An illuminating look at Sikh history.
A sweeping tale about a legendary 18th-century female Sikh warrior who went to war against the Mughal empire.
Now known to generations of Sikhs as Mai Bhago, the young woman born Bhag Bhari is a teen at a crossroads when the novel opens. Growing up in a traditional Sikh family in Jhabal Kalan near Amritsar, Bhag Bhari resists prescribed feminine tasks like cooking and sewing. Rather than dreaming of settling down and raising a family, she yearns to study martial arts like the men in her family—and displays striking talents when she does so. She also yearns to use her skills to protect her people. When her uncle and cousin are sent to war, she both worries about them and longs to be part of the fight. But Bhag Bhari’s parents urge her to focus more on finding a respectable husband and being a good bride. Kharbanda’s novel is at its strongest when it describes Bhag Bhari’s struggle to push back against the often sexist environment around her. While many parts of this legend’s fictionalized story are fascinating, the pacing feels uneven—often quite slow but too rushed when it comes to the main character’s evolving relationship with Nidhan Singh, her husband. Still, readers will likely be drawn to the rich historical details, and Bhag Bhari’s strong Sikh faith and courage shine throughout.
An illuminating look at Sikh history. (author’s note, sources) (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-949528-71-8
Page Count: 316
Publisher: Yali Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
A slow-moving but compelling tale of a queer Jewish boy battling antisemitism and the supernatural.
Young immigrant Alter Rosen lives in Chicago; it’s 1893, and the World’s Fair is in town.
Seventeen-year-old Alter longs to enjoy everything the White City has to offer him, but as a Romanian refugee in the United States, he feels it is his responsibility to earn enough money to bring his mother and his sisters over from Europe. Jewish people in the Russian empire have long been the targets and victims of government-sanctioned violence, and while life in the U.S. is still not ideal for Jews, it’s much safer. So, Alter tries his best to make an honest living and save his money. But when several Jewish boys from the tenements on Maxwell Street, where he has rented a room, end up missing or dead—including Alter’s own roommate and secret crush, Yakov—Alter knows he has to find out the truth about their fates. A highly detailed historical landscape paired with the fantastical element of the dybbuk from ancient Jewish folklore, one of whom possesses Alter, provide a solid base for the book’s leisurely paced and original narrative. Readers will become immersed in Alter’s world, rooting for his survival, hoping for his reunion with his family, and wishing for him to find the love that he deserves. An author’s note and glossary add valuable context. Main characters are White and Jewish.
A slow-moving but compelling tale of a queer Jewish boy battling antisemitism and the supernatural. (Historical thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-335-40250-9
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A simply real story, devoid of clichés, that will leave an indelible mark.
Shadi’s life is slowly falling apart: Her best friend, Zahra, doesn’t talk to her anymore, and her parents are dealing with grief and depression in the aftermath of her brother Mehdi’s sudden death.
It’s 2003, and all of this is compounded by the hatred Shadi receives every day at school for being Iranian American and a hijabi. The lack of support leaves Shadi struggling to keep afloat. She’s behind in her classes and exhausted because she often stays up at night listening to her mother’s agonizing despair over losing Mehdi. Her father, once a healthy, fit man, recently had a second heart attack, and Shadi’s sister, Shayda, has taken over running the house. Everyone is so mired in their own trauma and pain that Shadi, the youngest, often finds herself forgotten, both literally and figuratively. The expectation of keeping one’s home life private and of separating the political from the personal are themes throughout the book. Woven through this story of trauma and resilience is a soft romance between Shadi and Zahra’s brother, Ali. Mafi confronts issues of mental health, suicidality, racism, and self-love in ways that will leave readers reacting viscerally and powerfully. Reading this novel is like being dropped straight into the everyday lives of a Muslim family in post–9/11 America.
A simply real story, devoid of clichés, that will leave an indelible mark. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-297241-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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