Scan barcode
A review by utopiastateofmind
Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The main reason I loved Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is Jasmine. Hands down. She's a main character who I absolutely empathized with throughout the book. As someone who grew up in a very small minority - like a under ten Asian students in my high school - I felt the ways in which she laughs off the jokes, makes herself feel small, all in order to fit in. It gave me serious flashbacks. How you can either speak out about something you don't even know how you feel about yet, or also sit in silence with that feeling in your stomach.
All the ways it's up to each of us to figure out how we toe the line. When we decide it's important to speak out. Even more so, what makes Jasmine even more relatable is the ways her lies, omissions, catch up to her. Because while we're in the moment, we always think we will have time to fix it, that we can avoid that disaster. Throughout Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win, Jasmine has to figure out what her success is worth to her. The foundation of this story is her character development. If she will make her platform about how much she is 'just like them' while forgetting the struggles of her family or even the lack of nuance.
The main reason I loved Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is Jasmine. Hands down. She's a main character who I absolutely empathized with throughout the book. As someone who grew up in a very small minority - like a under ten Asian students in my high school - I felt the ways in which she laughs off the jokes, makes herself feel small, all in order to fit in. It gave me serious flashbacks. How you can either speak out about something you don't even know how you feel about yet, or also sit in silence with that feeling in your stomach.
All the ways it's up to each of us to figure out how we toe the line. When we decide it's important to speak out. Even more so, what makes Jasmine even more relatable is the ways her lies, omissions, catch up to her. Because while we're in the moment, we always think we will have time to fix it, that we can avoid that disaster. Throughout Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win, Jasmine has to figure out what her success is worth to her. The foundation of this story is her character development. If she will make her platform about how much she is 'just like them' while forgetting the struggles of her family or even the lack of nuance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Islamophobia