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A review by serendipitysbooks
Take It Back by Kia Abdullah
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Take it Back is my first 5 star read of 2021. It is set in the UK and begins with 16 year old Jodie, a white girl with a severe facial deformity accusing four young Black Muslim men of rape. Zara is a former high-powered lawyer who supports her through the legal process. Zara also happens to be Black and Muslim.
I was blown away by how deftly Kia Abdullah weaves so many strands together in the plot - race, class, religion, disability, culture, addiction, bullying, prejudice, the legal system, immigration, normative beauty standards, sexism, the role of the media, women’s position in society, toxic masculinity and so much more. Even better is that it is all done in such a nuanced way. This is not a book where everything is wrapped up neatly. Instead it has a couple of believable plot twists that force the the reader to sit with a lot of uncomfortable questions.
A thought-provoking, compulsively readable book that touches on many social justice issues.
“Am I supposed to put my religion ahead of the fact that I’m a woman? Do I owe more loyalty to Islam than a girl who has been victimised?”
I was blown away by how deftly Kia Abdullah weaves so many strands together in the plot - race, class, religion, disability, culture, addiction, bullying, prejudice, the legal system, immigration, normative beauty standards, sexism, the role of the media, women’s position in society, toxic masculinity and so much more. Even better is that it is all done in such a nuanced way. This is not a book where everything is wrapped up neatly. Instead it has a couple of believable plot twists that force the the reader to sit with a lot of uncomfortable questions.
A thought-provoking, compulsively readable book that touches on many social justice issues.
“Am I supposed to put my religion ahead of the fact that I’m a woman? Do I owe more loyalty to Islam than a girl who has been victimised?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Islamophobia