An evocative look at the roles we play for community, family, friends, and self. The heroine's confusion, denial, and shame resulting from a sexual assault are skillfully written, while the modern Muslim community is represented thoughtfully and with respect. This would be a great YA book club pick. ( )

I listened to Saints and Misfits because it was offered from audiobooksync one summer. It's a contemporary, realistic novel about a teenage Muslim girl in American society.

Janna sincerely strives to do her best. She's a teenager and has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She does her homework, studies, and aims to make good grades, having high expectations for herself academically. Her social life contains different aspects--her school world and her Muslim world. She has non-Muslim friends at school where Janna wears a hijab, which is mostly accepted by people. She has good relationships with many people and solid friendships although issues come about that make her doubt her non-Muslim and Muslim friends at times. Her Muslims friends are from the mosque where her uncle leads. Janna has two jobs. She edits a question/answer blog for her uncle concerning Muslim life. People write questions and he responds with guidance from the Koran. She also takes care of an elderly neighbor who loves hearing about her life and offers sage wisdom. Janna struggles more with her family life. She loves her whole family, but she harbors some anger toward her mother with whom she lives because she feels her mother left, causing the divorce between her parents. Her brother returns home from college and will staying with them for a while. It's a two-bedroom apartment, so much of the novel deals with Janna deciding if she'll room with her mother and let Muhammad have her room. Her dad is about three hours away in Chicago. He doesn't practice Islam and really doesn't get why his daughter wears a hijab. He has become a very successful businessman and writes advice emails daily for subscribers. Janna subscribes. So, Janna has a full life surrounded by diverse people and lots of activity.

It's nearly the end of the year and Janna has a crush on Jeremy, a non-Muslim. The novel's basic skeleton outlines if Jeremy likes her and, if he does, should she go out with a non-Muslim? The muscles and tendons and blood that forms the body of the novel are Janna's life. The answers from her uncle concerning Islam explain Islam to the reader and what ideals and morals have lead to her growth as a person. The emails from her dad often prompt her to act in a certain manner in order to find success. The relationships with her friends help her focus on who she wants to be. The biggest obstacle in her life is the "monster." At the beginning of the novel, a Muslim boy tries to force himself upon her. Janna spends the novel keeping this secret yet still focusing on hopefully dating Jeremy. Her brother is also dating Saint Sarah, whom Janna thinks is too good to be true. All of these characters will come together--the non-Muslims and the Muslims to show that people and cultures can co-exist with respect.

I really enjoyed listening to this novel. I liked Janna's relationship with her brother. Muhammad seemed rather clueless a lot--as young men can be, but he loves his sister. They also act like brother and sister. The over-analyzing of one's friends and the meanness of acquaintances who use social media was perfectly accurate. By the end of the novel, you have a good feel for each character. Ultimately, you discover that people can surprise you. What you think will happen with all of these situations won't be what actually happens although you will figure out who Janna chooses to date. You'll also learn a lot about Islam, and it's a positive portrayal without being didactic. Enjoy this novel! ( )

I'm not Muslim so I don't have personal experience, but this book seems to do a good job of portraying what it's like for an American teen. It works in a lot of the normal teen situations and shows how the religion relates to them. It also shows how everyone is mostly good. There is someone who is thought to be a good person by most and who isn't. I've seen the same with someone who's supposed to be Christian. I enjoyed it and was ready to get back to reading when I had to take a break to work. Since it's intended for a younger audience, I'm assuming they'll like it even more than I did. ( )

teen fiction--teen survivor of sexual assault; part forbidden love story, part cyber-bullying (mean girls at school) and part psychological thriller with mostly Muslim cast.
Smart, funny and kind-hearted teen who is always helping others has a rollercoaster of a year. I loved the characters and read this thing straight through--more, please. ( )

I wanted to love this, but ultimately I didn't. I did enjoy it but I don't think it will particularly stand out in my head. I appreciated a contemporary YA book told from the POV of a Muslim teen girl, as well as the discussion about culture and religion. I think the plot of what to do when you know something awful about a trusted and beloved community member will resonate with many, both Muslim and non, as well as the question of what to do with unwanted male advances (so much about rape culture is touched on here).

But ultimately, this didn't gel for me. I think teens would love it, though, so I'll chalk it up to one of the YA books that I've grown past. ( )