S. K. Ali

Fifteen-year-old Janna Yusuf, a Flannery O'Connor-obsessed book nerd and the daughter of the only divorced mother at their mosque, tries to make sense of the events that follow when her best friend's cousin--a holy star in the Muslim community--attempts to assault her at the end of sophomore year.

Saints and Misfits

Sarah Sammis

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali is a YA contemporary fiction about a muslim girl who lives with her mother and brother. The book opens with her swimming in Florida, waiting for the right moment to exit. She's swimming in a burkini and feels out of place because her father and step-mother are making a big deal over it. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

Saints and Misfits—a William C. Morris Award finalist and an Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of the Year—is a “timely and authentic” (School Library Journal, starred review) debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life…starring a Muslim teen. There are three kinds of people in my world: 1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose. 2. Misfits, people who don’t belong. Like me—the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad. Also, there’s Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Same planet, different worlds. But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right? 3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories. Like the monster at my mosque. People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. Except me.

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Our actions mirror a cause or belief we stand for, but do teens and tweens really understand what they stand for? In S.K. Ali's SAINTS AND MISFITS high school sophomore Janna Yusuf struggles with her Islamic rituals and rules. She falls in love for the first time to a non-Muslim boy, torn between wearing or ditching the burqa (headscarf conservative Muslim women wear), and facing her friend's cousin who sexually abused her. Its painful to read her fear and confusion (the all-to-familiar "It was my fault" self-blame) but as she grows emotionally stronger Ali weaves Janna's rising courage to face her abuser with her spiritual growth as she matures in her Islamic education. 

The why - why she follows Islam, why she blames herself for her abuser's action - are discovered through others who hold a special place in her life: Mr. Ram, an elderly Indian man who follows Hinduism, her brother's fianceé Sarah, and her study-partner-turned-ally Sausun. Starting with Mr. Ram's philosophical quote in Chapter 4, "Why we do an action is what determines its quality. A quality action or not...when we just do things without a why we become husks. Easily crumpled, no fruit inside," Janna's bildungsroman sprouts; her actions begin to mirror her father's advice (sent via email) until Sausun's plan to expose Janna's abuser bring her back to Mr. Ram's abovementioned quote. She never really thought about her spiritual rituals, just doing them because of the basics such as praying 5 times a day to remember God, but after hearing why Sarah became a devout Muslim and Sausun's plan to expose fake-holy Muslim men (like her brother-in-law) Janna finally realizes her reason for following her beliefs. Ending with another quote from Mr. Ram (about self-love) Janna starts "anew" and vows to to love herself after confiding to her loved ones about her abuse. 

As I mentioned earlier, this is a bildungsroman (growth of character) about a teen's spiritual journey. Even if you aren't Muslim (which, by the way, I'm not), teens will understand Janna's struggles, especially if you are raised in a religious environment, and in this era of #MeToo Ali's protagonist sends a powerful message to teenagers about standing up for yourself. However, Ali never told us what happens to Farooq, Janna's abuser. Except for sexual assault, other topics, such as religion and conservatism vs. liberalism weren't clearly elaborated in detail, probably because Janna doesn't really know where she stands on such matters.

Shay

Saints and Misfits was a unique book. It fills a void in a much needed space and talks about themes that are incredibly important for young adults to be exposed to and talk openly about, particularly within religious communities.

The book follows Janna, a young muslim girl who wears hijab and is struggling with her family situation. Her parents are divorced and her brother just moved back home, putting strain on her family and leaving her feeling displaced when she's asked to give up her room to him. 

In this midst of dealing with her parents divorce and her brother coming back home - a lot of change for her to process - she's almost floating and feeling lost and confused. Because all of this is happening through the lens of a young girl who was recently sexually assaulted by the wonder boy of their community. Farooq is the guy who was looked up to in the Masjid and who might be coming into a leadership role soon. Everyone talks about how amazing he is and Janna is struggling with the decision to talk to anyone about it out of several concerns - ruining her community, not being believed, being viewed as creating drama, having others look down on her for it - all of these things are going through her head and we follow her along as she's processing all of these emotions in real-time.

In the same way that a depression or a death changes the way you look at things and how you process events, Janna is going through the world with this crushing experience she recently had and she's seeing the world in a new way. She's processing friendship struggles, bullies at school, her parents divorce, squabbles with her brother, and her relationship with her hijab through the lens of this other major thing that happened that she hasn't dealt with yet. In the process of this we see her sometimes taking out frustration on unrelated issues and struggling to understand not only where she fits in the world but what kind of person she wants to be. 

This book was incredibly heart-breaking and brings to light a lot of issues that aren't often discussed or encouraged to be discussed in religious spaces. I think that this isn't just fiction, S.K. Ali has written a conversation starter with this book. And it's a conversation we desperately need to have. 

I really liked this story. I loved Janna and I loved getting to know her. She was kind and even though she was going through all of this in her life she still went out of her way to help people in her community. She was a great role model and an example that having something bad like this happen to you doesn't mean you've done anything wrong or that you're a bad person. She held true to herself and to her values. That was really important to depict and it was done really well. 

I also wanted to mention that the narrator for this particular audiobook did a fantastic job! I was engaged the whole way through and she did a great job of capturing the emotion and struggle of the character. 



Content Warnings: Sexual Assault/Harassment, Bullying, and Islamophobia. 
Additional non-spoilery details under the spoiler tag below.

(view spoiler)[The sexual assault and harassment are not mentioned until a little later in the book, but the theme comes up quite often in a more subtle way. The main character talks extensively about her experiences with Islamophobia. (hide spoiler)]

Jantien 

I find it very disturbing that a boy that has memorised the quran, would actually force himself on a girl. Clearly he does not understand the intent of Allah or doesn’t care , i don’t know which one is worse.

Lauren Tabor

mighty dragon 

trigger warnings:  rape, death

a hard book to read. but the story is so honest and real.

Nikki

4.5 stars

"I can't imagine what it means to love everyone. But I'm just going to start right here, by loving a bit more of myself. And maybe then the rest will follow."

I love you Janna Yusuf

Sarah 

okayyy where do I start with this book. if there is any YA author I would trust to write a good Muslim rep book it would be SK Ali. I had very high expectations for this book but unfortunately it didn’t reach them. 

Janna Yusuf is a victim of SA, and her assaulter is an extremely pious and religious person- as viewed by the society. So naturally, even if she speaks out no one would believe her. The entire book leads up to when she would finally speak up and expose the monster for who he really is, and so ofc the anticipation is off charts. But all we got was HALF A PAGE. No reveal, just short reactions from her family. I wanted drama, I wanted him to be exiled from the community I wanted JUSTICE. i didn’t get anything. 
Janna is a doormat, sorry babe ily but you really didn’t do much up until the very end where you redeemed yourself. Also I will not be forgiving her for removing her hijab and conditioning and curling her hair to impress white boy Jeremy. Like cmon you’re Egyptian and Indian you can do better. Also the fact that the author introduced such a scene when she made it a huge statement at the beginning of the book that Janna CHOSE to wear the hijab and is committed to it… yeah that doesn’t work. 

Now to the people I love! MUHAMMAD AND NUAH!! Muhammad is the big bro I didn’t know I needed. He is such a nice person and I love his and Janna’s banter. AND OMG NUAH. BE MY HUSBAND. Which seems like you’ll be Janna’s too but it’s okay because polygamy is allowed in Islam and I will happily be your second wife. I adore your jokes btw. And MR RAM! You absolute treat. I would kill to spend a day with him. He seems like the sweetest coolest elderly man ever. Sarah- I didn’t like you at first but you’re such a cool person omg. And Sausun, you badass Niqabi Ninja, you are such a cool person wow. 

Also the book was darker than I expected it to be. The writing was powerful (so Ali I give you credit) and the story was extremely character driven. Janna was the realest representation of a young Muslim teenager and I enjoyed her story. I can’t wait to read the second book esp coz it’s more romance, and we get to see more of NUAH (😘) The book was overall pretty nice and powerful, and it captures the problems and criticism and stereotypes of a Muslim community while also highlighting the brotherhood and loving part of it. 

Rating: 4/5 stars 
Started: 25th June 2022
Finished: 25th June 2022

Sheila

I'm giving this a 3.5 because Sausun was right - Janna IS a bit of a doormat but she comes good in the end! Sausun is like the niqabi version of me and I love her ahahaha

Grace O'Callaghan

** spoiler alert **
           I have some mixed feelings on this book. On one hand I liked reading from a protagonist that was very different from me and learning about the Islam religion. But on the other hand there were a few things I didnt particularity care for.

We follow Janna, a hijabi teen, as she tries to deal with the fact that a Muslim guy in her community tried to rape her. After, he continues to stalk her and take pictures of her with a non-Muslim guy. Janna also experiences the islamophobia and is criticised for her choices in and outside the Muslim community.

Obviously I cannot talk about the representation as I myself am not Muslim. But I would highly suggest that you read some #ownvoices reviews for more on that.

I enjoyed Janna as a main character. She was very independent, and whilst she sometimes was affected by other people’s opinions, she ultimately made her own choices. I really admired that about her. 

There were so many characters in this book, but one of my favourites was Mr. Ram. He was almost like a third parent to Janna, and whilst she didn’t appreciate him enough, he made an impact on her life. His wise words were one of the reasons she was finally able to open up about her attempted rape.

I will say that I was a bit confused with the amount of characters in this book. I felt like some of the characters weren’t really developed and were just there for the plot. Jeremy was probably the main example. I liked seeing how Janna struggled with liking him as he was not Muslim, but he was kind of just there to move the plot along.

The writing was probably my least favourite part about this book. I found the chapters to be so short that it kind of just pulled me out of the story. I would be invested and then it would just move on to the next chapter. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I’ve never read from a Muslim’s perspective before and it was very eye opening, especially with all the islamophobia that is present in media these days. I would highly suggest you pick this book up.

Samirah Arif

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assult

I don't feel as if I am able to review this book properly, because I think I wasn't ready for this book. I'm trying anyway, but keep in mind this isn't the best review of this book.

The Story
A hafiz attempted to rape Janna. And she hasn't told anyone. After all, it's her word against his. To make matters worse, Janna has fallen for a boy. And he's a nonmuslim.

The Good
The novel was very well written! I loved the writing style and storytelling. There were times I loved the characters, and times I absolutely hated them. Nuah and Muhammad were my favorites. For a book that deals with serious topics, it was actually pretty funny. That being said, I loved Janna's character development. 

The Bad 
Janna wasn't always very likable. This was fixed with her character development, but I thought it deserved some acknowledgment. The plot was a bit scattered. It seemed like it was about how Janna was dealing with the trauma, but a significant amount seemed to focus on Janna's crush on Jeremy.

Amanda Wells

I was on the fence about reading this one. I don't usually read more than a couple of YA novels a year, and I'm over my quota for 2017. But it became available on my library app, so read it I did.

This book is so well written. I can totally see the realistic teenager-ness blended in with responsible messages, that would appeal to me if I were reading this as a teenager. I love the everyday way it showed normal Muslim life with varying expressions of faith and structure. And I like that it didn't shy away from tricky questions.

I believe this book will be a force for good in the world, and hopefully will allow more younger people a more nuanced look at Muslims than they are typically offered in day-t0-day western media. Plus I think Janna can be a role model for teenagers of any faith. She struggles with her flaws, tries her best to adhere to her values, and ultimately faces her struggles with strength and conviction.

Becca Leigh

A culturally diverse contemporary about a Muslim girl with a dark secret in her past. I loved the characters, (minus Farooq, he might be my least favorite character in the history of all characters), but my main issue was the pacing of the plot. Near the end of the book, everything seemed to pile up on top of each other! Nonetheless, still an important read. 3 stars!

Arwa El

** spoiler alert **
           I did not know I am still in the age where I read a YA book that keeps me awake until 5AM. Saints and Misfits proved once again how important representation is. Reading about someone who might be me, whose culture I completely understand, the words she is using, the struggle of living between the completely opposite worlds, is something a lot of us are familiar with jut can‘t really talk about it since we‘re afraid to be judged - even the protagonist Jannah Yusef who keeps sexual assault for herself since she is afraid her non-Muslim friends will say she comes from a wicked community. 
I really appreciate this book.

Emily C Peterson

Khushi Saini

TW: sexual assault, death

I had heard a great deal of good things about this book as far as representation goes from Muslim readers. Countless reviews had stated that it was an amazing read about a Muslim teenage girl that didn’t involve traits that would turn the protagonist into a two-dimensional predictable walking stereotype. Keeping those reviews in mind, from a cultural standpoint, this book was very helpful in providing insight and education about Islam.

I’m not Muslim, so I’m here to talk about other aspects about the book that brought out really strong feelings in me as I read, namely anger. I felt a whole lot of anger while reading this book: anger at the main character’s inner turmoil as she goes through something horrible and traumatic and couldn’t find the immediate outlet for it, and anger towards the nightmare who persistently follows her throughout the book.

Janna Yusuf is a hijabi-wearing teenager who is very active in her Muslim community, but experiences sexual assault at the hands of a beloved member at the local mosque. Farooq is loved by so many because he’s a hafiz, meaning someone who has memorized the entire Qur’an and is thus, given responsibility to lead prayers. He’s also cousin to Janna’s good friend and good friends with her brother and many of their mutual friends. He was where my anger was mostly trained at, rightfully so.

The story is incredibly relatable to a large number of people who have been victims of sexual assault and have either been forced to see their assaulter consistently in their lives or have heard praises of such a being who people think are perfect specimens of Morally Good Human. Or both! The characters are complex, despite being shown through Janna’s eyes who has a two-dimensional perception of them. That all changes as you view them through Janna’s growing character development, when she realizes that the people she knows are not entirely what she first expected of them.

And despite my anger toward Janna’s monster, a number of small things in the book made me smile, such as the sibling rivalry between her and her brother, Muhammed; her interactions with the elderly advice-giving man in her building, Mr. Ram; her adorable little crush on a non-Muslim guy that only brings about more turmoil in her. As an Atheist who doesn’t follow anything at all but has conservative parents from India, I found myself going “giiiirl, I relate so hard” to that last one.

Saints and Misfits was a very good mix of light-hearted and emotionally heavy. I’ll end this by noting that there were scenes in the book that I have heard to be uncomfortable for many readers of faith, besides the sexual assault, particularly getting caught on camera without religious head covering and pictures posted on social media without consent. All in all, I give this book four stars.

Isabella Stocka

I picked up the book because the main character isn't a sterotypr one and I wanted to read about a different character than usual.
However, I had some troubles understanding Janna. I assume that the book is about religion and modern life don't need to be seperated. But somehow the book leaves me 'Oook...'.

Saints and Misfits

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