Remarkable storytelling presents a multilayered struggle around identity and power in an anti-Muslim climate.
After a traumatic experience, Nisrin decides to wear a hijab; however, the road to asserting her identity is not that simple.
It’s 2002 in Oregon, and anti-Muslim sentiments are on the rise. Muslim Bangladeshi American Nisrin and her best friend, Firuzeh, who is cued as Iranian and Black, become victims of a gruesome hate crime at the end of eighth grade. Afterward, Nisrin, who lives with her single mother and maternal grandparents, slowly recuperates physically and mentally. When she enters high school, Nisrin decides to wear the hijab, partly as an act of resistance. This is met with a mix of concern and strong disapproval, especially from her domineering grandfather. Neither Nisrin’s mother nor grandmother are hijabi, and Nisrin herself only starts actively learning about Islam after this point. She struggles at school with discrimination from teachers and fellow students alike, made worse because Firuzeh seems to be avoiding her as well. As family tensions rise, Nisrin learns more about her family’s past and Bangladeshi history, context that helps her understand her family’s complicated feelings about her decision. This gripping graphic novel is fast-paced and dramatic, with full-color illustrations that intensify the heightened emotions. The darkness is tempered by a happy ending, with friendships—both old and new—blossoming, a family growing closer, and a teenager finding more peace in her own skin.
Remarkable storytelling presents a multilayered struggle around identity and power in an anti-Muslim climate. (information about Bangladesh) (Graphic fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4016-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
Equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking.
Sixteen-year-old Mandy considers herself the anti-Starfire: Unlike her scantily clad superhero mother, she doesn’t have superpowers, can’t fly, and doesn’t even own a bathing suit.
Mandy dyes her hair and dresses in all black to further call out how different they are. Mandy’s best friend, Lincoln, whose parents were born in Vietnam, insightfully summarizes this rift as being down to an intergenerational divide that occurs whether parents and children come from different countries or different planets. Mandy tries to figure out what kind of future she wants for herself as she struggles with teenage insecurities and bullying, her relationship with her mom, and her budding friendship (or is it something more?) with her new class project partner, Claire. Yoshitani’s vibrant and colorful stylized illustrations beautifully meld the various iterations of Starfire and the Titans with the live-action versions of those characters. Together with Tamaki’s punchy writing, this coming-of-age story of identity, family, friendship, and saving the world is skillfully brought to life in a quick but nuanced read. These layers are most strongly displayed as the story draws parallels between cultural differences between the generations as evidenced in how the characters address bullying, body positivity, fatphobia, fetishization and sexualization, and feminism. This title addresses many important concepts briefly, but well, with great pacing, bold art, and concise and snappy dialogue. The cast is broadly diverse in both primary and secondary characters.
Equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. (Graphic fantasy. 14-16)Pub Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-126-4
Page Count: 184
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
A quick, entertaining read.
A gay boy is sent away to a summer camp for bad Christian teens.
Shy, Christian closet case Adam Lethbridge, a white 17-year-old, is discovered by his mom’s nosy, gossipy best friend shopping at The Gap with his secret bestie, Mike, a fast-talking boy who describes himself as brown and who often dresses in drag. She leaks the story to his uber-Christian parents, who have also discovered the gay-themed graphic novels he drew and hid in his bedroom. Unsurprisingly, drama ensues, with his dad calling him “faggot” repeatedly, and as a result of the outing, Adam is shipped off to a Christian summer camp for bad teens in the middle of nowhere, British Columbia. Once there, he falls for Korean, karaoke-loving Paul, who is also struggling to strike the balance between what he feels and what his religion tells him he should feel. Though fast-paced and entertaining, Correia’s latest rarely dives below the surface. The action is usually predictable, but what stands out are Correia’s characters’ abilities to throw some serious shade: “Beneath that good Christian girl act beats the heart of a hussy.” Readers may be somewhat disappointed to discover that nothing really new or provocative is revealed about what happens at the camp itself, but the budding romance between Adam and Paul and Mike’s and another minor character’s one-liners keep the pages turning.
A quick, entertaining read. (Romance. 13-16)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1234-7
Page Count: 186
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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