it’s shelved with fiction, it’s a fairly faithful representation of Malcolm X’s middle years. I also think it works better as a nonfiction book than as a novel. It covers Malcolm’s time living in Boston and Harlem: from the time he moved to Boston to live with his half-sister Ella when he was fifteen, until he was in prison at the age of twenty-three. Because this book covers a period when he was living a morally questionable life and deals with serious topics, I would only recommend it for more mature teens. . 📚 The Autobiography of Malcolm X is of course his detailed life story from before his birth until the year that he died. (May Allah have mercy on him and raise his ranks.) It is beautifully written, with gems on every page. “I know that societies often have killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America – then, all the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.” . Let me know—have you read The Autobiography of Malcolm X? #MalcolmX #theautobiographyofmalcolmx #alexhaley #ilyasahshabazz #keklamagoon #AGFord #X #picturebook #picturebooks #YA #YAbooks #bookstagram #nonfiction #autobiography #Islam #civilrights #Harlem #socialjustice #racism

📚Book Review📚 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ . Once upon a time, Bassem Saeh was asked to speak at an event about prayer (salah). When the time came, he rushed up to the podium and hurriedly read a few verses and a couple of hadeeth he had jotted down on a piece of paper, reading so quickly that his words ran together. He then turned and left. The audience was shocked and confused. After a moment, he returned to the podium and explained that his performance was no worse than the way that many of us pray. Rushing in, reciting without expression or understanding, and rushing off again. Communicating with Allah: Rediscovering Prayer is Saeh's answer to the problem of disconnecting from our distracting, modern lives and finding tranquility in our connection with Allah. Unique and powerful, this book breathes new life into an action that Muslims repeat constantly. If you are looking to worship smarter, a little bit of consistency in improving the quality of your five daily prayers will go a long way. Perhaps my favorite technique of Saeh’s is his use of striking, new metaphors to share ideas that are absolutely essential to our faith. For example, in the second chapter, he asks us to imagine a battle between two ants over a grain of sugar, and how insignificant it might appear to us. Prayer, he explains, allows us to be elevated to a height at which we can view the dunya (this worldly life) in the same way: we can recognize its insignificance. Full review at muslimreads.com. Link in my profile. #CommunicatingwithAllah #BassemSaeh #KubePublishing #Islamicbooks #Islamicbook #prayer #salah #salaah #worshipsmarter #khushu #conversationswithallah #spiritual #salahreflections #productiveprayer #salahmanagement

📚Book Review📚 . ⭐⭐⭐⭐ . A Moroccan-inspired sci-fi/fantasy YA that tackles colonialism, rebellion, and identity by a Muslim author? Yes, please! In a distant star system, the brutal Vath empire has colonized the planet Andala. Amani, the daughter of a farmer, gets chosen to be a body double for the hated princess. Against her will, Amani is taken to the Ziyaana, where she has to learn to act exactly like Maram vak Mathis, so she can take her place at public events. Amani accepts her new role and even begins to enjoy some parts of it, like Maram’s fiancée Idris. But she is in constant danger, both from within the Ziyaana and without. When an opportunity to help her people arises, Amani wants nothing more than to take it. But staying true to her people and herself may put her in the greatest danger yet... . This was such an atypical YA read for me, and in the best way. It doesn’t just bring up issues of colonialism by representing a colonized world; it goes beyond that to explore the complexities of identity that result. The world-building is fantastic, with futuristic technologies, old world traditions, and Moroccan inspiration all woven up into a colonized planet. It represents different cultures beautifully, and is really well written. The full review is up on my blog (muslimreads.com). Link is in my profile. #Mirage #flatironbooks #somaiyadaud #YA #YAbook #YAbooks #YAfantasy #YAscifi #muslimauthors #muslimauthor #muslimreads #Netgalley #bookreview #bookblogger #bookbloggers #bookstagram #colonialism #resistance #rebellion

Let’s talk about representation and true stories. I recently read a YA book called Watched, by Marina Budhos. It’s the story of Naeem, the teenage son of Bangladeshi immigrants living in NYC. Naeem is kind of a screw-up at home and at school, and while he is a part of a Muslim community, he’s not really practicing. When he gets in trouble with the police, they convince him to become a watcher and report on members of his community and try to find youth at risk of radicalization. In order to do that, he has to actually get involved in the community: he starts attending mosque and getting involved in community programs. In the beginning, Naeem tries to think of himself as a hero who is actually serving his community, but as he gets makes new friends and remembers that he finds prayer beautiful and peaceful, he begins to doubt the good his snitching is doing. By choosing to watch and report on his community, has Naeem chosen a side? This book made me deeply uncomfortable. In a note following the text, the author talks about how this book is based on true events. In 2014, the AP reported that an NYPD unit targeted Muslim communities using techniques described in the novel, including informants, cameras, and the infiltration of mosques and organizations. But somehow, the fact that this is true doesn’t make me feel any better about it. Budhos seems to want to inspire empathy with Naeem and the choices he had to make. But I can’t shake my discomfort. I guess the question is: Does the fact that something is true means that it belongs in a book? In marginalized and generally persecuted communities, should we focus on positive and neutral representation? Or is it important to tell all stories? And what is the best way to tell those difficult stories? I can't wait to hear from you. #watched #marinabudhos #YAbook #YA books #representation #diversebooks #muslimshelfspace

Twitter

My Tweets

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 219 other followers

Follow Me

Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads

Search for:

	Papatia on Review—Communicating with Alla…
	Haalah on Review—Mirage by Somaiya …
	Jessica on Review—Mirage by Somaiya …
	Haalah on Review—Mirage by Somaiya …
	Review—Communicating… on Review—The Miraculous La…

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply