{"product_id":"9781481499248","title":"Saints and Misfits","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eSaints and Misfits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): S. K. Ali\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e William C. Morris Award Finalist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAn \u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly \u003c\/i\u003eBest YA Book of 2017\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSaints and Misfits\u003c\/i\u003e is a “timely and authentic” (\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review) debut novel that feels like a modern day \u003ci\u003eMy So-Called Life\u003c\/i\u003e…starring a Muslim teen.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are three kinds of people in my world:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e1. 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e2. 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAlso, 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLike the monster at my mosque.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePeople think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eExcept me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e*\"Ali pens a touching exposition of a girl's evolution from terrified victim to someone who knows she's worthy of support and is brave enough to get it. Set in a multicultural Muslim family, this book is long overdue, a delight for readers who will recognize the culture and essential for those unfamiliar with Muslim experiences. This quiet read builds to a satisfying conclusion; readers will be glad to make space in their hearts—and bookshelves—for Janna Yusuf.\"\u003cbr\u003e*\"This timely and authentic portrayal is an indisputable purchase in the realistic fiction category.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e*\"Ali’s debut offers a much-needed, important perspective in Janna, whose Muslim faith is pivotal but far from the only part of her multifaceted identity. . . . For readers unfamiliar with Muslim traditions, Ali offers plenty of context clues and explanations, though she always keeps the story solidly on Janna’s struggle to maintain friendships, nurse a crush, deal with bullies and predatory people in her life, and discover her own strength in the process. A wide variety of readers will find solidarity with Janna, and not just ones who wear a hijab.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] sympathetic and thoughtful study of a girl’s attempt to find her place in a complicated world.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"Ali brings to life a nuanced intersection of culture, identity, and independence as Janna endures the typicalities of high school and the particularities of her evolving home life alongside the insidious impingement of rape culture. Readers will cheer Janna’s eventual empowerment.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"[R]eaders . . .will appreciate Janna’s finding of a way to embrace her anger, receive support, and keep her faith. \"\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eSaints and Misfits \u003c\/i\u003eis an engaging portrayal of a young woman and the abundance of differing, loving people who make up her extended family.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781481499248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Salaam Reads \/ Simon \u0026 Schuster Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40964265115854,"sku":"9781481499248","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_dfb6035f-5f9c-485e-8167-a5cfb61cc15d.jpg?v=1646431801","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781481499248","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}