I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Edelweiss and Doubleday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
In this story we follow two characters and their families: Anvar and Safwa/Azza. Anvar is a Pakistani native who immigrates with his family to San Francisco in the 1990s. Safwa/Azza is living in Baghdad with her father and facing the fallout of the war until they also immigrate to San Francisco. We follow both characters from the 1990s through 2016 and see where their stories ultimately intertwine.
Why I liked The Bad Muslim Discount
I really enjoyed this book and gave it a 5/5. I felt like the characters were developed very well. They were recognizable and we could see their thoughts, motives, and flaws. The way that Masood wrote them, I felt personally invested in their lives and wanted certain things to happen for them or to not happen.
The Bad Muslim Discount covers so many important topics. Religion and what it means to be a “good” muslim is a key component of this book. Masood also includes the power of love, what it means to be true to yourself, family dynamics, the power of a community, and identity—both personal and collective.
One particularly poignant passage stood out to me (quote is from e-ARC and may change upon publication):
“‘America is still the most powerful nation in the world. So why are its people so terrified all the time?’
…
‘We live on stolen land,’ I finally said, ‘in a country built on slavery and reliant on the continued economic exploitation of other people. The oppressor always lives in fear of the oppressed. Americans have always been afraid, first of people native to this continent, then of black men, then of the innocent Japanese citizens they interned and now of Muslims and immigrants. So the real question, I think, is who is next?’”
I highly recommend The Bad Muslim Discount and urge you to read it. Syed M. Masood is writing amazing important books and you’ll be missing out if you don’t pick this up. Publication is set for November.
