Love, Hate, & Other Filters

Gr 9 Up—Teens who find themselves caught between parental expectations and how they personally want to live their lives will identify with this authentic debut title. Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is American born, but her parents want her to follow traditional Indian customs, live at home, and marry a nice Muslim boy. Maya just wants to go to college in New York City and study filmmaking. Further complicating her life is her years-long crush on a non-Muslim boy finally being reciprocated. When a terrorist attack occurs close to home and the suspected terrorist has the same last name as Maya's family, the hate crimes begin, leading Maya's parents to intensify their control over their daughter's life. Maya is forced to examine the realities of her choice—lose her parents as well as their financial support—if she continues following her dream. Soneela Nankani does an excellent job differentiating the characters and accents. Ominous sections focusing on a mysterious character are sandwiched between chapters, foreshadowing the terrorist attack, and Nankani delivers these with an appropriately sinister aura.