MuslimVoices Romance: Saints & Misfits and Misfit in Love

Saints and Misfits is a realistic fiction, young adult book written by S.K. Ali.  It's about 15 year old American Arab-Indian girl named Janna who is struggling in her life.  She has been sexually assaulted by a prominent member of her mosque and she is developing a crush on Jeremy, a classmate who is not Muslim at all.  Janna wants to expose her assailant but is afraid of the backlash she could receive from her religious community.  Ali expertly writes about the different ways people express their religious beliefs and it is an eye-opener for those who want to learn beyond the Muslim stereotypes.

Misfit in Love is the sequel to Saints and Misfits but it can stand on its own.  In this story it is summertime and Janna's plan is to move forward with her feelings for Nuah, the boy who was there for her when she was assaulted the year before.  It's her brother, Muhammad's wedding and for Janna, that is the perfect time to reveal to her friends and family that she also has feelings for Nuah.  Except the wedding's not going as planned, Nuah is acting detached and Janna's even more confused when she meets two more men who are attending the wedding: Haytham, the handsome poet/singer who is amazing with kids and Layth, the equally handsome, yet broodingly mysterious one who has his own struggles he's keeping within.  The wedding is also a time that Janna can finally spend with her mom and possibly, her mom's new love interest since divorcing her father.  The weekend is full of family, relationship breakthroughs, laughter, music, dancing, swimming, eating, family and friendship.   The Janna who starts the story is not the same one who finishes it.  

 Ali explains the nuances within the various types of  Muslim cultures and brings into the mainstream the way modern-day people's Muslim faith is a part of their daily lives.  She tackles the complicated dynamics of joining families with different cultural roots, even while sharing a religious one.  I learned a lot about Muslim wedding ceremonies, nikahs, burkinis, dabke dances, niqab hijabs and many more terms that I enjoyed looking up while reading this story. Here is her interview for Entertainment Weekly where Ali discusses Misfit in Love and more!

 

Poetry Month: 25 middle grade novels-in-verse

 April is National Poetry Month but we really celebrate the art of language all year long.  Stories that are told through verse are interesting ways to read, reflect, and listen to narratives.  Our students find that reading a novel-in-verse is another experience in reading in that it often goes by quickly and they are tempted to go back and re-read lines and phrases that stick out to them.  

All of these books listed below would be ideal for book clubs or just for reading and reflecting on one's own. From historical fiction, to biographies, realistic fiction, memoirs, immigration, religion, refugees, family, friendships, sports, school, bullying, identity and travel, these stories below have something for everyone.  

Novels-in-Verse

Unbound and All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

Solo, Swing, The Crossover, Booked, Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander

Love, Love by Victoria Chang

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Before the Ever After , Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Love That Dog, Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz and Robert Byrd

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith and E.B. Lewis

42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer and Elaine Clayton

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

Lifeboat 12: Based on a True Story by Susan Hood

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger and Matthew Cordell

Shanghai Messenger by Andrea Cheng and Ed Young

The Awakening of Malcom X: a novel

 

The Awakening of Malcom X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Tiffany D. Jackson is a moving narrative biography that focuses on the years that X spent in prison from ages 20 to 27,  where he learned about the teachings of Islam and was shaped into the person he became to lead the Nation of Islam. 

"Wake up, Malcom!"

 Told in three parts from the first time he steps into the horrendous prison in Charlestown where he loses the willingness to improve his mind, to part two where he is enlightened by self-education in the library and his family's support, and concludes with part three where he gets transferred to a better facility in Norfolk where he joins the debate team.  Throughout his time in prison he has flashbacks to his family and reflected on ways he can help his people be free.

"Up, up you mighty race!"

I was already familiar with Malcom X's teachings and speeches, however, the way that he came to the religion was new information.  Since Shabazz is his daughter she had first-hand knowledge of the letters he wrote back and forth with his family and with Elijah Muhammad.  The part that stood out to me was when he discovers that, "even a crumb of dignity can change the way you look at the world and the way you see yourself in it."  Once he was given the chance to prove his worth to his fellow inmates and to the outside world, he only wanted to inspire others to follow suit.  

"Everybody needs their family, Malcom. We're always with you. Don't ever forget that."

This story sparks a lot of questions for students and even adults.  They can delve deeper into Malcom X's speeches and what happened to his position in the Nation of Islam.  Inquiry into the role of prisons and incarcerated people can also stem from this story.  Finally, the role he had in the Civil Rights Movement can also be explored further.