After I had my heart ripped out when I read A Very Large Expanse of Sea, I needed to give Tahreh Mafi's advertised heartbreaker a try. My takeaway? An Emotion of Great Delight benefits greatly from dropping the reader directly into Shadi's life at its worst. The events of 9/11 are clear in everyone's mind and deeply affect the Muslim communities that Shadi interacts with, setting an already anxious and disheartened tone for the story. The feeling of stress builds as we learn more about Shadi's personal experiences. Shadi is grieving the loss of her brother and ailing parents but she must still grow from failing relationships and difficult subjects at school. The feelings that Shadi goes through are rightfully dramatic, and with everything that she has on her plate, her urge to avoid further drama and conflict is relatable. After all, who would want to orchestrate an earthquake on brittle soil? I was amazed by Mafi's ability to write a full story with a satisfying ending when the story itself only covers a couple days.

Despite the clear trauma that the outside world has placed upon Shadi, I appreciated that the historical notes did not detract from the nuances of Shadi's struggle as a teenager. Shadi's Muslim identity was effortlessly woven in the narrative and yet was not used as a mechanism for pity. Shadi instead grappled with her faith after repeated trauma, and questioned her ability to trust others as a result of the discrimination she faced over the past year. Shadi's personal issues and the crux of the story wasn't about 9/11. It was about whether or not Shadi should give a friend the opportunity for a romantic relationship, or force herself to remain at her current social status quo. While external factors such as her family posed challenges for Shadi, at the end of the day, this novel is about Shadi's own growth. Shadi shines in this story, even when she feels she's about to break. She's allowed to solve her own issues, even as the world and others have their own to figure out.

After the completion of her Shatter Me series, Tahereh Mafi showcased her versatility as a writer by shifting gears from speculative fiction to contemporary fiction. Her last YA novel, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, features a hijab-wearing Muslim American teen growing up post-9/11, loosely based on Mafi’s own experiences. Mafi’s most recent release, An Emotion of Great Delight, is a contemporary fiction similarly centering a Muslim American teenager set in 2003. While both are emotional books, An Emotion of Great Delight is heavier in its sorrow as a book that addresses a lot of mental health issues.

[rest of excerpted review in link below]

An Emotion of Great Delight follows Shadi, a Muslim teen in a post-9/11 America, through a particularly challenging period of her life. Not only does she have to deal with her community's Islamophobia, but her family has been wrecked by grief over her brother's recent death. Her parents' health is fragile, her relationship with her sister is strained, and her friendships, if you can call them that, are a mess. While there are some glimmers of hope, be warned that this is a SAD book.

Glows: Mafi's prose is truly poetic. There were multiple times while reading that I had to pause and just appreciate the beauty of how something was phrased. I also really liked Shadi as a main character, and I think her story is a compelling one.

Grows: I thought the alternating timeline was hard to follow. I also don't think other characters were developed enough. Overall, the book felt a bit disjointed. Perhaps this was intentional given the focus on how stress and grief were affecting Shadi's mental and physical health, but, in my opinion, it made for a less immersive reading experience. A bit too abstract for my tastes, but your mileage may vary!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Taking place after 9/11, An Emotion of Great Delight draws on the experiences of the child of Persian immigrants. It’s a coming-of-age rstory about being Muslim and a teen struggling with wearing a hijab. But its more than that. It is the story of a family struggling against the prejudice they found in America. Its about a family grieving the death of Shadi’s older brother. Add in the throes of a first love and there’s a lot for a 17-year-old to deal with. There is plenty of street language with lots of curse words, but that only adds to the authenticity of the story. In the right setting, this book could be jumping off spot for the discussion of racial and religious prejudice.

There was a lot that I liked about this book but also a lot that didn't sit right with me.

I really liked the writing, even if it isn't how teenages typically think/talk and wasn't necessary for all the situations in the book. It was very lyrical, beautiful, did a great job conveying all the emotions, and kept me turning the pages with ease. I could really feel Shadi's hurt, confusion, anger, and grief- like, really feel it in my chest. That doesn't happen very often and it was a reminder of how amazing it is that words can have that kind of power. I appreciated that Shadi seemed torn about many things, because who has their life figured out as a teenager (or now, if we're being honest)? She was torn about how to feel about her dad, about Ali, about her ex-bff, and about her religion, and this makes sense.

I didn't like the lack of plot. As much as I was in my feels throughout this book, I wasn't absorbed in much else. The talk about the burqa made me uncomfortable when I read it and seeing reviews from others here tells me that in not alone in that regard. I didn't like the Mafi introduced the amazing character that is Noah and then only had him in 2-3 scenes. I didn't like the abrupt ending- I seriously thought that I had accidentally skipped ahead about 50-100 pages because it was so sudden. I didn't like all the threads that were left unresolved, especially regarding Shadi's family.

I'm just really torn about this book. It was a fast and beautifully emotional read but there was still a lot that could have been improved, and hopefully things will change for the final copy.

This was unfortunately a disappointment for me. I love A Very Large Expanse of Sea, but this felt like it was trying too hard to be *deep*. The writing is beautiful but the plot was confusing and I was having a hard time keeping track of what we had been told, what we would later find out, and what we were simply never told. The ending was very abrupt as well. This was a miss for me.

As always, Mafi's writing is entrancing. She has such a beautiful way with words and the way that she crafts stories is truly remarkable. I think this novel, along with A Very Large Expanse of Sea, are great books for people who don't understand the perspective and lifestyle of Muslim Americans and want to learn more. Mafi sheds light on the emotions surrounding narrative and it is truly eye-opening, especially for a white woman who will never face those things. I think this is an important book to have in my classroom for my students as well. I liked the characters and the story was gripping, but there were some things that fell short for me. The ending seemed abrupt and not truly resolved and there were some parts of the book that I felt dragged a bit. However, the overall message of this book is really important and Mafi's writing style continues to be one of my favorites.

An Emotion of Great Delight was just as the title says. I enjoy Tahereh Mafi as a person and author. I love the way she writes her story to relatable as well as informative. This book was good for what it gave me.

I felt that the story lacked a bit though. I ran into a few plot confusions.
Shadi and Joy being the center of the book yet the book is full of pure sadness. This is full of grief, self harm, harsh words, and hate. The joy being buried very deep down.

My biggest annoyances were with Noah and the ending of this book.
Noah being in the book at all made no sense. There was no point to him being there really.
The ending of the book was a bit rushed with literally no resolution.

The writing is the reason I’m rating this so high. I also feel as though my rating is solely on enjoyment because some of the content I am not the target audience for.

A sad and heavy read. There's currently a trend for post-9/11 books and I am here for it. I'm a big fan of Tahereh Mafi, and while this book isn't my favorite of hers, it was engaging and well written. I felt that at times the forbidden romance between Shadi and Ali took away from the important points the author was trying to make about the isolation and discrimination of Musilm-Americans post-9/11. But, it also brought needed levity to the story. If the book had been longer, Mafi would've had time to develop both plot points equally. Overall, a real and raw glimpse into some of the difficulties that Muslim-Americans still face today.

This is the first time encountering the work of Tahereh Mafi. Mafi has a loyal following from her first book series, Shatter Me. I was warned this was an emotional read but Phew, chile, this teen protagonist has a lot going on. Shadi, a high school student is trying to cope with:
Bullying at school
Living in a post 9/11 Anti-Muslim world
A Father in hospital
A Mother who is grieving & self-harming
A brother who is dead
A sister who is resentful
A sole friend is not a friend - making her an ex-friend and emotionally abusive
and the ex-friend's brother who continues to be attracted to her - and it's not reciprocated (at first).

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Me, too! Combine that with Mafi's deeply emotional telling of the protagonists inner life and I've melted into a teary puddle. And with all this to consider, note some of the issues above are not neatly resolved by the end of the book. The book ends open-ended, leaving me (and possibly you, reader) wondering what's next.

There is some concern with the portrayal of the Shadi's racial and cultural identity. Refer to reviews on GoodReads for more context from Muslim-American readers. This does bring up the question regarding #ownVoices. When it's #ownVoices, are protagonists not supposed to struggle with and be in the process of working out their own identity?

This was a very intense, emotional read. Mafi has perfectly captured what is feels like to be alone, misunderstood, invisible, and the ache that accompanies great loss. Shadi is a Muslim-American teen who’s name means “joy”. Only, she feels anything but joy in her life. Living during a time after 09/11 when tensions are high, she experiences hate, aggressors, and is consistently harassed. To make matters worse her brother dies a year prior, her father has fallen ill, and her mother is in a deep depression. To add insult to injury, her best friend has also ditched her. This is a true to life exploration of guilt, loneliness, and self sabotaging behaviors. It is beautifully written, engaging, and really stirred me emotionally. There is beauty and redemption within these pages as Shadi experiences growth, and allows herself to give and receive love.

I was given an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so intense; it had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through reading it. Shadi's story is heartbreaking and hard. So much about the story is relatable. There's a theme of grief and the madness of grief entwined into the story that I loved because you only recognize it by reading through most of the story; it's not immediately apparent.

An emotionally powerful story of a complex character, this story packs all of the emotional punch readers have come to expect from Mafi's work. Shadi is coming of age in 2003, as heightened political tensions spur hatred and negativity against Muslims in the US. In addition to navigating a tumultuous world, she faces challenges in family, friendship, and love. My heart ached and soared along with Shadi's. Yours will, too.

Any Tahereh Mafi fans in the house? This was my first read by Ms Mafi and it left me with a mixed bag of emotions.

Let me begin by saying Ms Mafi is a magician with her words. Her writing captures the audience, tugs at our hearts while she weaves a story of one girls’ suffering post 9/11.

War on Iraq has been declared, the year is 2003; Islamophobia incidents are high, Muslim communities are being targeted and under surveillance by the FBI.
(Not very different from today, one might argue).

It is in this setting we are introduced to seventeen-year-old Shadi, a second generation Iranian American, who is caught up in a tornado of personal problems.

She has lost her brother Mehdi; is dealing with her father’s ill health; her mother’s depression, as a hijab wearing Muslim she has been targeted by bullies. She has a turbulent relationship with her sister and her best friend Zahra has developed an animosity towards her.
Almost ironic that she is named Shadi, which means joy in Persian.

Ms Mafi writes trauma brilliantly; she brings the heaviness her characters are experiencing to life.

So many important discussions arise from this book.
Relationship between first generation parents and second-generation immigrant children.
The dual identity struggle faced by second generation immigrants.
Loss, anger, healing, trust (and lack of) between parents and children.

Shadi’s emotions are relatable. Her confusion at hatred, her desperation at wanting normalcy in her life, trying to fix her cracked relationships, her hesitation and indecisiveness over her relationship with Ali, will all speak to the reader.

I also enjoyed the Persian language and the cultural representations throughout.

So, what did not work? How rushed the book was! There were some unfinished conversations and the plot lines felt unresolved.
Under 300 pages, I wonder if the length of the book had something to do with it.
Also, while I understand Shadi was trying to find herself between two cultures, her physical closeness with Ali did not sit well with me.

“An Emotion of Great Delight” a young adult read with some wins and some losses.

An Emotion of Great Delight is another proof of just how beautiful and impactful Tahereh Mafi's writing is. Beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, and heart-mending all at once.

An Emotion of Great Delight was such an emotional roller coaster ride that's shrouded in an in-depth focus on emotional turmoil and ones mental well being. Mafi presents the reader to the aftermath of a post 9/11 world where we meet a family that has been reduced to self inflecting heartache and pain all while being subjected to the harsh reality of the real world from those on the outside looking in. This novel definitely leaves you in pieces and will rattle your nerves as you walk through the eyes of our protagonist Shadia. This is one novel you don't wont to miss and is a lesson in life itself.

I thought this was really good. It is interesting that Kirkus loved it while Publishers Weekly was critical of the emotional pitch of the prose. I thought the heroine had romantic storms that were entirely justified and I loved it.

There's something that differentiates Tahereh Mafi's writing from everyone else and it's her ability to make her words sound like music, covering the page like lyrics, drawing you in and holding you there. This was something we could see in the Shatter Me series, but it's something that stands out even more in her realistic fiction. Her realistic fiction conveys the events that have occurred in her life, albeit it fictionalized; and, in every single one she's written, she relays the struggles of being a Muslim woman in a post 9/11 world. Much of humanity only sees the narrative the media portrays which has been highly negative since 9/11. We don't often get to hear a first person perspective and let me tell you, it HURTS.

But in a good way. Shadi's story, which Mafi says is more personal than anything she's written before, relays how Shadi experienced one of the greatest moments of her life, despite every single horrible thing she believes she committed and the sadness coming from tragedy within her family. She's determined to thrive and survive at all costs, no matter how hard some days are and how much her brain tries to tell her it isn't worth it. An Emotion of Great Delight contains everything you love about a Tahereh Mafi novel and it's fantastic.

The reviews mentioning how it wasn't much of anything and didn't give a successful commentary on the life of a Muslim teenager. And to those reviews, I disagree. There comes a time when a novel is so personal, so authentic, it feels nearly improbable. However, it's Mafi being at her most raw and vulnerable and it hurts. I've fallen in love with Mafi's realistic fiction solely because of how real it is and, as always, how lyrical her writing is. If you love Mafi, you'll continue to do so through this and appreciate the chance to learn more of the events that fueled her writing.

The emotional intensity of this book had my chest tight the entire read. I read this in one day, I could not put it down. The elegant, ethereal, and emotional writing style made me feel like I was floating along inside the narrator, Shadi, a senior in high school. Shadi has normal teen problems, but she has so much more to manage. Her brother died a year ago, she blames her father, but is conflicted when his health takes a serious dive. her mother is reeling from the loss of her son and her husband's sudden decline, and her sister and best friend hate her. This is the story of Shadi's spiral into the darkness of pain and sadness. The gut-wrenching moments that break your heart eventually lead Shadi back to the light. CW: suicidal ideation, anti-muslim rhetoric/bullying.

I loved Tahereh's last book, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, so I was very excited for this one. It was an emotional read, but it felt very incomplete at the end. There wasn't much of a resolution, and that may have been the point, but it wasn't my favorite.