Love From A To Z

                                             

Title: Love from A to Z

Series: Love from A to Z #1

Author: S.K. Ali

Published: Salaam Reads, April 30, 2019

Pages: 358

Genre: YA Fiction

A 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.

While this was not at all what I was expecting, I did enjoy it! Which maybe isn't the right word. Maybe this book is a marvel and an oddity. It certainly contains them, and boy do they tell you about it. 

As a story-telling device, I thought the marvels and oddities focus in the book was well done. But I did have to keep reminding myself that this is a YA book. The innocence was refreshing, but also didn't feel authentic at times. I'm not sure if that is just a lived experience difference or not. 

The social justice demands in this book were beautifully laid out. While you're reading about these two adorable kids falling for each other, you're not allowed to look away from the very real prejudices and injustices that they have and will face. And you get to see things from the lens of Zayneb, a young Muslim woman who wears a hijab and grew up in the US. And the lens of Adam, a young Muslim man who has south Asian ancestry so doesn't necessarily read as Muslim on first sight. And how even those two lenses can be so different when talking about Islamophobia. 

Both of these kids are on heavy journeys in this book. Zayneb is dealing with aggressive Islamophobia from a teacher at her school. To the point where the man is determined to keep her from going to college. Adam is dealing with a newly diagnosed chronic illness. The same illness that his mother died from ten years before. It is wild to me that the book was so sweet, and equally so triggering. It was a fine line to tread and the author nailed it. 

Ratings

Stars: 4/5