You Think You Know Me

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But Hanan has dreams, wishes, and desires to speak her mind and stand up for herself and every other person that gets the same racist undertones (which is just blatant racism most of the time. There are so many different Muslim experiences, but that’s something I don’t see enough of and have never seen in children or young adult books. When the school caretaker is murdered (someone who’d shown Hanan tremendouskindness), shockwaves shudder through the community. The narrative neatly interweaves her backstory, with non-overwhelming but integral sections of flashback about her and her brother's experiences in Somalia.

Ayaan Mohamud | The Guardian

I’d made a deal with them after homework-time that I’d read them a book and let them watch extra TV if they promised to get into bed without a fuss tonight. I was a little confused on the writing style though, it felt a bit like it couldn’t decide who its audience was.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.

You think you know me - Read for Good

It was ten years ago now, when both of us were only seven years old, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget just how painful it was. Sumaya throws herself onto me, giving me a breath-obstructing hug and forcing me back a couple of steps. However, the age of the characters is probably what strikes me the most: seeing children (because that’s what they are) being hurt and others being vicious due to the racism they have learnt from families or elders or their surroundings, clearly shows us the cracks in our society.Add to this a terrifying, close-to-home attack, and school proposing a ban on headscarves inthe name of “achieving integration”, and Hanan finds the strength to break free from beingthe quiet girl people think they know. But she has learnt to keep her head down and her mouth shut, ignoring the slurs that racist bullies throw her way. She explores how the backlash from a crime committed by a Muslim affects an entire community and leads to a vicious cycle of violence. I can tell they’re Grafton Grammar kids like us because I catch a glimpse of the school crest on their blazers and because there’s a few of them I recognize.

Mohamud’s ‘unforgettably Usborne wins three-way auction for Mohamud’s ‘unforgettably

When the elderly caretaker Mr Fleming kindly offers Hanan a place to pray in privacy and away from the cruel taunts of bullying Jessica, an unusual friendship is formed. On a personal note, it's incredibly irritating when adults in an educational setting burden minority students with the responsibility of educating the ignorant and providing solutions to issues that shouldn’t be there in the first place. I believe it is vitally important that representation of all groups is shown across the spectrum of lived experiences and I can’t wait to see how readers respond to Hanan and her inspirational story. A large-scale marketing campaign is being planned and the book is part of the 2023 World Book Night collection. It was difficult writing from the perspective of a refugee, as I’m born and bred in North London, but so necessary because there’s so much anti-refugee rhetoric in the media.Katie Piper said: "I am so thrilled to be supporting World Book Night and this brilliant initiative by The Reading Agency. I’ve always considered myself to be the former and just thinking about being the opposite makes me queasy. Written in the first person, this is an emotionally-charged book that can, at times, be uncomfortable reading. It won’t make your writing any better, in those initial stages anyway, because it’s just about finishing what you set out to do. Nadiya Hussain said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be one of the Ambassadors for The Reading Agency's World Book Night 2023 on Sunday 23 April, the nation's biggest celebration of books and reading, and the positive impact they have on our lives.