April 15, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* In the not-too-far-off future, abortion is illegal in Texas, and clinics disguised as itinerant food trucks provide services clandestinely. Not only are the drugs for medical abortions banned, but any hormonal medication is also banned, affecting women going through menopause, some cancer patients, and those seeking IVF treatment. Even miscarriages are suspect. Against this backdrop, two Muslim teens and best friends, Laylah and Noor, are compiling a teenager's guide to abortion. Noor does not know it, but Laylah, headed to a premed program, is in need the resources in the guide. Laylah tries to keep her predicament to herself, but once it's out, she is helped and supported by a curious assortment of allies. The two girls are perfect contrasts--Laylah has her life planned down to the minute, while Noor is impulsive and open to opportunities that might arise--but despite their differences, they are devoted in their friendship. The serious subject matter includes a section where Laylah's grandmother relates her experiences during the 1976 forced sterilization program in India. At the same time, Yasmin leavens the story with sparkling humor and warmth. Laylah and Noor are the stars of the novel, but the well-rounded secondary characters are not far behind. This is a smart and beautifully written book, with a plot pulled from the front page of any newspaper. Helpful resources are included in the back matter.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
June 1, 2024
Two Muslim high schoolers seek to help other teens access safe abortions in this fiction debut by medical doctor and journalist Yasmin. In a Texas where abortion is illegal and anyone attempting to get one (or help someone else get one) risks imprisonment, best friends Laylah Khan and Noor Awad are determined to write an "inclusive, straightforward, and helpful guide" for teens who need to find an abortion clinic. Indian American Laylah, who's a practicing Muslim, wants to go to medical school and specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Palestinian American Noor wants to become a journalist; she identifies as pansexual and culturally Muslim. Alternating chapters from the girls' points of view capture their thoughts and emotions as they each hide something from each other. The pace escalates toward the end as the friends open up to one another. Laylah reads about her grandmother's personal experience with a compulsory sterilization program in Indira Gandhi's India that was pushed by the U.S.--information that offers valuable context for her family's supportive attitudes. However, because a major plot point comes fairly late in the story, the ending feels rushed, not allowing enough space for the leads and their relationship to change and grow. Laylah and Noor are strong characters with clear goals and aspirations; Yasmin weaves in their opinions on Islam and relationships, emphasizing the importance of being able to make the choices that affect one's life. Timely, important subject matter; uneven execution. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
June 24, 2024
Two Muslim teens in Texas are forced to navigate bodily autonomy following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in this near-future novel by Yasmin (What the Fact?). Seventeen-year-old Indian American Laylah Khan, an aspiring OB-GYN, and her Palestinian American best friend Noor Awad, who dreams of being a journalist, are secretly working together to create the Texas Teen’s Guide to Safe Abortion, an “extreeeeemely illegal” document they know is “going to SAVE LIVES.” Despite their hard work, when Laylah learns that she’s pregnant, she finds it almost impossible to get an abortion: “No one in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska. Not even in California and Oregon” has the pills she needs. Journalist and medical doctor Yasmin doesn’t shy away from the grim details of the girls’ reality. Via alternating POV chapters, the creator uses Laylah’s pregnancy and the teens’ differing relationships with their cultural identities to explore the intersecting effects of abortion policies, Islamic beliefs, and American imperialism on both. Excerpts from the Texas Teen’s Guide (a complete version will be available online following the book’s publication) and interstitials depicting Laylah’s humorous, Bollywood-esque fantasies add comedy to this relevant look at the ingenuity, tenacity, and hope of two teens fighting for their right to choose. Ages 14–up.
November 1, 2024
In this near-future version of Texas, abortion is a crime punishable by a lifetime jail sentence. Abortion pills and IVF are also illegal. Enter two Muslim teens: Laylah, an ultra-organized, straight Indian American who has her sights set on becoming a gynecologist; and Noor, a queer Palestinian American who dreams of becoming an investigative journalist. The two are writing a step-by-step guide for teens on obtaining safe abortions; it's only after Laylah discovers she is pregnant that she realizes how unrealistic the guide is, particularly the difficulty of obtaining abortion pills. Feeling deep sharam (a neologism Laylah coins combining the words shame and haram, something forbidden in Islam), Laylah keeps her pregnancy secret, while Noor has a secret of her own: she's investigating the wife of the local imam, whom she suspects of stealing mosque donations. Along the way, Noor and Laylah discover the unlikeliest of allies and learn that "everyone is so much more than they appear to be." The book is peppered with Bollywood and American pop cultural references and includes a disturbing yet fascinating subplot in which Laylah learns about state-sponsored sterilization in 1970s India. This nuanced representation of Muslim views on reproductive rights is a timely, fast-paced novel that spins a terrifying, cautionary tale about a possible future. Julie Hakim Azzam
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2024
In this near-future version of Texas, abortion is a crime punishable by a lifetime jail sentence. Abortion pills and IVF are also illegal. Enter two Muslim teens: Laylah, an ultra-organized, straight Indian American who has her sights set on becoming a gynecologist; and Noor, a queer Palestinian American who dreams of becoming an investigative journalist. The two are writing a step-by-step guide for teens on obtaining safe abortions; it's only after Laylah discovers she is pregnant that she realizes how unrealistic the guide is, particularly the difficulty of obtaining abortion pills. Feeling deep sharam (a neologism Laylah coins combining the words shame and haram, something forbidden in Islam), Laylah keeps her pregnancy secret, while Noor has a secret of her own: she's investigating the wife of the local imam, whom she suspects of stealing mosque donations. Along the way, Noor and Laylah discover the unlikeliest of allies and learn that "everyone is so much more than they appear to be." The book is peppered with Bollywood and American pop cultural references and includes a disturbing yet fascinating subplot in which Laylah learns about state-sponsored sterilization in 1970s India. This nuanced representation of Muslim views on reproductive rights is a timely, fast-paced novel that spins a terrifying, cautionary tale about a possible future.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)