Love from Mecca to Medina

Gr 8 Up–A deeply spiritual and religious pilgrimage will test the marriage connection of a young couple in this sequel to Love From A to Z. It’s been four years since Adam and Zayneb met, fell in love, and eventually married. Despite their love and union, Zayneb is in Chicago pursuing her law degree, while Adam is in Doha working on being an artist. Both are struggling in some way, but when the opportunity for Adam to do Umrah, a traditional pilgrimage to Mecca, presents itself, he pushes hard to make it happen. His multiple sclerosis diagnosis has changed everything for him, and despite his shaky health, he wants to travel to Mecca with Zayneb. During the trip, increasing challenges will distance the couple, and they will have to ask themselves if love can transcend it all. This novel is told in alternating points of view, and it’s simultaneously realistic and frustrating how each main character is always “sparing” their spouse’s feelings, where open communication would have solved most problems. Zayneb’s increasing anxiety and jealousy is hard to stomach, but readers will also empathize with her struggles. The pilgrimage technicalities and religious language can be difficult for non-Muslims to understand, but it’s a great insight into the modern Islamic world.