I listened to the advanced audio of Hope Ablaze and I found it to be incredibly compelling. The story was an important social justice tale about a Muslim teen who uses poetry as a form of activism, just as her uncle did before he was imprisoned as a suspected terrorist. The inclusion of the poems that Nida writes are powerful additions, though they start to feel a little repetitive by the end of the book. I appreciated the strong messaging about Muslim hate, political misrepresentation, and the oppression that many Muslims feel as a result of Islamophobia. I also loved the way that the Muslim community came together to support each other during difficult times.

I will definitely be adding this book to my HS library.

This book was amazing! This book is what I needed in middle school. I was the only South Asian and Muslim girl in the middle school I went to post 9/11 and and that was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. This book made me feel like I was not alone even though that time period was so long ago, but the issue still relevant today. I love the way the book is written you can definitely feel our main character;'s struggles and what she is going through in the the writing. Sometimes it does feel a little extreme, but you have to r remember that it is "teenage" Nadia talking. I loved the family dynamic and encouragement she received from her community. Another thing i appreciated was that this could be any Muslim's story, things like this still happen to this day and these stories need to be heard. People will never learn, unless we share our stories and stop remaining silent. Representation matters, and I am happy that one day my daughter will see herself in this and other books like this with South Asian characters.

Nida is used to racism and prejudice. But after a traumatic encounter with the police results in her own words being used against her, she must battle rising prejudice while trying to keep herself safe without sacrificing who she is.

A timely story that she's light on the all-too-real racism many experience daily. Well-written, engaging, and stirring.

A Pakistani American Muslim teen girl uses her poetry to share her love of her religion and culture and speak out against racism and Islamophobia in America. Powerfully moving, this debut is perfect for fans of The Poet X or All this rage and excellent on audio narrated by Farah Kidwal. Highly, highly recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!