25 Apr / Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh [in Library Journal]
On September 11, 2001, 9-year-old Amani Al-Khatahtbeh should have been enjoying Yearbook Day at her New Jersey elementary school. Instead, “[t]hat day has become crystallized in my memory,” Al-Kahatahtbeh writes – and narrates, “not just for how harrowingly scary it [was] – how we didn’t know what would come after that – but also because I deeply believe that my generation of Muslim millennials, has…come to be defined by it.”
With raw emotion infused with remarkable control, Al-Khatahtbeh narrates her own story, underscoring how “9/11 never ended for us” – the slurs, the discrimination, and the targeting. She bears witness with devastating insight – her vulnerable yet determined voice adding further gravitas – to the defining moments that led to her founding MuslimGirl.com, a successful social media platform dedicated to “pioneering our own paths as Muslim women living in today’s society.”
Verdict: In the current climate of threatening immigration bans and civil rights violations, Muslim Girl is essential reading on the page or in the ears.
Review: modified from “Audio,” Library Journal, April 15, 2017
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2016