📚 Any Way You Look 📚
Author: Maleeha Siddiqui
Publisher: Scholastic
Age: 12+
Islamic Content: Hijab
Concerns: crushes, sexual harassment, removal of hijab
Summary:
Ainy is looking forward to summer break. Finally gets to work in her mom’s clothing store and spend her free time with her best friend.
Review:
My mbr teammates and their passion to discuss this book in our group chat had me running to the library to read this book. There is soo much to unpack here. It tackles such an important topic of sexual harrassment among pre-teens and what exactly it means and how to deal with it. Honestly, it is such a needed discussion that needs to happen with both genders in our community, especially in that age group. Hijab and modesty is a huge part of the discussion that happend in the storyline. I am so grateful to finally see a book that makes it clear that muslim women wear hijab to please Allah and follow his command that that it is an important part of our ibadah.
This book came so close to hit all the marks but honetly there was a lot of loose ends that I would have wanted to come to a close differently. Removal of some characters hijabs in a very ambigous way may have readers raise some questions. The discourse around hijab and modesty, in my opinion, could have used further discussion and clarifications. I wish faith, connection to Allah and/or salah played a bigger role in the story.
I would honestly suggest that the parents read this book first before handing it to their child to read so that some necessary critical discussions can happen afterwards.
I got my copy from the public library. Have you read it? Thoughts?
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