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Reviewed by: Kathy Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: This Book Won't Burn
Author: Samira Ahmed
Publisher: Little Brown and Co.
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 9-12 Genre/Type of Book: LGBTQ+ romance
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Book censorship, racism, and homophobia
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I read Internment, Ahmed's first book, and loved it.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Use your fREADom to read this book, a critical book for this time and this climate.
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Review:
This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed, is at it’s core, a book about overcoming adversity. But expands from just being a story about a young girl and her family trying to come to terms with their father’s abandonment, to a young girl who believes in the freedom to read, that books speak to us all and all the stories that they tell are essential, and that no one should have the right to tell other people what is or is not appropriate. Noor is a senior in high school. She and her desi/Muslin family are seemingly happy with their lives in Chicago. Her father is a lawyer who believes in justice and helping social causes. Her mother is a college professor. Together they teach Noor and her younger sister, Amal, the importance of standing up for what you believe in. Life is good, until it is not. One day, out of the blue, their father leaves a note saying that he is leaving, he can’t do it anymore, and heads back to London to live. This crushes the family, especially Noor, who was very close to her dad. Mid-way through Noor’s senior year her mother accepts a job at a college in a Chicago suburb, moving Noor at the end of her senior year. Her mother, at this point is seriously struggling with her husband's abandonment and is more of an absentee parent to Noor and Amal…leaving Noor to take care of heartbroken Amal.
The new school starts off a not too bad…Noor is surprised that she meets two friends right away. Another desi/Muslim, Faiz, and Juniper, who identifies as gay. All three are minorities in this predominately white, Christian school. Originally her plan was to keep her head down and get through the year, so friends are a pleasant surprise. However, Noor quickly learns that the librarian has been tasked with removing books from the library that parents have objected to…there is a group in town that is a nod to “Moms for Liberty.” They are active, and the school has a very conservative principal and school board. Noor learns that 500 titles have been removed from the shelf for “review.” The librarian is young, newly hired, and doing her best to tow the line, but tries to get students the books they need. She offers them QR codes to the Brooklyn public library, which has an amazing collection of YA titles anyone can check out. Noor and her friends are aghast at this tragedy, as most of the books being reviewed are by black, brown, or LGBQIA authors, or have content that is considered “grooming” or pornographic. Noor quickly speaks out and just as quickly feels the wrath of the principal and the BOE president. Both warn her not to poke the bull as she might get horned. Her mother just wants her to keep her head down and get through the year until graduation. Noor gets frustrated with her mother’s apathy. There are several mother/daughter confrontations that ring very true.
As the three friends find ways to work around the school policy, they garner support from students and community members who also disagree with the very powerful, conservative faction in this community. And of course, Noor begins to have feelings for Faiz…but also for Andrew, whose stepfather is the conservative president of the BOE who is spear-heading the book bans in this community. As you can imagine, chaos ensues. Being firmly on team Faiz, I got very frustrated with Noor’s waffling and her attraction to Andrew!!! I also got frustrated with her mother’s apathy and was glad when she finally shakes off her fog and gets back in the game! The secondary characters are very well developed. I loved Noor’s younger, wiser sister! The dialog in the book is quick, sharp, and often very witty. There are some wonderful literary references, which would make this book a great choice for the ELA curriculum. It could pair nicely with Fahrenheit 451. I love Noor’s resilience and willingness to fight for what’s right. The ending is very satisfying. Ahmed alludes to the law in Illinois disallowing book banning…and since this book was printed, that laws has passed.
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