If there ever was a book that resonated with me on such a personal level, it would be This Book Wont Burn by Samira Ahmed. When you read about a town that is wanting to ban books and use the false narrative of protecting children, it may seem like we are back in the dark ages, but in reality this is happening now. I felt so much like the main character, I kept smiling when the little attributes showed up.

1) she is a young south asian teen who refuses to let people in power walk over her
2) she is trying to get through the last year of high school that for so many people feels like a waste of time
3) She can reference books, poems, moments in history without any hesitation
4) She references banned books that I personally just read last year and also felt a huge connection with (ref: All my Rage by Sabaa Tahir, an excellent read)

Noor felt like she was the younger incarnate of the current me, but with Samira's writing style, it still felt like I was getting to know this teenager trying to navigate life, one obstacle at a time.

And any book that references the south asian commonalities like chai, the no dating rule, the working moms who are balancing being a career person and mother, and of course the food, will always be an A+ in my eyes because it definitely helps expand the viewpoints of characters beyond the mainstream.

This book is definitely one I will be recommending for years to come, and funny enough, am writing this review as I watch a fireplace tv channel, so fitting.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, and I cant wait to buy copies for my friends and family (and someday, my own little free library)

Thanks Little Brown Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available May 7 2024.

Samira Ahmed's new novel This Book.Won't Burn is a timely tirade against facism and rising censorship in America. It left me feeling quite tired. I related to Noor, the eldest daughter of a South Asian family who finds herself to be an advocate for oppressed folks, especially when her family moves to a less diverse community in the suburbs of Illinois. What I wished for was more specificity. At some points, it felt like the book, while talking about the need to break stereotypes was full of them - the belligerent Principle, the benevolent white school librarian, the weird high school kids who turn out to be ok, the hot jock who turns out to.be kind of an asshole, the strict South Asian mom. As a disclaimer, I don't reach much YA which is maybe why this and the casual language (fashy??) stood out to me. As much as I loved the idea of this plot, the style wasn't my favorite.

So, I'm warning you now – if you're the MAGA hat-wearing, Moms for Liberty-supporting type, you're definitely not going to like this book. The politics in this one are very heavy-handed and decidedly not right-of-center.

Personally, though, I loved it. I mean, it's definitely a young adult novel so I didn't love it in the same way I might love a really good book geared more toward my age group, but This Book Won't Burn is an excellent (and important!) YA read. It's about censorship and fascism and book-banning and bigotry in small town America. And it's rather ironic that it will likely be challenged in libraries across the country because it addresses these issues.

This book is filled with likeable characters, but it also has more than its fair share of closed-minded jerks. It's difficult to read at times and some of the characters' actions had me seething on Noor's behalf. For all of their ramblings about “parental rights,” book banners (both in this novel and in real life) sure do seem set on having the final decision what other people's children are allowed to read.

In addition to the pro-censorship rhetoric, there's also lots of not-so-casual racism in this book. (And, based on my years attending high school in Small Town, USA, it's pretty realistic.) Noor and her friends handle it with a maturity that's beyond their years, however … and far better than I'd likely be able to handle it as an adult, if I'm being completely honest.

But even though it's difficult to read at times, this book is still ultimately hopeful and inspiring. I can see it encouraging teenagers to speak up against censorship in their own school districts, which is so incredibly important. And it's also about so much more than just censorship and racism. The budding relationship between Noor and Faiz is an adorable-yet-complicated subplot, and Noor also spends the entire novel coming to terms with her father's abandonment of their family. Adult readers might find the story a wee bit juvenile at times, but its intended audience will likely find it relatable and entertaining.

Overall rating: 4.4 stars (on my slightly-adjusted YA scale), rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This Book Won't Burn is about books being banned in a small town. It uses a lot of newer terms like "woke", "grooming", "indoctrinate". It shows what people can do to help books be available to all such as little free libraries. It goes into public school politics with school boards and parents. The message seems to be for people to speak up against injustices and how books shouldn't be taken away from everyone because a set few disagree.

Trigger warnings: racism, homophobia, violence, trauma, bullying.

One of the most important books of our time. The cultural movement of removing books from school libraries for the “safety of the children” has been told beautifully. Samira Ahmed has perfectly captured the tenor, semantics, and attitudes of those removing books from public school libraries.

In this YA novel, senior Noor Khan is uprooted to a socially conservative Illinois town. She wants to keep her head down, graduate, and return to Chicago for college, but her cool vibe, race, and belief systems have her standing out in ways she could have never imagined.

For teen readers, this book addresses complex themes of divorce, depression, abandonment, fitting in, and first crushes.

Important for readers of all ages (and written for young adults), this novel addresses courage, activism, politics, and having your voice be heard. One of the biggest themes – always ask questions – stands out throughout the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed Love, Hate, and Other Filters, so when I saw that this was by the same author I read it. I really enjoyed all of it. The character development is really well done and paced. I love the plot and how they fight back against the book "bans." I do wish a bit more time was spent on Noor's friends, (I'm blanking on the names) Rather than Andrew. It felt like she went to school, helped fight the book bans, and spent time with Andrew up till the end of the book. Nothing else occurred. Overall, great book!