You Think You Know Me

Product Information

Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... My Kindle might as well have been glued to my hands as I couldn’t put this story down.” Read the full review at Bookaholic Confessions Although the book is fiction, the events are painstakingly familiar. So many British Muslims, especially women, face Islamophobia daily. I was desperately sad and angry for Hanan. Life has been cruel, but she came out like a warrior. Hanan’s family fled Somalia during the civil war; during the journey, her father is brutally murdered. You can’t help but admire and be in awe of the resilience of each member in her family – not only are they grieving their father, Hanan and her family are refugees settling into a country that is so unfamiliar. However, they keep their homeland and culture rich in their home and hearts. The writing was wonderful. I found some places to be quite poetic and poignant. I reread some passages to appreciate their beauty. The writing was evocative and stirred my emotions to a boil. But it left me simmering with the hope of better things.

I read this blurb and knew the book would hurt, and so it should. Reading this was tense because I came to care for Hanan. Her life had it's tough elements, then the things that happened around her and to her increased that difficulty ten fold. Hanan had a strong family but it was fraying in many ways. I’m so glad to have read this. I made it my mission long time ago to mainly read diverse books but honestly I don’t see enough Muslim centred books. It was amazing to learn so much. What a beautiful religion. Learning about the Somali culture though light touch was appreciated as well. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...I am so thankful YTYKM is out in the world now. I don’t know why I expected the extent of Islamophobia to be dulled down but I assure you its portrayal of that and racism in Britain was striking. The prejudice Muslims face on the daily and our determination despite it wasn't made palatable. It was honest and I appreciate that. I loved the sibling relationships between Hanan and her twin brother and younger siblings. And I really loved how we see her friendships too and that it isn’t perfect but they are able to apologise and reconcile. I received a copy of the book from Usborne Publishing through the Tandem Collective for a readalong in exchange for an honest review** In the end You think You know me explores Islamophobia, bullying and racism. In my opinion the actual basic theme of the novel is that you can’t judge a whole community based on the actions of a single person.

Over time, I came to learn that there was no level playing field at Grafton grammar for me. I might not have been the girl fresh off the boat, but I was the girl who looked like no one else there. YTYM is a necessary read. After the media coverage of a murder in North West London renders the perpetrator a terrorist based only on race, Hanan Ali, a Muslim Somalian, straight A achieving student, faces bullying and islamophobia at her prestigious grammar school. Hanan always tries to keep a low profile at school, her ultimate goal is to pass the admissions test to Medical School, but the onslaught of abuse from her peers and condescending attitude by the principal isolates Hanan further. The story broke my heart in so many places, especially the second half; Hanan and the bond she shares with her twin brother Hussein is everything. This is a story about finding your voice to stand up against hate crime and the beauty in diversity. Touching on themes of family and cultural identity it is just as much an elder daughter’s story and refugee story as it is a Muslim one, and is all about standing your ground and being true to yourself in the face of hate and prejudice. Of learning to accept that you don’t need to justify who you are and sacrifice your identity to fit in with the status quo or for the benefit to those who are blinded by their ignorance. Hanan does her best to keep her head down, study hard and follow her mum’s advice that ‘a closed mouth is gold’. Andrea and Nasra however aren’t so willing to ignore Jessica and her ‘Mean Girls’ gang and encourage Hanan to stand up for herself, especially when Hanan’s younger sisters face similar bullying.

Publisher

Powerfully poignant and heart-wrenchingly honest, Ayaan Mohamed’s stunning debut tells the story of one courageous teenage girl, Hanan and her experiences of bigotry and Islamophobia she and soo many other Muslims face —both at her prestigious London grammar school and within the wider local community.

The main character Hanan is studious and keeps to herself. While enduring endless harassment and bullying. My blood was absolutely boiling at certain times. And I was frustrated!! I wanted her to say something but I realised that’s just not everyone. This book was about her finding her courage and getting her voice heard. So this book is not going to be an easy read as it contains some distressing scenes which I have mentioned in the content warning. You Think You Know Me is a powerful and thought-provoking debut that highlights the double standards when it comes to the reporting and perception of crimes. If the perpetrator is of a certain race or religion, it is that aspect of his identity that the spotlight is shone on and demonised, and everyone else who falls into the same category is automatically to blame. The same crime committed by a person of a different skin colour suddenly becomes the result of a "mental breakdown". These different reactions and the unfair consequences to blameless people are adeptly highlighted through the events that take place. When a murder occurs close to her school, something changes. Muslims are becoming a target for hate—even more so than usual, as horrifying as it is—and it gets personal. As one of the few girls at her school that wear a headscarf, she knows all too well what appearances play in hatred. And when she and her twin brother are hurt, something in Hanan changes. She knows what she has to do—raise her voice, gather those close to her that will stand with her against the hate, and make a difference that no one will be able to ignore.YTYKM follows Hanan's struggles of being a minority in Britain, the issues with an expectation to ‘integrate’ and the tenacity of Muslims. Herb Baumeister would later be alleged to have killed at least nine more men along the Interstate 70 between Indiana and Ohio, and coined the “I-70 Strangler”. It is entirely possible that he was one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Books like this are why I roll my eyes at people when they criticise adults for reading Ya because for those who don't, you miss out on absolute gems like this. Ayaan, the fact that this is a debut astounds me! Your talent is insane! But anyway, let's talk about the book. Anger becomes an ugly, dangerous thing when you fling it around with your eyes closed… Open your eyes, macaanto, before you hurt someone with your words.” So well pitched at the target reader is this novel, that Mohamud can teach her young audience a lot - but equally they will get from this a sense of self, a sense of being seen, heard and recognition that this difficult era of life is surpassable. And how important that is to young people the world over...

As a debut novelist, Mohamud is triumphant in a book that doesn't bow to the tropes and trends that seem to tiptoe through so many of the Young Adult offerings at the present time. She writes so eloquently about what it is to find the strength to be intolerant of hate and fear in a community. It's done in such a way that empathy is unavoidable. Hanan is not a sympathetic character however - in the best possible way. She is a character you root for - beginning to end. Fierce. Angry. Right. Hanan has always been good and quiet. She accepts her role as her school's perfect Muslim poster girl. She ignores the racist bullies. A closed mouth is gold - it helps you get home in one piece. I loved reading about the Somali culture as I knew very little about it before starting the book, and we get to see a great deal about family dynamics within a Somalian household and about how the Muslim faith is woven into every day life for them. This is a genre I like to see being written. The subject is too important to brush aside and the more readers these titles find, the better. Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she’s delighted to attend a launch event for a hip, young artist at her friend Seb’s gallery.The author is very good at writing in the victims voices, getting across what their thought process probably was when first crossing the path of Baumeister. This part is speculation however, given the victims and Baumeister could never confirm exact conversations. This is a story of finding your courage and voice to speak up for yourself to find your authentic self and live life for yourself and not have to make yourself palatable to the white gaze. Hanan has always been a ‘good girl’ accepting of her role as the school's perfect Muslim poster girl. She ignores the racist bullies, the comments and the jibes, she lives by her mother’s favourite saying “ A closed mouth is gold - it helps you get home in one piece’. But her friend is murdered and every Muslim is to blame, violence, hatred and blatant racism rear their ugly heads. It’s time for Hannah to make her voice heard and to challenge prejudice and to speak up against hate and fear.