synopsisA marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together. An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are. But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry. When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break. Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her. Then her path crosses with Adam’s. Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister. Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Until a marvel and an oddity occurs… Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting. Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting. my thoughtsFirst off, I have to say that I've had the pleasure of interviewing S.K. Ali before and she's one of the nicest authors I've "virtually" met. You can find a link to that interview by going to my last tab and clicking on my portfolio. I've re-read this multiple times and I fall in love with the characters each time. I love that readers got a glimpse of how the main characters spend Eid together in the future as an Eid gift to the readers from S.K. Ali. Alright, alright, back to the review. Islamophobia is the first thing that's introduced in the story, but I like that it wasn't done in a cliche form. The story starts off with Zeynab being expelled from school for a comment she made after a teacher made Islamophobic comments. I was initially worried about how this story was going to go but I loved how it was resolved and the different events that took place because of it. Another thing I adored about this book was that the protagonists came from different backgrounds and that absolutely nothing felt out of place! I hope that one day I can write characters as loveable as the ones in this book. Secondly, the representation of such a diverse community was incredible! I also loved that we got to know each of the character's quirks, what they thought about each other, and how even the side characters like the Emmas had a role. Additionally, the disabilities were represented in a way that made the story feel real and I loved everything about that. My only con is that I would've loved to see what went down at the school board. You'll know what I mean when you read the book. In case you didn't know, Love from A to Z recently got a new paperback issue and if you'd love to know more about why it's one of the best love stories I've ever read then you should definitely check it out! Available at Barnes & Nobles and other locations. my rating
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AuthorAn avid reader, mocha iced coffee drinker, and Kdrama obsessor. Archives
December 2020
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