Written by a
British-Pakistani maths teacher from London, who has taken on board one of the
most important ‘rules’ of writing – write what you know. This book combines the angst of a teenaged
girl who is desperate to fit in, while her parents want her to be a ‘good
Pakistani girl’. She loves English and
wants to be a writer, while her parents are desperate for her to become a
doctor and lead the family out of the poverty they find themselves in the
UK. Then there is the issue of being a
British born Muslim . . .
Muzna’s parents not only
refuse to practice Islam, but they forbid Muzna to do so as well. So, when she starts wearing a hijab, there
are rows. But why has she decided to
wear a hijab? Is it because she wants to
explore her religion, or is it because she’s fallen in love with Arif, who
won’t respect her unless she does?
The more we learn about
Arif, the more we realise that his beliefs are not necessarily motivated by all
the good that comes from Islam – there is a lot of hatred there too. As for his elder brother Jameel, who takes
them both to ‘meetings’, his radical ideas start to cause Muzna more concern
than her love for Arif can hide. What is
the truth?
As Muzna takes the
slippery path towards fundamentalism, she has some tough decisions to
make.
As I said, this book has
been written by someone who knows – not only about the dark side of racism, but
the good side of those who oppose it, leaving Muzna to find solace in some
unlikely places. But it’s also written by an author who cares – and that really
comes across.
I am Thunder tackles the
thorny issues of racism, extremism and Islamophobia head on. It’s also a cracking read and fast-paced
thriller – I expect we’ll be seeing more from this author. Brave and heartfelt.
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