This heartfelt and humorous YA contemporary follows Dua, who spends the month of Ramadan making unexpected discoveries about family, faith, and first love.Being crammed into a house in Queens with her cousins is not how Dua envisions her trip to New York City. But here she is, spending the holy month of Ramadan with extended family she hasn’t seen in years.
Dua struggles to find her place in the conservative household and to connect with her aloof, engaged-to-be-married cousin, Mahnoor. And as if fasting the whole day wasn’t tiring enough, she must battle her hormones whenever she sees Hassan, the cute drummer in a Muslim band who has a habit of showing up at her most awkward moments.
After just a month, Dua is surprised to find that she’s learning a lot more than she bargained for about her faith, relationships, her place in the world—and cute drummers. . . .
On sale: January 4, 2022
Age: 12 and up
Grade: Grade 7 & Up
Page count: 0 Pages
ISBN: 9780593550786
Run time: 7 Hours and 27 Minutes
Sara Sharaf Beg was inspired by her own experiences as a Pakistani American Muslim while writing
Salaam, with Love, her debut novel. A graduate of the University of Central Florida and Northwestern University, Sara was a freelance writer before becoming a mental-health counselor. She lives in Texas with her husband, where she likes to cook (the spicier, the better!), binge Bollywood movies, and play video games when she’s not writing or reading. Find her on Instagram at @chutneybinasamosa.
Praise for
Salaam, with Love:
“
Achingly sweet,
Salaam, with Love is a
heartfelt tale of family, faith, and love set against the backdrop of Ramadan. Beg beautifully crafts a comforting tale filled with
fun characters and
excellent Muslim representation.”--Aamna Qureshi, author of
The Lady or the Lion "
Salaam, with Love is a
beautiful and heartwarming story about family, faith, and love. It is a love letter to Islam,
capturing all the wonderful nuances of faith and culture."--Adiba Jaigirdar, author of
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating
“
Salaam, with Love parts the curtains and shows a view that to some readers will be entirely new but to others
will be a glimpse of home.”--Nafiza Azad, author of
The Candle and the Flame "With her distinct voice, Beg captures the feeling of what it’s like to be different, yet learning to embrace every part of you. And having a loving family and a cute drummer by your side doesn’t hurt either.
Salaam, with Love is definitely
THE book to bring you warm fuzzy smiles this year."--Jenn P. Nguyen, author of
Fake It Till You Break It
"A
warm and inviting story about a girl exploring her relationship to her cultural and religious heritage."--
Kirkus Reviews
"
Heartfelt and
humorous."--
Your Teen Mag