You Must Be Layla

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What! Of all creatures, do you approach males and leave the spouses whom your Lord has created for you? Indeed, you are people transgressing (all limits)!' (Ash-Shu'araa: 165-166) A speedy read, filled with creative ideas, heart-warming character moments and the concept of knowing who you are. You Must Be Layla follows Layla a young Sudanese-Australian girl about to start a new, fancy private school and the challenges she faces and overcomes. Unfortunately, there were two main problems with this for me. The first is that the writing is...it's awful. It's really awful. It feels like a draft rather than a finished book. It's unpolished, the conversations don't feel authentic, and there are so many pop culture references and slang words in it that it will feel out of date within two years. And honestly, that makes me incredibly sad because this had the potential to be a game changer. The book explores a variety of topics - bullying, racism, anti-Islam rhetoric and how kids have to grapple with it, ambition, and forgiveness. The pace of the story was just right — although the last chapter felt like an unnecessary sprint race, which I ended up forgiving. It is a perfect “get-me-out-of-my-slump” read.

Yassmin had introduced the book at the book launch as Layla just being herself, although of course themes of diversity and racism and acceptance come through - because this is the reality of Australia today. Is this censorship or cancelling individuals? No, it is called enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and it's obligatory to do this with wisdom, not hatred. So how should we react to Muslims who publically promote LGBTQIA+ to Muslims? Firstly do dua that Allah guides them and don't abuse or insult them. Should we promote their books on our bookstagram accounts? Should we give platforms to Muslims who publically promote haram lifestyles because we want to amplify the voices of Muslim women? I know Muslim women want to support other sisters because we know how much Islamophobia we face. If we do that, we will be accountable on the Day of Judgement if people listen to them because we recommended their books or asked them to speak at an event. Instead, promote and support Islamic content creators so you can share in their reward.I had to keep reminding myself not to be irritated by the silly science (gummy bear actuator) as this is actually a teenage book not aimed at adults and not mainly seeking to be scientifically accurate. I wasn't fond of Layla being the "queen" of all the boys with no female friends at her new school. I don't see the point of that. I sort of got that this brashness was her new self, that she'd had to code switch around her new place in life. I loved that her mum was the main career woman and her dad was the cook and also the affection between family members. The plot twist with Ethan was welcome but a bit hurried, I guess it had to be.

Abdel-Magied also explored the concept of being “the forgiving minority who has to look the other way”, and she introduces prominent figures like Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X along with the Islamic concept of forgiveness. I enjoyed reading this book and Layla made me laugh A LOT. And whilst I anticipated the twists, I don't think Emily did. The book is pitched at kids, after all, though suspect there's something in there for everyone, particularly those who think about identity and conflict. This reads a bit more of older middle-grade than young adult, and I think the themes and issues explored in this book are more fitting of older MG.

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The book discusses migrant experience, discrimination and inequality in perfect way for readers who are just starting to read young adult fiction. Inspiring themes and messages are communicated throughout, and these are some of the elements I loved which made me so excited to talk about in this review. The family’s culture and beliefs are portrayed and the language, being Arabic, is also incorporated. I discovered and learnt a lot whilst reading, which I really enjoyed and found to be yet another impressive element in this story. Layla is full of sass, and overwhelming adolescent impulsivity! She gave me anxiety with some of her antics, which just showed me how this character had developed and I'd become invested. Looking outside and in, Layla will need to come to terms with who she is and who she wants to be if she has any chance of succeeding. A community school, ISM doesn’t have a lot of funding for extra equipment and opportunities and when she meets private school student, Adam, in the park, she begins to realise that she may need to branch out. Adam attends Mary Maxmillion Grammar (MMG) a private and very exclusive school that has everything you could imagine, including a workshop with all kinds of equipment that Layla could use to bring her beloved inventions to life. Layla loves to make jewellery at home – the precision of threading beads and creating patterns appeals, but she would love the opportunity to make so much more.

You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children's writing. I loved the Arabic included within the text, seamlessly spoken as it would be within a family in Australia with English as a second language. Many phrases I knew because of my own growing Arabic, but mostly context covered it. Although I don't know what to do with the numbers in phonetic Arabic (I just found the glossary at the end, when I finished), even when I know the reasoning if it use. It was refreshing to have a book that added the bilingual way of many Aussie families. An advocate for the empowerment of women, youth and people of colour, Yassmin has been awarded numerous awards for her advocacy, including the 2018 Young Voltaire Award for Free Speech. Yassmin has travelled to over twenty countries speaking to governments, NGOs and multinational companies on a range of topics including unconscious bias, resilience and inclusive leadership. Her TED talk, 'What does my headscarf mean to you?', has been viewed over two million times and was chosen as one of TED's top ten ideas of 2015. Yassmin's critically acclaimed essays have been published in numerous anthologies, including the Griffith Review, the bestselling It's Not About the Burqa and New Daughters of Africa. Her words can also be found in publications like the Guardian, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Independent and Glamour. Apart from me feeling a but "meh" about the private school theme this book did make a good point about Sudanese needing to strive for wealth more because they have family in abject poverty they are trying to help. I've heard similar stuff from Afghani young people too. Nevertheless it erodes the public system more when authors keep portraying that the way to succeed is get a scholarship to a posh school. A minority of students get those scholarships anyway, the majority are like Dina. After talking to her parents, it isn’t long before Layla is sitting the scholarship exam for MMG and then as the book opens, getting ready for her first day there.

I particularly enjoyed Layla's internal monologue; careening into disastrous interactions against her better judgement, watching it and critiquing it happening in almost real time, narrating her own disasters.

I think Layla is a great protagonist - a girl who is confident in her own ability, feels vulnerable when faced with conflict and self-doubt, and also explores feelings of anger when faced with injustice. A lot of her emotions were very real. You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children's writing. About This Edition ISBN: Layla wins a scholarship to an impressive high school. On her first day, wearing a long skirt and a headscarf, Layla certainly stands out. Some of her fellow students (and teachers) make assumptions. And Layla doesn’t always help herself: speaking before thinking through the consequences can get you into trouble, even if you don’t look different. Let's now turn our attention to the other major focus of the book: Ethan. He is Layla's crush, and at the end of the book, he comes out to Layla as gay, and Layla feels 'happiness for her friend' and 'honour of being chosen to be confided in'. Throughout the novel, she has intimate thoughts about him and comforts and hugs him when he cries; they get very close physically. At one point, she even asks herself, 'Rahhhhh, I don't even know if this is halal. Ah well, he's my friend, and he's sad. Allah can forgive that!' but still continues. Magied portrays Ethan as sympathetic to Layla; he is not racist. He's a good guy. Non-Muslim liberals and feminists love the book, and it shows Muslim girls in a good light, so what's the big deal?

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It's a lovely book, about a girl finding her place in an unfamiliar &intimidating context. Pitched at kids, maybe 10-12 ish. Oh boy. I had such high hopes for this book because I have nothing but respect for Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Also, the protagonist is in year 8, which is almost unheard of in YA and I was super excited to have a book coming out for the younger end of the YA audience. And there was a reasonable amount about this that I enjoyed - a teenage girl who's interested in STEM, the struggles of being a Sudanese Muslim at a private school that's very white, and the difficulties of being a 14 year old girl full stop. Initially, Layla attends the Islamic School of Brisbane (ISB) where there are students from all over the world, includingIndia, Fiji, Nigeria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Malaysia and South Africa. Most of the students are recent migrants so their families also start to spend time together and become friends, creatinga wonderfully diverse and welcoming community. Layla loves the school and her friends there, especially best friend Dina, but starts to want something more. With her long skirt and headscarf Layla certainly stands out at her new high school. Everyone thinks they know her, just from a glance. But do they? And does Layla really know herself?