Hi, Seema! What inspired Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free?

The first volume in the Muslim Mavericks series is the story of Maysoon Zayid, a brilliant and hilarious actress, stand-up comic and author, who has cerebral palsy. Her story shines a light on dreaming big and standing up for yourself. For the next book, I wanted to invite young readers into the world of a boy who grew up to achieve almost superhuman feats, as an athlete, and who managed to do that even during and after a difficult childhood. Maysoon’s story encourages us to think about ableism and disability; Mo’s story forces us to contend with the reality of millions of children worldwide who are trafficked, including 100,000 American kids who are trafficked each year. It’s a tough topic to broach and the book approaches it in an age-appropriate manner.

What research did you have to do for this book?

Lots of reading and lots of watching videos of Mo’s old races and interviews. I also learned about the prevalence and realities of trafficking and child labor, which was heartbreaking. I think of how many children we see in our day-to-day lives who might be living through what Mo endured as a boy.

What does your writing process look like?

I teach writing to graduate students, and I coach people with full-time jobs who want to write a book, so I think and talk a lot about the process of writing, and how different that looks for different people. For me, it also looks different at different times in my life. Right now, I’m on summer break before I commence the second year of acting school, so I am typing away like the Jim Carrey and Kermit memes: furiously. While I’m in acting school, it’s a challenge to write as vigorously as I am now. And even in this moment, I have stretches of days where my “writing” process looks like reading in bed, watching Netflix, and talking to friends. It’s all part of being a writer!

Tell us about the cover for Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free?

The book cover is illustrated by Noha Habaieb, who also illustrates inside the book, and who did the artwork for Vol I of the Muslim Mavericks series. It shows a smiling Mo winning a race with a gold medal already around his neck and a cheering crowd all around him. So, an average day in the life of Mo Farah, basically!

Why do you write in the genre (or for the age level) that you do?

I’ve written picture books, both fiction and non-fiction; middle grade non-fiction, as with the Muslim Mavericks series; fiction and non-fiction for young adults; as well as books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction for adults. My philosophy is “genre is but a line,” which I believe is a quote (possibly from the days of Twitter) by the poet Safia Elhillo. I am a perpetual line-crosser, I write what I want for whomever I want. I once met a novelist I admire who told me to pick a genre and “stay in my lane.” That’s a hard no from me. We need stories at every age and not only do I love writing for every age group, I encourage my friends to pick up a picture book or an MG or YA novel. In fact, just this morning, I told a poet I am book-coaching to read The Red Tree by Shaun Tan. It’s a picture book from 2001 and it is profound.

What do you hope readers take away from Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free?

That Muslims are not a monolith. That faith is a form of power. That people overcome hardships some of us can barely imagine. And that storytelling has the power to open minds and hearts.

What are you working on now?

I am revising my second YA novel, writing a screenplay adaptation of my first YA novel, and working on the third volume in the Muslim Mavericks series…but I can’t tell you who Vol III is about yet. Sorry!

Will you be picking up Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Dr Seema Yasmin, Author of ‘Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Seema! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m a Brit living in Las Vegas and I’m obsessed with storytelling in all its forms! I write kids books, middle grade biographies, young adult novels, poems, non-fiction about science and I’m working on a play and a screenplay. I trained as a journalist and a medical doctor and worked as a disease detective in the government’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I loved writing short stories in middle school – they were full of scandal and murder, in fact! But then I was swept away by science and quite literally told I had to pick one: science or the arts (the UK is binary that way). I picked science, became a doctor, and it was only after I had qualified and was investigating epidemics at a disease detective that I realized stories, alongside medicine, could save us from ourselves.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter
• The one that made you want to become an author: Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: My Child, The Algorithm: An alternatively intelligent book of love by Hannah Silva

Your latest novel, Unbecoming, is out July 9^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Unexpected, absurd, full of friendship.

What can readers expect?

Unexpected twists and turns; humor and absurdity in the face of horror; help from the most unlikely characters; and all the messiness that comes with friendship.

Where did the inspiration for Unbecoming come from?

Back in 2019 it seemed clear that Roe v. Wade, which gave us the constitutional right to abortion, would be overturned at some point, I just wasn’t sure when. But it almost didn’t matter; states didn’t need to ban abortion when some were making it practically impossible to get an abortion anyway. Two years earlier, I had left Texas where I was a reporter at the Dallas Morning News and had written stories about Texas being the most dangerous place in America to be pregnant. So when I was reading the news that day in 2019 I wondered what it would be like to tell the story of a 17-year-old who becomes pregnant in post-Roe America. What does her life look like? Who does she tell? What’s her immediate fear? What’s her plan? As a doctor, I imagined that if abortion was completely banned, as it is in the novel, then some doctors would spring into action and try to provide safe abortion in an underground network.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved that Laylah came to me as a fully formed character who was both super rigid about her future – she has the Laylah Life Plan which sets out exactly when she’ll get into college, med school, residency and fellowship with a week-by-week bullet pointed plan – but also whimsical in that she gets horny on a school trip to watch the bluebonnets bloom, and winds up pregnant. I also loved writing her grandmother’s story, but you’ll have to read Unbecoming to find out why!

Why is the topic of abortion something that young adult readers should be reading about?

It’s real. Upwards of 600,000 teens become pregnant in the U.S. each year. By some estimates, 3 in 10 will become pregnant before the age of 20. Given how common it is, there should be more stories about teen pregnancy and abortion. Laylah’s story also shows that abortion care is health care and how people are forced into ridiculous situations when something as basic as abortion care is banned.

What do you hope your readers take away from Unbecoming?

While Laylah becomes pregnant and you follow her over the course of a week as she tries to unbecome pregnant, Unbecoming is really a story about friendship, faith and family. Laylah doesn’t want anyone to know she’s messed up; she’s scared to even tell her best friend. But what she learns during this journey is the relief of turning up as your whole, messy, authentic self to your friends and family, and how those close to us can love us because of, not in spite of, our flaws.

What’s next for you?

I’m writing a middle grade series for Simon and Schuster called Muslim Mavericks and my second YA novel which is a spooky and discombobulating read about disembodied voices…

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

I loved Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jimenez! There’s so much fun stuff on the horizon. I can’t wait to read Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate by Deeba Zargarpur and whatever Gabby Rivera (author of Juliet Takes A Breath) is cooking up next!

Will you be picking up Unbecoming? Tell us in the comments below!

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