08/01/2022

Two Indian American teens grapple with cultural differences and the aftermath of an unplanned pregnancy in this thought-provoking novel by Khan (Zara Hossain Is Here). Eighteen-year-old Ayesha Hameed, who was born in the U.S. but raised in India, is finishing high school in the U.S. while living with her Salma Aunty and Hafeez Uncle in Bloomington, Ill. Far from her parents and feeling out of place in the predominately white town, Ayesha forms an immediate and intimate bond with Suresh, also of Indian heritage. When their relationship results in an unplanned pregnancy, Ayesha worries about jeopardizing her academic goals before eventually deciding that adoption is the right option for her. Seventeen years later, Ayesha’s daughter, Mira, raised by a kind white lesbian couple, finds a box of letters that Ayesha wrote to her while pregnant. Mira effectively assumes the narrative reins, diving deep into her birth mother’s past to unearth unexplored parts of her identity. Khan’s sincere prose, which capably flows from Ayesha’s perspective to Mira’s as each navigates her own emotionally turbulent circumstances, propels this compassionate story toward a hopeful conclusion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Hillary Jacobsen, ICM Partners. (Sept.)

Praise for Meet Me in Mumbai

“Thought-provoking . . . compassionate . . . hopeful.” – Publishers Weekly

"Meet Me in Mumbai is a heart-wrenching novel that is likely to inspire the full range of emotions in readers. The author has penned a diverse coming-of-age story of two teens, two decades apart, walking parallel, but unique paths and straddling different cultures and identities. . . . Author Sabina Khan’s complex work is simultaneously timely and timeless, weaving together strands of heartbreak, healing, culture, identity, family, love, and hope." — CM: Canadian Review of Materials, Highly recommended

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 Amazon Best Book of the Month for February

"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 and From Twinkle, With Love

"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

"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

08/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—Ayesha is a Muslim student sent by her parents from Mumbai, India, to Bloomington, IL, for her senior year to better her chances of attending Northwestern University. While she stays with her mom's cousin, Salma Aunty, she makes white friends at school but feels lonely for home. When she meets fellow Indian Suresh at a party, she finds comfort in his familiar accent and love of all things Bollywood. As they quickly develop a romantic relationship, Ayesha finds her grades slipping. The pressure of being the oldest daughter means she can't mess up with grades or anything else. While Suresh is in Mumbai visiting his ailing father, Ayesha discovers she is pregnant and feels she must keep it a secret from her family. Eighteen years later, Mira is searching for information about her birth mother. Although she loves the two white moms who adopted her, she wants to know more about her Indian roots. She stumbles upon a box containing some of Ayesha's belongings, which include loving letters and an invite to meet her at a fountain in Mumbai on her 18th birthday. Ayesha and Mira are both sympathetic and reflective characters facing major decisions at the same age. The writing is candid with an atmospheric tone that crosses both place and time. The ending seems a bit rushed with character interactions but provides a satisfying conclusion. VERDICT The dual narratives of Ayesha and Mira provide readers with a contemplative juxtaposition recommended for high school teens.—Lisa Krok

2022-03-29
Eighteen-year-old Mumbai native Ayesha Hameed is determined to make the best of her senior year, which she’s spending in Bloomington, Illinois, with her relatives Salma Aunty and Hafeez Uncle.

Although she dreams of academic success, Ayesha doesn’t count on falling in love with Suresh, a boy she has sex with during their secret Thanksgiving weekend alone at his house. Convinced that coming home to India pregnant and unmarried is not an option, Ayesha decides to give her baby up for adoption. The White lesbian couple that Ayesha chooses to raise her child allow Ayesha to move in with them and go to school in Houston for her final semester of high school—under the guise of attending a university prep program—so that she can hide her condition from her family. Years later, Ayesha’s now-teenage daughter—whom her adoptive mothers named Mira—discovers a box full of letters Ayesha wrote her while she was pregnant. They make Mira curious about both her Indian identity and birth mother. But can she explore her past without alienating the family who raised her? Told in two perspectives, this story is filled with action, leaving little room for the characters to fully process the emotional weight of the crises they experience. Consequently, both the characters and their relationships feel rushed and underdeveloped. Nevertheless, the narratorial voices are original, sincere, and frank.

An honest story about adoption and family. (Fiction. 14-18)