All-American Muslim Girl

By Nadine Jolie Courtney

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: November 12, 2019

All-American Muslim Girl is a relevant, relatable story of being caught between two worlds, and the struggles and hard-won joys of finding your place.

Inspired by her own experience, as a blond-haired, green-eyed Muslim of Circassian descent, Nadine Jolie Courtney has written “a love letter to Islam,” a compelling novel of a 16-year-old girl who decides on her own to embrace her Muslim heritage.

During her family’s frequent moves around the country, as her father pursues a career as an American history professor, Allie Abraham has been encouraged by her dad not to let people know she’s from a Muslim family. With the reddish-blond hair, hazel eyes and pale skin common in people of Circassian descent, Allie has always been able to stay under the radar, to “pass.” Her father, who moved to the U.S. at 18 to go to college, goes by Mo rather than Muhammad, is not a religious man and has never encouraged Allie to learn Arabic (which means she can’t communicate with many of her relatives including her beloved grandmother). An only child, Allie has always been close to her father but fearing his disapproval, she hides her new interest in her faith, secretly buying a Qu’ran, joining a prayer group and studying Arabic…

Source: The Buffalo News