This book was recommended to me this week by another teacher and I ordered it right away and read it in one sitting. This book was somewhat like Love from A to Z that I read yesterday in that it deals with teenagers of Muslim faith who are navigating relationships.
This story is about Rukhsana, a 17 year old who lives with her younger brother, mother and father. Her parents are conservative Muslims living in Seattle. They are very concerned with appearances and how Rukhsana is living her life. Her younger brother gets away with more because he is the male of the family. Rukhsana is just trying to hold out until the end of high school when she can escape and pursue her dream of going to school at Caltech. Rukhsana needs to hide much of her life from her parents, from going to parties, to wearing makeup to the fact that she has a girlfriend. Keeping the relationship with Ariana secret from her parents is hard, but she knows that her parents will never accept her lifestyle. When her mother catches Ariana and her together, Rukhsana is taken quickly away to Bangladesh, where her extended family lives. Once there, Rukhsana is thrown into a much more traditional way of life, and in a place where loving Ariana is seen as a sin. Rukhsana needs to figure out how to be the person she wants to be, and how to help her parents understand what she needs out of life.
This story was amazing! Rukhsana's story was heartbreaking to read. She is a very smart young girl with a bright future ahead of her. Her love for her family makes it very challenging to go a different way from what her parents want and reading as she struggles with that was hard at times.
Even though the main character is 17, this book is very appropriate for grade 7 and up. I love the fact that Sabina Khan is Canadian, I love reading Canadian Authors!
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