You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud Review

Title: You Think You Know Me

Author: Ayaan Mohamud

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Usborne

Pages: 368

Release Date: 2 February 2023

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Hello fellow book lovers, Today I'm sharing my review for You Think You Know Me. The powerfully poignant and heart-wrenchingly honest debut from Ayaan Mohamed, which 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.

Synopsis

 A stunning debut about finding the strength to speak up against hate and fear, for fans of The Hate U Give and I Am Thunder.

Hanan has always been encouraged to be a good girl, a quiet girl, never making trouble. When her classmates treat her as a target for their racist bullying, and her teachers use her as their perfect Muslim poster girl, she keeps smiling and keeps her mouth shut. They don't see past her headscarf, but she knows she is so much more than that.

Then a local man is murdered, tensions run high and Muslims become targets for even worse abuse. After a terrifying attack, Hanan decides that it's time to make her voice heard...it's time to shake the world.

Review

Having grown up in an area of London with a diverse Muslim community, this was such a relevant, deeply emotional read that definitely gave me a deeper understanding into the experiences and fear that friends, neighbors and many other people in my community have had to face on a daily basis.

It’s beautifully written and will most definitely have you sobbing and heartbroken for the hurt and pain that Hanan and her family endures, but also brilliantly highlights the warmth, love and vibrancy of Somali culture —and dispels all those negative media portrayals of what being Muslim and a refugee in modern day Britain is actually like.

I genuinely loved Hanan, who was such a warm, brave and fiercely loving character who, despite the hardships and vitriol thrown her way, has powered through with a dignity, integrity and determination that I am in awe of—living in her shoes (if only for the day and half it took me the finish this) was a deeply moving, and eye-opening experience that I won’t soon forget.

Given the relevancy and importance of the themes highlighted, I definitely think everyone should check this out and, I also encourage you check out some of the reviews by Muslim readers, who definitely do a far better job than I at conveying just how incredible a book this.

And also thank you to Usborne for the advanced proof copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Ayaan Mohamud wrote her first ever book in lockdown and during NaNoWriMo, while also studying as a medical student, and it became her debut novel.

It was inspired by her own experiences of Islamophobia and a desire to write about Somali culture which she hopes to shine more of a light on in YA.

She lives in London and can usually be found either writing or complaining about writing. When she isn't doing either of those things, you may find her simply annoying her sisters or daydreaming.

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