'Love, Hate & Other Filters' is a very promising book from a debut author - I am very excited to see what else Samira Ahmed has in store for readers.
'Love, Hate' is not a particularly subtle book - a compliment, I swear. Though it is a very sweet contemporary romance at its heart, it manages to tackle the racism and xenophobia that Maya faces every day, with especial focus on the Islamophobia that her family and community are faced with following a terrorist attack. It confronts these issues head-on, blatantly discussing how every aspect of Maya's life is affected by the prejudiced opinions of others - her love life, her education, and almost every interaction she has is coloured by the discrimination Maya, and those like her face.
And yet, despite the dark realities that Maya faces, this is still a beautiful and sweet contemporary romance. And I still have yet to figure out how Ahmed pulled this off without giving me vertigo due to the contrasting themes. Though, I suppose its because as a Muslim-American herself, she has had to overcome that vertigo herself.
I would definitely reccomend this book.
'Love, Hate' is not a particularly subtle book - a compliment, I swear. Though it is a very sweet contemporary romance at its heart, it manages to tackle the racism and xenophobia that Maya faces every day, with especial focus on the Islamophobia that her family and community are faced with following a terrorist attack. It confronts these issues head-on, blatantly discussing how every aspect of Maya's life is affected by the prejudiced opinions of others - her love life, her education, and almost every interaction she has is coloured by the discrimination Maya, and those like her face.
And yet, despite the dark realities that Maya faces, this is still a beautiful and sweet contemporary romance. And I still have yet to figure out how Ahmed pulled this off without giving me vertigo due to the contrasting themes. Though, I suppose its because as a Muslim-American herself, she has had to overcome that vertigo herself.
I would definitely reccomend this book.