Read on Twitter
Last day of Ramadan I’m gonna make a thread about my favourite read of the year (or maybe ever): Love From A to Z by @SajidahWrites .
Ngl first time I saw it I judged it to be just another Hala-type book, boy was I ever wrong.
Ngl first time I saw it I judged it to be just another Hala-type book, boy was I ever wrong.
First off, the aesthetic. We know #RepresentationMatters but we know that BIPOC youth rarely get to see themselves in the media. This cover hit me different.
#RepresentationMatters because we are the only people who will truly understand ourselves. Why are the two characters looking so comfortable but still standing a foot apart? #halalgap that’s why 
The first thing that struck me was how comfortably @SajidahWrites portrayed their ethnic backgrounds. Zeyneb is a mixed race American, half south Asian and half West Indian. Adam is a Chinese-Canadian. What struck me though was that they’re both third-gen
I feel like a lot of work is dedicated to the second gen narrative, as it should be. Being a third gen mixed race myself, I know that the media hasn’t quite caught up to the fact that there are so many of us out there. But @SajidahWrites has
Then there’s just stuff that no one else could get. Like this. Why do we keep buying hijabs? no one knows but we just do.
no one knows but we just do.
Talking about jinns and unseen beings? That’s something so ingrained in many Muslims’ daily lives but we don’t have the freedom to express that to the wider audience. I found a piece of myself on that page.
Our names and words, hiding behind “difficult to pronounce,” rarely get to shine.
As well as certain habits to be found in Muslim communities. The only narrative we see is “fell in love with a boy, had to sneak around and can’t tell my parents.” Are those real stories that deserve to be told? Yes. Are they the only narratives? No!
Toxic masculinity and the constant judgement Muslims, especially women, feel? YASSS, portrayed in a way which hits home for many of us.
AND THIS!!!!!!! Breaking down stereotypes about women’s roles in Islam IN A MAINSTREAM PUBLISHED BOOK!!!!!!
Touching upon the mishmash we face as religion gets mixed up with the negative aspects of culture, usually internalized after centuries of oppression and colonialism.
“You need to chill out.” “Why is everything such a big deal?” “Just calm down”. Pretty much every WOC hears this stuff regularly and here we find this heroine exploring it with us.
Another thing I liked was the presence of converts in the book. Adam and his dad both converted to Islam, as did Zeyneb’s mother. An underrepresented group in the Muslim narrative, I was happy to see that esp having a convert parent myself.
This book also explores how Zeyneb, a visible Muslim, and Adam, who does not appear to be Muslim, face Islamophobia. Adam gets strange looks from other Muslims for not “looking Muslim,” while Zeyneb experiences racism, sexism and hate several times.
I loved how the concept about privilege was explored in the book, with Adam and Zeyneb having several discussions about it throughout.
What’s more, the concept of romantic relationships was, imo, exactly the way it should be. No toxic behavioural patterns, no looking for love to “heal trauma,” no stupid misunderstandings. Both Adam and Zeyneb are respectful, willing to communicate
And explore differing opinions. They’re different in so many ways, but they teach each other about themselves in a deep and meaningful way.
I could go on and on, but I’m sure you know why #LovefromAtoZ is officially my fave book, so much so that I actually bought Zeyneb’s sandals which I used to hate because they looked like bathroom slippers changed my mind now.
which I used to hate because they looked like bathroom slippers changed my mind now.
