Praise for Zara Hossain Is Here:
Featured in The New York Times
* "[Zara Hossain Is Here ] establishes Khan as a powerful rising voice in YA." —Booklist , starred review
"Fans of Samira Ahmed, Tahereh Mafi, and Randa Abdel-Fattah will find Khan's powerful work timely and affecting." —School Library Journal
"Khan's examination of the legal difficulties many immigrants face on their road to citizenship, and the precariousness of the immigrant experience more generally, fortify this timely novel." —Teen Vogue
* "Khan unapologetically tackles prejudice in its various manifestations while simultaneously engaging openly with the complexities of accountability. The myriad forms of oppression the most vulnerable face in our society intersect in the character of Zara, challenging readers to ask what it means for some to feel at home in a country whose systems feel built to exclude them. A vivid account exploring issues many immigrant teens face." —Kirkus Reviews , starred review
"Khan creates a gripping story line centering the conflict between prejudice and tolerance." —Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali:
Featured on NBC News and the BBC
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Teen Indie Next List Pick (IndieBound)
An ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Young Adult Readers Book
A Rainbow Book List Top Ten Book of the Year
"An intersectional, diverse coming of age story that will break your heart in the best way." —Bustle
* "With an up-close depiction of the intersection of the LGBTQIA+ community with Bengali culture, this hard-hitting and hopeful story is a must-purchase for any YA collection." —School Library Journal , starred review
"This book will break your heart and then, chapter by chapter, piece it back together again. A much-needed addition to any YA shelf." —Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi
"Heart-wrenching yet hopeful, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali is an insightful and honest look at the tangled web of identity, culture, familial loyalty, and love. Sabina Khan crafts a powerful, poignant story about finding yourself, about speaking your truth, and about stepping out of the shadows and into the light." —Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate and Other Filters and Internment
"A daring and timely novel, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali delves head-and-heart-first into the universal complexities of navigating duty and desire, tradition and modernity, and friends and family—the one we are born into and the one we choose; the friends who are family, and the family we strive to befriend—all through the prism of multicultured identity. Political, personal, page-turning. Sabina Khan is one to watch." —Tanuja Desai Hidier, author of Born Confused and Bombay Blues
"Bold, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. A story that will stay with you for years to come." —Sara Farizan, Lambda Award-winning author of If You Could Be Mine
"The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali unapologetically explores the complex ties between families, friends, and intersectional diversity. Khan brings talent and voice in this brilliant novel that will keep you reading until the very last page." —Nisha Sharma, author of My So-Called Bollywood Life
"[The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali ] takes LGBTQ fiction to another level and will help open readers' eyes to the realities that many face in these changing times." —Shelf Awareness
03/15/2021
As the only Muslim student at her Corpus Christi, Tex., high school, Zara Hossain, 17, faces microaggressions every day but cannot allow herself to show her frustration. She and her family are Pakistani immigrants and have been waiting almost nine years for the end of the torturously long approval process for American green cards; any justice she seeks would threaten that goal. When Tyler Benson—the local white “golden boy” and a leading instigator of Islamophobia among her classmates—vandalizes her locker with racist graffiti, Zara rightfully pursues his suspension. But Zara’s decision to speak out about the racism she experiences has staggering consequences: not only for her own family, but also throughout their close-knit, white community. Zara’s affectionate relationship with her parents results in a refreshingly non-stereotypical reception to her bisexuality, and a same-sex romance with a “queer Catholic” girl enables a deeper exploration of the intersection between white privilege and religion. The prose at times lacks adequate description, inhibiting readers’ full immersion into the narrative, but Khan (The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali ) creates a gripping story line centering the conflict between prejudice and tolerance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, ICM Partners. (Apr.)
04/01/2021
Gr 8 Up— High school senior Zara Hossain would prefer to be preoccupied with the cute girl in her social justice club instead of the nasty student at school who hurls racist comments at her. Zara's nervous to mention the hateful behavior to her parents, especially as she and her family are anxiously awaiting the green cards they've been promised for years—which should be arriving within months. Soon tensions escalate and violence erupts, forcing Zara to wrestle with the emotional, legal, and political consequences of the incident. This is a heart-wrenching look at Dreamers and immigrants who establish lives in the United States that highlights what they leave behind, what they risk, and how living with an uncertain future can take a toll. Zara's loving family and friends—the network the Hossains have formed during their years in the United States—are a highlight, making the choices Zara is faced with all the more heart-wrenching. This is an unblinking examination of identity, home, and where a bisexual Pakistani teen without a green card might fit in. VERDICT This emotional look at belonging and identity will make readers consider what it means to be home. Perfect for fans of Erika L. Sánchez and Mitali Perkins.—Elissa Bongiorno, Washington, DC
Narrator Richa Moorjani’s heartfelt voice elegantly balances teen antics like crushing on someone and hanging out with friends and the serious complications of living in a racist society. In this current coming-of-age story, Zara and her family—who’ve been waiting for years for their green cards to be approved—struggle with the repercussions of her peers’ racist actions. Although listeners might find Moorjani’s tone to be a bit detached at first, her individual characters are unique and dynamic. Zara sounds confident and passionate. While her father comes across as steady, loving, and intense, her mother sounds softer, more worried. With all these unique characters, Moorjani demonstrates an engaging energy, drawing listeners into a riveting and touching story filled with rich personalities and experiences. E.J.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator Richa Moorjani’s heartfelt voice elegantly balances teen antics like crushing on someone and hanging out with friends and the serious complications of living in a racist society. In this current coming-of-age story, Zara and her family—who’ve been waiting for years for their green cards to be approved—struggle with the repercussions of her peers’ racist actions. Although listeners might find Moorjani’s tone to be a bit detached at first, her individual characters are unique and dynamic. Zara sounds confident and passionate. While her father comes across as steady, loving, and intense, her mother sounds softer, more worried. With all these unique characters, Moorjani demonstrates an engaging energy, drawing listeners into a riveting and touching story filled with rich personalities and experiences. E.J.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
★ 2021-01-12
Contrary to assumptions, Zara’s family is wholly accepting of her bisexuality. Instead, it’s her girlfriend Chloe’s Christian family that’s having a hard time coming to terms with their daughter’s sexuality. Zara knows how to navigate the racism of her Catholic school classmates, but when bully Tyler starts harassing Maria, a new student from Colombia, she can’t stay silent—and Tyler wants revenge. After the family awakens one night to find a racist message defacing their garage, Abbu, Zara’s father, immediately heads to Tyler’s house, certain he is the perpetrator. In a twisted set of events, Abbu is shot by Tyler’s father, winding up in a coma while facing criminal charges for trespassing. The incident does more than just rattle the family: It directly threatens Abbu’s employment, their immigration status, and the notion that the U.S. could ever be a safe home. Khan unapologetically tackles prejudice in its various manifestations—anti-immigration, homophobia, Islamophobia—while simultaneously engaging openly with the complexities of accountability. The myriad forms of oppression the most vulnerable face in our society intersect in the character of Zara, challenging readers to ask what it means for some to feel at home in a country whose systems feel built to exclude them.
A vivid account exploring issues many immigrant teens face. (Fiction. 13-18)
