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A review by lostinfrance
Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
3.0
I grabbed this book off the ARC shelf...YA, written by an Indian American writer? Yes, please.
I am always on the search of YA books I can use in the classroom (ok, so I don't teach high school at the moment, but I still....like to be aware!) or recommend to students.
This is the story of a Muslim Indian girl who is growing up in the United States, struggling with staying true to her culture (and parents ideals) and her dreams/life in the US. It is also the story of a teen girl who has crushes on boys, parties (that she can't go to) with friends, problems with ex-girlfriends...etc. Maya meets a great Indian guy--- that she doesn't fall for and crushes on a "all American football player" that ends up asking her out. She can't go to Prom, but she can fall in love--- and yes, this book is full of teenage problems. The story is sweet and easy to get pulled into and I enjoyed the story if you kept a few feet away from specific details.
My problems were the author's attempts to make it "controversial" and talk about Muslims being perceived as terrorists. Some parts worked, others did not--- I felt the every other brief chapter about the "other" person was a bit too superficial. Maya's random comments about the racism around her (the first one especially) were a bit forced. I think it should have either been a part of the book through out...or not brought up so randomly. I was looking forward to reading a book with candid observations of America at this time, but instead it was a back seat and often contrived moments. I really wanted this perspective of the book to be more profound and help the book separate from all the John Green, sick-mo, weird YA that keeps popping up these days....sadly it fails.
Read if you enjoy YA and enjoy reading stories to show culture clashing--- but don't expect anything profound or new.
2019 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book with "love" in the title.
I am always on the search of YA books I can use in the classroom (ok, so I don't teach high school at the moment, but I still....like to be aware!) or recommend to students.
This is the story of a Muslim Indian girl who is growing up in the United States, struggling with staying true to her culture (and parents ideals) and her dreams/life in the US. It is also the story of a teen girl who has crushes on boys, parties (that she can't go to) with friends, problems with ex-girlfriends...etc. Maya meets a great Indian guy--- that she doesn't fall for and crushes on a "all American football player" that ends up asking her out. She can't go to Prom, but she can fall in love--- and yes, this book is full of teenage problems. The story is sweet and easy to get pulled into and I enjoyed the story if you kept a few feet away from specific details.
My problems were the author's attempts to make it "controversial" and talk about Muslims being perceived as terrorists. Some parts worked, others did not--- I felt the every other brief chapter about the "other" person was a bit too superficial. Maya's random comments about the racism around her (the first one especially) were a bit forced. I think it should have either been a part of the book through out...or not brought up so randomly. I was looking forward to reading a book with candid observations of America at this time, but instead it was a back seat and often contrived moments. I really wanted this perspective of the book to be more profound and help the book separate from all the John Green, sick-mo, weird YA that keeps popping up these days....sadly it fails.
Read if you enjoy YA and enjoy reading stories to show culture clashing--- but don't expect anything profound or new.
2019 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book with "love" in the title.