May 19, 2026 by Kokila
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
++Add review to Goodreads++
Anisa's pilot father and mother Nadia are very quiet about their past lives in Egypt before coming to the US, and Anisa often bristles against the expectations they have for her. She would rather go to college and be an artist like her best friend Tomoyo, but she is supposed to attend a medical program like her older sister Reem. After graduating in 2016, she goes to college, and her roommate Shazia is also Muslim, although seems to be much more observant. It's a tough year, and while she doesn't get good grades, she does meet Ajay, who is Indian, and has a pleasant relationship with him even though she isn't supposed to date. When Reem gets a chance to study in Egypt, Anisa asks to go as well, and stays with her mother's father, Geddo. She enjoyed being with him, and even gets an internship at a newspaper, drawing comics. Things are fragile politically, and she starts wearing a hijab, initially to blend in, but finds that she enjoys the freedom that wearing it brings. When her father suffers a stroke, she returns home, and is devastated when he dies. She and her mother disagree about many issues, but Anisa finally finds activities she enjoys and is able to make peace with her family and religion.
Artists seem to be very fond of detailing their experiences in graphic novels, and Landing in Place is similar to titles like Bermudez's Big Apple Diaries, Chan's Uprooted, Sattin and Hickman's Buzzing, Rodriguez and Bell's Doodles from the Boogie Down, Chang's How to Draw a Secret, Mercado's Chunky and especially Mai's Freshman Year. There are fewer graphic novels with Muslim characters, but this would go along well with Fahmy's Huda F Are You. Since Anisa's experiences after she graduates from high school are portrayed, and there is a lot of history that is discussed, this might do better with high school audiences, although there is nothing in the book that would keep it out of middle school libraries.
No comments:
Post a Comment