I’m torn. This book addresses a topic that is so prevalent in our society. Not only book banning but also racism and homophobia.
As much as I love the topic and how it was addressed, the book felt repetitive in parts. Noors speeches at events felt like the same speech. I found myself spacing out on those.
I do agree if you’re one of “those parents” who wants books banned and don’t believe in basic human rights then this book is not for you.
But if you believe every book has a place and our children need to read and learn so we don’t repeat historical mistakes then you’ll enjoy this title.
I received an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Hachette & Netgalley for approving me for this book. After reading and loving Samira Ahmed's other books, I knew I wanted to request this one, and man, I am glad I did. Yes, I read this way later than I should have, but reading this book during election time has made this much harder. Yes, it's fiction, but what happened in this book is happening in real life.

The book follows Noor, whose life is turned upside down when her mom, her sister, and herself pick up and leave Chicago and move to a tiny town in Illinois because their father walked out (and, in my opinion, had nothing to do with the story itself even though it kept being mentioned). Noor wants to keep her head down, get to graduation, and move back to Chicago as soon as she can. But when Noor realizes that books are being banned left and right from her school, she and some new friends decide to stand up for what's right. But not everyone is okay with Noor using her voice and will do anything to try and stop her, including lighting fires to a little free library in front of her house.

This book is so important to today's world. Even though it is YA, it should be read by all age groups. It's about censorship, fascism, book banning, and bigotry in small-town America, and I'm sure this book will be eventually banned across small towns in America eventually.  It can be difficult to read, but it makes you realize it is inspiring in the representation of freedom of speech and expression. Since it is YA, it can be juvenile at times, with Noor finding her friends in her town and coming to terms with her father abandoning the family. There was one part that I just had to roll my eyes at where she was annoyed because she was called to the office in her new high school over the loudspeaker, and she thought she was being singled out and how inappropriate it was because, in her old school in Chicago, they came and got you out of class personally.

Overall, I truly loved this book. I will definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new book to read.

Rated: 4.5 stars out of 5 - rounded down to four.

I just finished reading This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed, and I am so excited to share my thoughts with you!

This book is a powerful and captivating story that delves into themes of resilience, freedom, and the enduring power of literature. Ahmed's writing is both passionate and thought-provoking, making this a must-read for anyone who values the written word.

One of my favorite scenes is when the protagonist, Noor, stumbles upon a hidden library filled with forbidden books. The sense of wonder and discovery in this moment is so vividly described—you can practically smell the old pages and feel the weight of history in your hands. As Noor explores the library, she realizes the importance of preserving knowledge and stories that some might want to erase. This scene perfectly encapsulates the book's central message about the power of literature to inspire and ignite change.

What I love most about This Book Won't Burn is how it blends a gripping narrative with deep, meaningful themes. Noor's journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, and her determination to fight for what she believes in is truly empowering. The characters are richly developed, and their struggles and triumphs are portrayed with such authenticity and depth.

If you're looking for a book that will inspire you and remind you of the transformative power of stories, This Book Won't Burn is a must-read. Trust me, you'll be moved by Noor's journey and the beautiful storytelling.

Thank you, Little Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley, for my eARC.

I enjoyed this timely book by Samira Ahmed. Ahmed dealt with heavy themes that are prevalent in today's society, like bigotry, censorship, and racism in a poignant way, and I love the strong MC in Noor that she created. Noor stood up for herself and everyone else who felt (or was) considered targeted by the ban, and I think this is an important message, especially for young readers -- to stand up for yourself/others and what you believe in.

I've always enjoyed Ahmed's books and this one was no different. Be sure to check her out!

An extremely timely and well written book about a teen fighting for the right to read in their small town. I loved loved loved this book. The author was spot on with her depictions of book banners-everything they said was verbatim. Everyone who believes in the freedom to read needs to read this book

Thank you for this arc!

Now I thought this was a different book. So I am not that interested in this book. I hope it finds its audience!

This book was so good! I had a lot of emotions while reading this YA novel about a young woman named Noor who was working with her friends to fight a school book ban. All of the obstacles that Noor and her friends faced were very extreme and the examples of racism were definitely frightening. The worst part is that the situations written about in this novel are still prevalent in the US today.

The principal in the book, and the character of Hawley, are the types of individuals who, in real life, have no business in the roles they had in the story. They are evil to the core. I how that readers can find a connection with the hero of the story and maybe some real life Andrews can learn what it really means to be anti-racist and an ally.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #ThisBookWon’tBurn by #SamiraAhmed in exchange for honest feedback. -5 stars

I loved this book. It was poignant and handled the themes so well. Book banning is on the rise and more and more books talking about that is never bad.

I love Samira Ahmed. I have read all of her books and I am never disappointed, though this is one of my favorites.

This book is like a modern day Fahrenheit 451. The school library is banning books deemed inappropriate for students by a select group of adults in the community (i.e. rich, white, Christian-folk). All of the books that are being banned are by authors who are of color, homosexual, or incorporate non-white, non-Christian ideations. Noor takes a stand against the adults trying to ban these books and finds herself and those she cares about in a lot of dangerous situations.

Read this book! Ahmed writes beautifully and gracefully despite the difficult topics she covers. She deserves all the stars and then some more!

What a timely novel from Samira Ahmed. I had previously read Internment by Ahmed and most recently had heard her speak at AASL, where she did mention this upcoming book. During the panel Ahmed was part of, she talked about how active she is in her local government and school board. It was very inspiring. You can really see her experience and passion in this book. Much like Ahmed, the main character of the book Noor, was raised by activist parents and feels an obligation to do good in her community. At the start of the story we learn that Noor lives in the city of Chicago where her classmates and friends are all very progressive. This all changes when Noor's father leaves the family, leading their mother to move their family to a small suburb outside the city. In this new town, which is predominantly white, they are not so progressive. The mayor who is also part of the school board, is actively working to ban books in the local high school. When Noor discovers this she decides she can't stay silent. Joining with other students in the school who have felt rejected and ignored, she works to change things. The story does such a good job of truly capturing the experience of activism when you are, seemingly, part of a minority. You can really feel the fear Noor experiences as she is berated, threatened, and silenced by people in the town who want to maintain the status quo. They are, after all, a nice little town with good family values. But, she never gives up. I think this book will go a long way to educating students on their roles as American citizens with their first amendment rights. Especially when so many students are not aware that book banning is even happening. I plan to recommend it to my teachers for their curriculums and absolutely add it as part of our library. (Thank You to Netgalley and Little Brown, Books for Young Readers for the ARC)

Okay, wow. I'm not one for politics much myself, but this is such an important read and I (surprisingly) loved it despite it not quite being my cup of tea. I love how Ahmed deals with the heavy themes of censorship and fascism and book-banning and bigotry and racism in certain areas of America. Of course, to get these points across, some of the characters are complete a**holes, and they made me so angry but also upset that people like them actually exist. Overall, this is a very important book handling real issues sensitively and maturely and it's a story that everyone should read.

I’ve read a lot of books by Samira Ahmed, and since she Chicago-based, I’ve also met her in person before, at a bookish event. One thing that she excels at is writing justice-oriented novels for young readers that aim to both educate and motivate them towards meaningful action against oppression.

This Book Won’t Burn is a story about a senior in high school named Noor who is uprooted from life in Chicago and taken to a (much more conservative and much less diverse) small town in Illinois. Raised to fight against injustices, Noor soon finds herself at odds with the school principal as well as many other adults in power. While this battle starts with a small resistance against banned books, it soon spirals into much more than Noor initially bargained for, leaving her to decide what’s more important: her voice or her safety.

As with most books on subjects like these, this novel includes many topics that might be triggering to some people, specifically those who identify with Noor and her struggles. It gives readers some good ideas on how to fight back against unjust systems, but it doesn’t shy away from the harm that these fights can cause. Noor is fighting an uphill battle where she often can’t tell the difference between friend and foe. I really appreciated Samira Ahmed’s transparency with this, as it’s important that people understand the sacrifices that so many activists are forced to go through just to have their voices heard.

There were a few side plots that I wasn’t a particular fan of, including her father’s absence and the overwhelming amount of fire-imagery sprinkled throughout. The former wasn’t ever really explained, and didn’t seem to have enough affect on the plot for me to consider it worth including, and the latter happened so much in the beginning chapters that I got annoyed with it very quickly. The use of fire metaphors and puns does quiet down for a good middle chunk of the novel though.

That being said, Samira Ahmed is always an author that I keep an eye out for on shelves every time I visit a local bookstore. If you’re looking for books for younger audience, be sure to check our her middle grade series: Amira & Hamza!

Noor's family moves out of Chicago and to a small town. Well, most of her family moves. Her dad leaves one day and abandons his family and crushes everyone. In this new small town, Noor's school is facing a lot of book challenges from one group of parents. She's not going to keep her head down and just deal with it.

This book felt like it was written more for the adults in a teen's life versus the actual teens. The message is clear, books shouldn't be banned (as most of us can agree). I don't think we needed over 380 pages to get that message across. Most of the book felt boring and like we were going over the same points over and over again. Also, that love triangle was stupid.

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN by Samira Ahmed (Hollow Fires and Internment) is filled with anger. The main character, Noor Khan, is a high school senior whose family circumstances force a change in schools in the last quarter of her senior year (yes, hard to believe that other options would not exist in real life). And Noor is understandably upset when she, her Mom, and her freshman sister move from suburban Chicago to a small town in downstate Illinois where they are one of the very few families who are not white or Christian. It is an adjustment for everyone, but Noor channels some of her anger into publicly reading banned books – and faces detention, multiple threats, and physical violence as a result. Fortunately, she is supported by new friends, Juniper with her girlfriend Hanna, plus Fasi, another student with desi heritage. One of the best aspects of Ahmed's novel is the way she casually introduces many books that have been challenged such as Anger is a Gift, Monday's Not Coming, All Boys Aren't Blue, When the Moon was Ours, Fahrenheit 451, and many more.

Too bad that the preview for THIS BOOK WON'T BURN did not include a list of all of those titles. It also seemed rather unrealistic that 500 books would be simultaneously removed from a single school library. Even in Texas (the state with the dubious honor of hosting the most book challenges recently) where a school district near San Antoino pulled 400 books at one time, it was noted that "Most of those [titles] are appropriate and will stay on our library shelves as is." Ahmed's novel is set in Illinois with an activist librarian who would also likely have had a more robust review process in place. Ahmed raises a very important issue, but she tends to employ caricatures (a school board President who would try to run down a student with a car?). For example, she explicitly calls out MAGA supporters and Liberty Moms, but even though the book's publication coincides with this week's celebration of the second annual Little Free Library Week, Ahmed does not give her readers any information about groups like Little Free Library or mention recycling a used newspaper kiosk; even AARP offers suggestions to create these yard libraries. THIS BOOK WON'T BURN would benefit from an appendix of related resources -- like the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom or PEN America (and PEN teaching guides) or the Texas FReadom Fighters or even the lawsuits brought by other publishers who devote web pages to the topic and provide links to an action toolkit. [SEE BELOW for some of these links]

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus summarized it as follows: "A timely story about silence as complicity, defending freedom, and the courage to fight against hate." Readers may also wish to investigate The Asian American Foundation and their annual STAATUS Index Report.

Just a few Relevant Links:
https://littlefreelibrary.org/
https://www.aarp.org/home-family/your-home/info-2021/little-free-library-guide.html
https://www.ala.org/news/2024/03/american-library-association-reports-record-number-unique-book-titles
https://pen.org/issue/book-bans/
https://www.txfreadomfighters.us/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/banned-books/
https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/toolkit/
https://www.taaf.org/our-work/staatus-index-2024

A powerful and timely story with a message of hope and triumph! Noor’s strength and resilience are a perfect backdrop to this tale of injustice and activism.

While banning books is often couched as protecting young readers, the importance of representation and diversified perspectives trumps that argument every time, mostly because the books that are challenged are almost exclusively those by and about marginalized peoples. I think one of the other incredibly important points made in this novel is that there are people out there willing to fight against fascism, bigotry and racism. You are not alone in your fight!

Thank you to TBR&Beyond Book Tours, NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This Book Won't Burn is a timely and powerful YA book about activism against book banning. The story centers around Noor Khan, a high school student who finds herself moving to a small-town in central Illinois after her father up and leaves the family. As Noor must grieve and learn to cope with his absence, she always discovers her new school is banning books in the school library. And specifically books by BIPOC and queer authors!

Noor, not afraid to speak up and stand against injustice, is swept up in a fight to stand up for what's right! This book is a fantastic read for students, especially as book banning is occurring in so many schools and cities across this nation currently. It is powerful, enraging, and inspirational!

Samira Ahmed has created a story similar to what is being played out in an increasing large number of school districts in this country today. It's all about censorship, book banning, and standing up for a student's right to read. This book is definitely going to be controversial but brings to light what is happening and how some students feel about it. Only through knowledge of what is happening can change start to occur. Ahmed makes the story relatable to youth with high school life and a little romance thrown in. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Noor's father leaves their family, Noor, her mother, and her sister move from Chicago to rural Illinois. Here, school board members remove books from the library, claiming that certain books contain inappropriate content. Despite adult threats, Noor and her small group of friends stand up against the book ban and fight for their right to read those books.

I love how Noor channels her father's activism, even though she's grieving his loss. Her new friendships become a found family, and together, they fight bigotry, fascism, racism, microaggression, censorship, and book banning. The story contains a budding romance triangle, which isn't necessarily my favorite trope. But the romance feels innocent rather than angsty. I appreciate how both boys help Noor work through residual feelings regarding her father's abandonment. Teens will love the balance of a sweet, budding romance and activism.

I want to give a special shoutout to @hachetteaudio. Yesterday, I took an unexpected road trip and listened to an audiobook. The narration by Kauser Mohammed is simply perfect. She portrays Noor's sarcasm and inner turmoil brilliantly. I highly recommend this format!

Read this if you love:
❤️Book about books - especially banned books
❤️Social justice
❤️Speaking up against censorship

Samira Ahmed references a potential law in Illinois regarding outlawing banned books. I'm happy to report that HB2789 passed, protecting schools and libraries from external restrictions to book collections.

If you plan to read only one YA book this year, I recommend This Book Won't Burn unless you hold ultra-right-wing conservative views. Although I still believe you should read it, I doubt you will appreciate it as much as I do.

When I saw the tour advertised for This Book Won't Burn I knew I wanted to be a part of it as Samira isn't afraid of writing about important subjects.

I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a Country that banned certain books and Samira took me on a journey seen through the eyes of Noor who was such an amazing character when she moved to a small town to and fought for the right to read even if it meant being thought of a troublemaker but she knew how important it was for people to see themselves in books.

This is all I am going to say but I will say that this book should be on every curriculum as it raises important issues and would make a excellent discussion tool

For all the above reasons This Book Wont' Burn receives 5 stars.

It is clear that this 384 page contemporary YA book is about the hot topic of burn banning in America, and I would imagine most are aware that the overwhelming number of books that have been recently banned or pulled because of objection, are by BIPOC and queer authors about BIPOC and queer themes.  So I read it not so much to see the Muslim author's perspective, but more to see how the Muslim identifying characters in the book approached the topic.  The book is very black and white, book banning is wrong, Republican right wing MAGA members are fascist, and liberal freedom of speech supporters are LGBTQ+ identifying and allies and upholder of first amendment rights.  Islam and the character's Indian heritage is ingrained in the characters being, and a label they are comfortable with, unfortunately, it has no impact on how they act, think, or the lens in which they view their world. Every 50 pages or so some vague mention of Ramadan, or a tasbeeh, or mosque forcefully appears, only to disappear just as abruptly. The Muslim protagonist, Noor, likes two different boys, is often alone with them, nearly kisses them, and with the support of her family attends prom. Her younger sister, Amal, is unsure if she wants a boyfriend or a girlfriend, it is not a major part of the story and is just mentioned in passing.  A major side character is lesbian, and starts a bit of a relationship with another girl, they hold hands, and there are a few kisses on cheeks, nothing overly detailed.  Their is profanity in the book, arson, threats, racism, and stereotypes.

SYNOPSIS:
Noor and her family move to a small town from Chicago when her dad abruptly abandons the family.  It is the end of Noor's senior year, and with the grief, stress, and emotional upheaval of her family, Noor just wants to get to graduation.  Quick friendships with Faiz and Juniper, and realizing that she is the daughter of her activist parents though, thrusts her into making enemies her first week in the conservative town by questioning the school's book banning policies. Add in her strained relationship with her mom, her conflicting feelings for Andrew and Faiz, and her sisterly concern for Amal, and Noor has a lot on her plate as she shakes up a small town.

WHY I LIKE IT:
The first chapter is incredible writing, no doubt.  I hated the dad, more than that I was so disappointed in him, and so concerned for Noor, Amal and their mom.  To feel such strong emotions for characters just introduced is a testament the author's abilities.  Sadly, insight into why their dad left never came, and  perhaps no answers is something the characters had to grapple with, but as the reader, I felt it wasn't really explored, or articulated, it just was unresolved, and I really wanted some closure.  In terms of literary quality, the book went down hill pretty quick.  the middle was slow and repetitive with the heavy handed views on book banning.  Some shades of gray, or some discourse would have prodded the readers to maybe think about the implications of banning books, but the narrative never allowed for that.  It is right vs wrong, us vs them from the start.  There really is no growth of the protagonist, she doesn't have much of a character arc, and the supporting cast is not fleshed out.  I wanted to see more of Noor and her Mom, not just be told repetitively how absent she is, I wanted to see Faiz as a full person, not just the only brown Muslim at the school that cooks. Where are his parents, do they support his activism, that he is going to prom? Truly, there is no Islam in practice it is just a label that gets dropped when it furthers the notion of raging against a bias system.  I'm not saying they need to be praying and reading Quran on every page, but I don't know that the story would be much different if the family was not Muslim Indian American, really the catalyst is that they are a new family, and a visible minority. 

FLAGS:

Straight and LGBTQ+ relationships, arson, threats, stereotypes, racism, bullying, cursing.