Saints & Misfits
Written by S.K. Ali
Published by Saalam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
There are three kinds of people in my world: 1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose. 2. Misfits, people who don’t belong. Like me the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad. Also, there’s Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Same planet, different worlds. But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right? 3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories. Like the monster at my mosque. People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. Except me.
Primary ISBN: 9781481499248
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
Young Adult, Age 15 or older
Community Represented: Muslim/Muslim American
Themes: Discrimination: Religious, Family Relationship: Parents, Generation: 1st, Multiracial Identity, Religious Background: Muslim
Setting: United States
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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