Reviewed by Paige Pagan
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Saadia Faruqi
Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero is an elevated middle grade novel set in small town Texas around the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. The story dissects both social and racial justice themes with care, including religious/racially-charged bullying and racial profiling. Author Saadia Faruqi offers a nuanced definition of what it means to be an American and how true patriotism does not equate to white nationalism. She raises the rampant Islamophobia in the aftermath of Al-Queda’s terrorist attacks and critiques the ways that Muslims are still viewed as dangerous and suspicious today, very much fueled by racist media propaganda. (Not mentioned in the book, the anti-Muslim messages were also part of the drumbeat for war against Iraq and Afghanistan.) With this book, Faruqi seeks to encourage interfaith conversations and build cross-cultural bridges to promote education over assumption. Here readers will find an authentic portrayal of Islam, a religion that literally translates to peace, and witness the longstanding efforts of Muslim Americans to prevail despite the hate they continue to face.
Seventh grader Yusuf Azeem decides to ignore the anonymous notes being slipped through the gaps of his locker, which say things like “You suck, go home” and “You don’t belong here.” Yusuf knew that Frey, Texas, where his father owns the local discount store and his mother always volunteers to help in school events, is just as much his home as anyone else’s. As captain of the robotics club, Yusuf must not lose focus of the upcoming tournament, which determines if his team makes it to nationals. But when the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 rolls around, his own bullying and the harassment of the close-knit Muslim community grows as a group of white nationalists resurfaces. Not only does his religious community now have to fight for the right to build a mosque on the property they legally own, but also come together in support when Yusuf gets falsely arrested after the police assume the beeping of a computerized device going off in his backpack is a ticking bomb.
As stated in the backmatter, Yusuf’s racial profiling and subsequent arrest was inspired by the true experience of the Clock Boy in 2015. Ahmed Mohammed, known as the “Clock Boy,” was only 14 years old when he was arrested in Irving, Texas, for a disassembled digital clock he had brought to school to show his teachers. The lack of support paired with the media outcry depicting him as the enemy caused such trauma that Ahmed and his family moved out of the United States. Through Yusuf, Faruqi shows how things might have been different for Ahmed had his community and school recognized their mistreatment and sought to make amends as they should have.
Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero makes a call for everyone, regardless of background, to be open-minded to other cultures, religions, and ways of life. Despite Yusuf’s trauma, he learns how to build empathy and forgive others. Yusuf researches on 9/11 and seeks out first-hand accounts to better understand this catastrophic turning point in United States history and its impact on the American people at large, but especially on Muslim Americans. Faruqi is careful not to condone the actions of any one group, but instead puts this horrific moment in time into perspective. She also dispels the myth that bullying is relegated to childhood and underscores how interfaith community-building bridges cultural gaps.
Paige Pagan is a Social Justice Books program specialist at Teaching for Change.
Find more books on this topic on our Muslims booklist.
Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi
Published by HarperCollins on September 7, 2021
Genres: Education, Muslim
Pages: 384
Reading Level: Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9780062943248
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Also by this author: Saving Sunshine
Publisher's Synopsis: Yusuf Azeem has spent all his life in the small town of Frey, Texas — and nearly that long waiting for the chance to participate in the regional robotics competition, which he just knows he can win.
Only, this year is going to be more difficult than he thought. Because this year is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an anniversary that has everyone in his Muslim community on edge.
With “Never Forget” banners everywhere and a hostile group of townspeople protesting the new mosque, Yusuf realizes that the country’s anger from two decades ago hasn’t gone away. Can he hold onto his joy — and his friendships — in the face of heartache and prejudice?
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