by Huda Fahmy
First published 2021
Huda faces a new challenge when her family relocates to Dearborn, Michigan. This small town hosts a large Muslim community, but that creates unexpected problems for her. In her previous town, she could join the Muslim clique and find her place easily. Here, everyone shares her faith, so those simple social divisions don't exist. She watches other Muslim girls who seem to have clear identities. Some focus on sports, others on fashion, still others on gaming. Huda doesn't fit any of these categories. She experiments with different friend groups and tries to adopt various personas, hoping something will click. Each attempt feels forced and uncomfortable. The pressure to define herself intensifies as she navigates this new environment where being Muslim isn't enough to guarantee belonging. Through her struggles, Huda learns that authenticity matters more than fitting into predetermined categories.
Genres: family-life, coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Dearborn, Michigan
Period: 21st-century
192 pages · Hardcover · Dial Books