Samira Ahmed

In Paris, seventeen-year-old Khayyam, a part-Indian, part-French Muslim American, is at a crossroads when a chance encounter plunges her into research about Leila, a girl much like Khayyam who inspired Eugáene Delacroix.

Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know

Lindsay

When we say history is written by the victors, we mean history is written by the patriarchy.

The birds are singing, but after hours of no sleep, their joy feels like an affront. Their symphony, a cacophony. But the truth is, they don't know I exist. They only sing for themselves.

"Of course, being an American, you think everything comes down to money."

"And I guess being a man, you think you can steal a woman's story and make it your own."

Is it possible to cry when you are drowning? Can you distinguish between the salt of your tears and the salt of the sea? Does the ocean weep with you?

Si'la says that humans cry salt tears because we emerged from the sea searching for a new world to conquer, but are bound to carry our first home with us forever. A curse. A reminder of what we lost.

In America, we bulldoze our past, build the future on the rubble, and pretend that ghosts can't haunt us.

jess

I'm going to be honest: I went into this knowing next to nothing about it, so imagine my delight when I realized it was about a French-American Muslim girl set in Paris on an art history sleuthing mission mixed with poetry and philosophy. Like, this hit the nail on the head for what I like, and honestly, I was hooked. 

I really liked Khayyam. She's an aspiring art historian with a very strong sense of determination, trying to fix the first mishap in her (hopeful) career. Khayyam is very admirable; she has a very strong sense of individuality and morals and I loved that. Alexandre also had me hooked, despite the unbelievability of it all, and I actually really liked their relationship and whole dynamic! Like, I'm not usually into romance, but I was really liking Khayyam and Alexandre together. 

One of the things I loved about this book is how it approaches history--Khayyam and Alexandre have discussions on Orientalism, which is. Just. *chef's kiss* Introducing teens to literary and historical theory. Amazing. I love it when books have smart discussions about history and the effects of colonialism on people of colour, but bringing in Edward Said has me absolutely deranged in the best of ways. But also--as a person of colour, and a student of history and English who focuses a lot on the knowledge of Western Europe, I could very much relate to Khayyam's pursuit of history and her conflicts around whose stories to tell, and the difficulties that come with the huge impact that Western Europe and exploitation of people of colour have on our society today. How so many stories of people of colour, of women, and of disabled people and queer people have simply never been told since only the stories of white, straight, rich men have been deemed important.(And there's a bibliography.) 

The one aspect that took away from the book for me was the romance, and more specifically the love triangle--about halfway through the book, it really felt like the focus was veering away from Leila and the pursuit of knowledge and truth, and towards the love triangle between Zaid and Alexandre. I wouldn't have hated it if Zaid wasn't a lost cause from the beginning, and honestly, I was actually super into Alexandre as a character AND a love interest. 

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know and definitely recommend it. You're in for a fun, sweet, and adventure-filled ride, and there's a lot to this book.

Sahi K

Despite following the author for a long time on Twitter, I have actually never read her books before. Internment has been on my tbr for a long time but it intimidates the hell out of me and I’m just so scared to read it. But when I saw the blurb for this one, I just knew this was my type of book and I had to read it immediately. And it was amazing. 

Even though I mostly read fantasy or romance novels, I am actually very fond of books which have a lot of archeological, historical or artsy elements. I usually find these favorite aspects in my adventure novels, so it was actually very refreshing to see a literary/art history related mystery in a YA novel. I’ve never been to Paris but it’s a dream destination of mine, and the setting here in the book was so vivid and lush that I felt transported, but also sad that i haven’t been there already. I also liked that the author takes us to those places in Paris which are not the main tourist attractions - we only get a single mention of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower doesn’t even get that - but we see the charm in the places which only the locals would know. And the way the author interconnected the stories of Alexandre Dumas, Eugène Delacroix and Lord Byron with the plot of this book was genius and it’s a great feeling to be exploring the lives of such great artists who have left indelible impressions on us. The writing style is equal parts endearing and poetic and beautiful, and I just found myself lost within the words - it was a mesmerizing experience that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. 

The main theme of the book is about stories - how we all have a story to tell, how the past and present and future are all connected, and an examination into who finally gets their stories told and who are lost to history. We get a very critical look into how women and their accomplishments have been forgotten or deliberately suppressed for ages now, and how it’s important to not let that happen anymore. History is always being rewritten as we go along, because we uncover new facts or alternate POVs which change the context, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that the women and marginalized people whose stories were lost get a chance to voice their truth. And all these discussions happen very organically between the characters within the novel and I thought the author did a marvelous job highlighting the importance of giving women the agency to tell their own stories. 

I will not say I was completely in love with our main character Khayyam. I definitely admired her love for art history, her desire to prove herself and the earnestness with which she proceeded to bring Leila’s story to light. She is also torn between her multiple identities - Muslim, American, French, Indian - and it was fascinating to see her grow more comfortable in her own skin as the book goes on. But she is also a teenage girl who is attracted to two boys and is conflicted about whom to choose, especially because none of them are perfect - I had to actually remind myself repeatedly not to judge her through my adult gaze. Her parents are professors and I absolutely adored them, and their relationship with her. Total parental goals and these are the kind of adult figures we don’t often see in YA, so that was a nice change. 

In the past, Leila is a woman of the harem who is not allowed any freedom or privacy, but she is a formidable woman who takes matters into her own hands and decides to carve her own path. It’s a story mired in tragedy but also immense strength, and every step of getting to know her was a joy. Her story also plays such an integral part in Khayyam’s character development, and I commend the author for the beautiful way she wove their narratives together. 

In conclusion, this was a powerful story of two young Muslim women across centuries trying to carve their own path in life despite all the obstacles, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If like me, you are a fan of books that combine an engaging story with historical elements, or if you are an art/literary history nerd, I think this book is perfect for you. It has an interesting mystery, flawed but relatable characters and a love of art that permeates the pages. It gave me a lot of joy while reading and I hope it does the same for you too.

Qaisarah Kamal Fariz

so boring and slow i was quite disappointed because i really enjoyed internment. i liked khayyam's personality but i didn't really understand leila's chapters. maybe you would like this if you were into art history.

Samirah Arif

Yes, I did just copy and paste my summer reading assignment. leave me alone.

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know is a young adult contemporary novel and was written by Samirah Ahmed in 2020. It follows Khayyam, a 17-year-old hoping to get into art school. To do so, she must write an essay on a piece of art history. She travels to Paris and ends up discovering more than she could ever bargain for.

The novel did a decent job on its social commentary, both on how history seems to be picky on who it remembers and how easy it is for a man to steal a woman’s work. Samira Ahmed also has a knack for making her storytelling so interesting. I personally feel as if her novels would be better off without their romantic aspects, which is strange considering she is a romance writer, but nothing can be done about that.

However, I was impressed by the romance in this novel. I didn’t like the romance in Love, Hate, and Other Filters and it was completely unnecessary in Internment but the romance in Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know wasn’t that bad. Reading this made me consider that maybe, Samira’s work is getting better. I would not recommend this to anyone who hates romance. However, those who enjoy political books and books on art may enjoy Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know.

Stephanie Midolo

I LOVED IT!!!! So I pretty much got this book for Christmas from one of my family members and as I read the information I was confused (at first then I asked my mom, she explained it and then I understood). So I started reading the book and OMG I COULD NOT STOP READING THIS BOOK LIKE I FELT MYSELF BEING IN THAT STORY AND SEEING KHYAMM (I forgot how to spell it) AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER!!! But I highly recommend this book. This was my first book of the year and that started it off great for me.

Discover New York Times bestseller Samira Ahmed’s romantic, sweeping adventure through the streets of Paris told in alternating narratives that bridge centuries, continents, and the lives of two young Muslim women fighting to write their own stories. Smash the patriarchy. Eat all the pastries. It’s August in Paris and 17-year-old Khayyam Maquet—American, French, Indian, Muslim—is at a crossroads. This holiday with her parents should be a dream trip for the budding art historian. But her maybe-ex-boyfriend is ghosting her, she might have just blown her chance at getting into her dream college, and now all she really wants is to be back home in Chicago figuring out her messy life instead of brooding in the City of Light. Two hundred years before Khayyam’s summer of discontent, Leila is struggling to survive and keep her true love hidden from the Pasha who has “gifted” her with favored status in his harem. In the present day—and with the company of Alex, a très charmant teen descendant of Alexandre Dumas—Khayyam searches for a rumored lost painting, uncovering a connection between Leila and Alexandre Dumas, Eugène Delacroix, and Lord Byron that may have been erased from history. Echoing across centuries, Leila and Khayyam’s lives intertwine, and as one woman’s long-forgotten life is uncovered, another’s is transformed.

Nikki Sojkowski

Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know is a delightful contemporary rom-com, set in Paris, where a French-American Muslim girl ventures out on a quest to uncover a historical art mystery! Khayyam's story was such a joy to read about, and her trans-cultural perspective included so many witty jokes. She has such supportive parents and her struggle with a potentially ending relationship was heart-wrenching to live vicariously through. This is such an absolutely charming book that should be on everyone's 'to-read' list!

Carrington Kinslow

Zahia Saeed 

In Paris, seventeen-year-old Khayyam, a part-Indian, part-French Muslim American, is at a crossroads when a chance encounter plunges her into research about Leila, a girl much like Khayyam who inspired Eugène Delacroix.

Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know

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