For Adam, Zayneb pushes him out of his often complacent safe zones.

The way the characters balance each other out – Although I’d argue that Zayneb is empathetic, she does have her blindspots and I think Adam helps her recognize these.

For Adam, he hasn’t experienced this kind of prejudice, but learns to open his eyes to the things that he might not have first-hand knowledge of. For Zayneb, her hijab is an immediate indicator of her religion and makes her a target more than Adam.

Centering two Muslim characters – I loved that our two leads had very different experiences being Muslim.

Adam struggles with his own diagnosis and the lingering fear that his fate might be the same as his mother’s. One of his goals is to make sure she has as many memories of their mother as possible, who passed when her MS took a fatal turn. Adam is such a kind character and I loved his relationship with his little sister Hanna.

Adam – I’ll always have a soft spot for soft boys.

That being said, Zayneb also begins to realize that she is only one person and she has to find that right balance between caring and self-care. Her anger is often justified and says more about her incredible capacity for empathy. Often times anger is depicted as a negative characteristic, but I loved that Zayneb’s anger isn’t where she begins and ends.

Zayneb – I feel a strong kinship to Zayneb and this has largely to do with how angry she is.

Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.Īdam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.Īlone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.įueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, ‘nicer’ version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how ‘bad’ Muslims are.īut Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad.

Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.Īn oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like potatoes-because they make French fries happen. **Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher which does not influence my review.

Love from a to z reviews