YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

A devout Muslim teen in Boston charts her path to adulthood and pursues love on her own terms.

It’s fall 2012, and thoughtful, mature high school senior Zakiyyah AbdusSalaam is frustrated by the rigidity of her charter school and increasingly disconnected from both the institution and many of her peers. She persuades her parents to let her enroll at a local community college, marking this new stage of life by choosing to wear a niqab—an expression of her faith and autonomy. Poet and art lover Zakiyyah begins imagining what life might hold for her. After becoming entranced by a young Muslim couple on the bus, she contemplates seeking a partner, a move that’s in sharp contrast to the hookup culture around her. Confident in her faith and aware of her rights as a Muslim woman, Zakiyyah enlists family and friends in her search for a suitable spouse, a process that’s as much about self-discovery as romance. Her clarity of purpose gives the novel unusual emotional weight and momentum. Black Muslim protagonists remain rare, and Allen offers a richly authentic portrait of faith, family, and community, including Zakiyyah’s tender relationship with her non-Muslim grandmother. The lively prose blends humor with perceptive observations about Black American experiences and concerns, including the Islamophobia following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Text exchanges, emails, lists, notebook entries, poems by Sumayyah Abdul-Hadi, and extensive backmatter enhance the novel.

A powerful, affirming novel about faith, agency, and the courage to build the life you want.