Contributed by Gillion Machota
Sadia follows a teenage Muslim girl who wants to play basketball, but when her religion starts to become a problem in the sport, she does everything to make sure that she can play. Her friend makes Sadia her own uniform and Sadia befriends Amira, a refugee who comes to her town. The book explores the issue of racism and what it is like in the eyes of a female Muslim athlete.
The book was written in a way that it played it safe as it did not go too deep into topics of racism or even having a crush. However, it did dive deep into the Muslim culture so the author has clearly done her research. The novel talks a bit about how one of the characters will take off her hijab during school and makes sure that the she puts it back on before she comes home. In my head, I personally thought that was breaking one of the main things that is a part of their culture. However, when discussing this with one of my friends (who is Arabic, but not a Muslim), she explained to me that some do not always wear their hijabs because it is their choice.
What I never took into consideration was that female Muslim athletes must worry about their hijabs being secure and not getting in the way of their faces. When Nike released their hijab athletic wear, it was revolutionary since it was like a dry-fit material and it was tight so that way it would not go in their face.
The writing overall was somewhat disappointing because the author played it so safe instead of diving deeper into the topics that the story had. One example of this is when Sadia’s mother gets harassed and told that she should go back to her home country, except she does not want to talk much about it because it does get brought up every now and then. One of the things that gets mentioned is Sadia and her friend wanting to a party, but Sadia’s parents are strict. I wish we could have seen what would have happened if she did go to that party and if her parents found out that she did sneak out.
Overall, the book itself came across with a strong sense of feminism and felt empowering towards females, especially that of female Muslim athletes. I personally gave it a 7 out of 10 because of the writing and I felt like the author could have made certain situations a bit more detailed.
Have you read Sadia? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Three female Muslim teenagers must decide how far they are willing to go to defend their beliefs when faced with the pressures of life.
Thirteen-year-old Sadia is Muslim and passionate about one thing: basketball. When her teacher announces tryouts for this year’s co-ed team, she jumps at the opportunity. Her talent speaks for itself. Her head scarf, on the other hand, is a problem. Surrounded by her classmates and a new friend, Syrian refugee Amira, Sadia learns about standing up for herself and fighting for what is right.
Written from Sadia’s point of view, the book examines how three female Muslim teenagers experience life. Sadia wants to maintain her Muslim identity and refuses to remove her head covering at a basketball tournament; Amira is a Syrian refugee, reeling from the trauma she experienced when she fled her home; and Nazreen is ready to eschew her Muslim heritage to fit in with the popular crowd at school.
