Love, Hate, and Other Filters

Maya is an Indian Muslim teen who lives in suburban Chicago.  She's a senior who's applied to colleges and is ready to start the next chapter of her life.  But her vision of that future is different from what her parents want. 

Maya, who loves film, and never goes anywhere with out her camera, dreams of going to NYU to study film, but she knows her parents won't have it.  She's been accepted but hasn't told them yet.  And right now, she wants to just work at the bookstore and spend time with Phil, the boy she's crushed on since middle school.  Phil and Maya end up spending time together over spring break, and this new friendship is something Maya never imagined would finally happen at this point senior year. 

Maya's parents, however, would love for her to stay closer to home for college and to date and eventually marry a Muslim boy from a good family and background. 

Then, a horrible tragedy occurs and Maya's plans are turned upside down.  This book was incredible.  Each chapter begins with some small snippets from another plot line, and Maya narrates the chapters.  She's a smart, strong young woman dealing with a lot, when the tragedy adds even more to her plate.  This book shows readers what Maya as a young Muslim teen in a less diverse community has to deal with on a daily basis.  Maya's struggles with her parents highlight the tensions that come when the new generation wants something different.  This book shows readers how Maya deals with her normal life but how she has to deal with so much more because of some people's hatred for her religion.  Ahmed's book is incredible and I am also very interested in her next book, out March 2019, called Internment.