Logo image
  • BookDragon
  • About
  • The Blogger
  • Review Policy
  • Smithsonian APAC
 
46532
post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-46532,single-format-standard,stardust-core-1.1,stardust-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,stardust-theme-ver-3.1,ajax_updown_fade,page_not_loaded,smooth_scroll

BookDragon Blog

03 Mar / All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney [in School Library Journal]

For Allie Abraham, “hiding is easy: reddish-blond hair, pale skin, hazel eyes,” in other words – white. That she looks “textbook Circassian…from the Caucasus region. (Hey, they don’t call it Caucasian for nothing),” is her ethnic inheritance from her immigrant Circassian Jordanian history professor father. He’s Muslim, as is her mother, an American psychologist who converted when they married, but they raised Allie without religion.

After multiple moves, the family finally seems settled in Providence, just north of Atlanta, and Allie appears content to be an all-American girl who might even be ready for her first romance. But as Islamophobia – from microaggressions to vitriolic racism – expands, Allie’s reaction is to eschew passing and actively pursue the cultural, linguistic, and religious heritage she feels she missed.

Perennially youthfully voiced Priya Ayyar embodies Allie’s journey with empathic insight, from quiet frustration to careful confrontations, from calm devotion to vocal confidence. She’s as affecting with Allie’s detractors, from ignorant strangers to unexpected opponents – including her new boyfriend’s father who turns out to be a bigot.

Verdict: Versatile narrator Ayyar adroitly amplifies an already resonant novel.

Review: “Audio,” School Library Journal, March 1, 2020

Readers: Young Adult

Published: 2020

By Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race, Jordanian American, Repost, Young Adult Readers Tags > All-American Muslim Girl, Assimilation, BookDragon, Coming-of-age, Cultural exploration, Family, Friendship, Identity, Immigration, Love, Mixed-race issues, Nadine Jolie Courtney, Parent/child relationship, Priya Ayyar, Religious differences, School Library Journal
No Comment

Post a Comment
Cancel Reply

Smithsonian Institution
Asian Pacific American Center

Capital Gallery, Suite 7065
600 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20024

202.633.2691 | APAC@si.edu

Additional contact info

Mailing Address
Capital Gallery
Suite 7065, MRC: 516
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012

Fax: 202.633.2699

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

SmithsonianAPA brings Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture to you through innovative museum experiences and digital initiatives.

About BookDragon

Welcome to BookDragon, filled with titles for the diverse reader. BookDragon is a new media initiative of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), and serves as a forum for those interested in learning more about the Asian Pacific American experience through literature. BookDragon is inhabited by Terry Hong.

Learn More

Contact BookDragon

Please email us at SIBookDragon@gmail.com

Follow BookDragon!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Looking for Something Else …?

or