Publishers Weekly
01/29/2024
Debut author Rana explores Islamophobia and politics via a magical lens in this genre-bending novel set in post-9/11 America. Eighteen-year-old Pakistani American Nida Siddiqui is the niece of renowned poet Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh, who was incarcerated on trumped-up charges during the “war on terror.” On her way home from visiting him, Nida is violently and illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, during which her hijab is forcibly removed by law enforcement. In response, she writes a series of poems and journal entries, one of which goes viral after Nida’s notebook mysteriously disappears. Suddenly, her quiet life is upended: she’s accused of defaming the candidate, and her uncle loses legal representation. When Nida realizes that she’s cursed (“Did Allah do this to me?”) to never write again, she is forced to choose between the safety of silence or the power of her voice. Through a mixture of verse and occasionally didactic prose, Rana effectively portrays the friction between religious freedom and state-sponsored secularism, underpinned by discussion surrounding wrongful incarceration and xenophobia. The result is a thought-provoking and provocative novel about faith, family, and friendship. Ages 13–up. (Feb.)
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"A thought-provoking and provocative novel about faith, family, and friendship." - Publishers Weekly
“Prose and poetry weave together seamlessly in a BEAUTIFUL AND IMPORTANT story about the power of words. A MUST READ for everyone.” - Kristin Dwyer, critically acclaimed author of Some Mistakes Were Made
"In Sarah Mughal Rana's scintillating debut, poetry moves through every page, from the deftly melodic prose to the rawly furious verses scattered between. Hope Ablaze is a POIGNANT, HONEST tale of two Americas, contrasting the warmth of community with the brutality of the institutions that seek to suppress it. Rana doesn't hold back, and the reader smiles at the touching relationships, laughs at the hilarious banter, salivates over the rich cuisine, yearns to bridge the generational divide, critically examines age-old systems rooted in prejudice, and cries out for justice along with her. The overarching theme throughout centers on the power of words to wound, to heal, to start a revolution—and Rana has done all of that in this EXQUISITE, LIFE-CHANGING story. A must-read." - Thea Guanzon, New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars
“FIERCE, POIGNANT, AND BRIMMING WITH HOPE, Sarah Mughal Rana has woven a powerful tale about a poet standing up against injustice. Hope Ablaze is an UNFORGETTABLE book.” - June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace
"Sarah Mughal Rana weaves a POWERFUL AND INSPIRING tale in Hope Ablaze that explores the courageous journey of a young Muslim girl poet amidst the shadows of Islamophobia. Through EVOCATIVE PROSE, she navigates the challenges and triumphs of identity, amplifying the voices that are often silenced. This poignant narrative serves as A TESTAMENT TO THE RESILIENCE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT and the transformative power of art in the face of adversity." - Zoulfa Katouh, author of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
"FIERCE, BRILLIANT, AND UNAPOLOGETIC, Hope Ablaze is a bright-burning star of a novel. Seamlessly and assuredly weaving together prose and poetry, Rana tackles Islamophobia, racism, and generational trauma with authentic nuance and terrific heart. AN INCREDIBLE, UNMISSABLE DEBUT." - Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi
"This is the kind of book you fill with bookmarks because you’ll want to return to its pages over and over. GRIPPING AND STIRRING IN EQUAL PARTS, Hope Ablaze inspires both tears and hope as it takes apart a teenager’s life and examines the struggle that so many immigrants face—should you stay silent in your attempts to fit in?" - Andrea Stewart, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Drowning Empire trilogy
School Library Journal
02/01/2024
Gr 7 Up—Nida Siddiqui is a Pakistani American Muslim teen navigating between her passion as an activist poet and her mother's fear for her safety. While praying in the park, she is accosted by police and local political candidate Mitchell Wilson, then frisked for being a "threat" simply because she wears a hijab. Her dignity unraveled, Nida pours her rage onto the page via a private poetry letter in her journal to Wilson. Unbeknownst to her, someone sends it to a national poetry contest, which she wins, and the poem goes viral. The problem is, her uncle Mamou has been wrongfully incarcerated for years, accused of terrorism as a result of his protest poetry. Meanwhile, the seamy Wilson threatens a lawsuit, and the media has a heyday correlating Nida with Mamou. While Mamou sees his niece's poetry as an honor, Amma views it as a curse—leaving the teen struggling to find her identity on her own terms. In a hybrid of verse and prose, Rana's debut fervently tackles Islamophobia, racism, systemic oppression, incarceration, and consent. Elements of magical realism are introduced in a banal way that reads more literal than magical. An extended dream sequence provides a clunky backstory that is at odds with the journey of Nida's character. Myths about what Muslim terms such as "jihad" mean are dispelled by the author in a logical fashion that may help open some eyes to how they have been twisted by Western culture. VERDICT A valiant attempt that just misses the mark; a secondary purchase for teen collections.—Lisa Krok
Kirkus Reviews
2023-11-17
A Pakistani American girl’s commitment to her family’s legacy of resistance poetry is put to the test.
Eighteen-year-old Nida Siddiqui keeps quiet about her aspirations as a poet—“to be accepted outside the bubble” of her community. Her political poetry, performed at a local Muslim venue and a national all-Muslim tournament, makes her mother fear for her safety; Nida’s uncle has been incarcerated on terrorism charges after going viral with his radical poetry. When Nida prays in a public park before a rally for a Democratic Senate candidate, she’s perceived as a potential terrorist by police, treated with scorn by the officers and the politician, and has her hijab yanked off. Unbeknownst to her, someone enters the scathing poem she writes in response in a contest. She wins, the poem makes the news, and the politician threatens to sue her for defamation and slander. Nida spirals into doubts about her poetry, family legacy, and the best way to handle the controversy in relation to her Muslim community. Using a mix of free verse and prose and blending realism with fabulism, Rana explores themes of wrongful incarceration and systemic Islamophobia. Unfortunately, the poetry is often repetitive and lacks emotional resonance, while the magical elements are too literal to be effective. The author attempts to weave Nida’s family history into political events, but the portrayal of her growth remains unconvincing.
An ambitious premise that falters in its execution. (Fiction. 13-18)
