Hello friends and happy April! I am so eager for spring and sunshine, this winter has felt so long. As the month is beginning, it is the perfect time to pick up a new book and get reading. For this months book club, I’m highlighting a spectacular read: The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan. This is an excellent and easy read for anyone interested in modern young adult literature.
This book tells the story of Rukhsana Ali, a high school student, raised in Seattle with strict and conservative muslim parents. She does her best to live up to their expectations but continually finds that harder to do. Rukhsana lives for the day when she graduates high school and moves away for college.
When her mother catches Rukhsana and her girlfriend, Ariana all hell breaks loose and her parents do their best to rein her in again. In the Bengali community, being gay is heavily shamed and her parents are frightened of how this will impact their reputation. Shortly after she is caught, Rukhsana’s parents rush her away to Bangladesh and begin introducing men for her to marry.
You have no idea how hard it is to constantly feel like you have to represent your entire culture.
– The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan.
I found this book to be bold and beautiful. It features such lovable characters. I found myself cheering Rukhsana and Ariana on as they navigated this frustrating reality of not being accepted.
On your next free afternoon, grab your reading buddy (for me that’s my mom!) bring this book to your favorite coffee shop and start reading. If it’s not this book, what are you reading this month?
PUBLICATION DETAILS: Scholastic Press; January 29th, 2019; 1338227017; Fiction/Young Adult