This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed

Weird how all these books keep becoming uncomfortably relevant, huh? 

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Noor Kahn’s life is in a complete and utter tailspin. 

Her father has abandoned the family, like straight-up GHOSTED. There was no tension, no arguments or issues at home between her parents or her sister. Then, one day, her father gets up, goes to work and completely vanishes from their lives, leaving only a note:

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.”

Three months later, Noor’s mother has moved her and her younger sister, Amal, out of the familiar bustle of Chicago and to the small, conservative town of Bayberry, Illinois. 

And Noor is angry.

Angry at her dad for setting their life on fire. Angry at her mom for uprooting the life she had clung to after Dad left. Angry that she’s in her last quarter of her senior year and is having to start the hell that is the social rules of high school all over again.

So when Noor walks into her new school’s library and finds shelves upon shelves taped off, half empty, or completely bare, she finds something to focus that anger on - and use it to make a change.  

With recent policies passed by all levels of government and, by extension, local school boards, Bayberry’s ultra-conservative parent-teacher associations have been able to use any reason to remove any and all ‘inappropriate’ reading material from their school. 

And by “any” and “all”, they mean “Queer” and “BIPOC.”

Noor finds that almost every book removed from Bayberry High School’s library was written by, for, or about LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people. 

Mothers for Freedom and Education (who, of course, bear no relation to Moms for Liberty in our real world, where stuff like this never happens) brand the books and those who read them as pornographic, defamatory, aggressive and incendiary. 

Noor has spent her whole life up to now with her father’s voice in her ear, telling her to “Question Everything.”

But when she decides that people should know precisely what is being banned and the claims as to why, Noor may have finally found an issue where questioning those in power may not only be difficult but dangerous. 

Sparking a debate may just light a fire that burns this small town’s conservative mindset to the ground - Noor just has to make sure that no one on the right side of history gets burned in the process. 

Did someone say, “art imitates life”?

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Look.

We all know the world is a cluster-fuck right now. Political polarisation, idiotic sociopaths in positions of power they should not have, and people generally shitting on those just trying to live their lives. 

The vitriolic hatred is borderline palpable in places, and while I am very much in favour of at MINIMUM trying to find common ground or compromises, let me be VERY 👏 FUCKING 👏 CLEAR 👏

While I fully accept that there will always be things I don’t know, I WILL DIE ON THE HILL THAT NOBODY WHO MASS BANS BOOKS HAS EVER BEEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. 

Period. End of talk. If you disagree I suggest you find a new blog to read.

I cannot think of a single example in history (that I am aware of) where those who instigated the banning of books and censoring of knowledge have been looked on favourably when the time in question has eventually passed. 

It’s one of the main themes Ahmed covers in This Book Won’t Burn - censorship and freedom of expression. Noor and her friends bring to light the problems that arise and the dangers they can evolve into when certain people decide whose voice is worth hearing and who deserves representation and recognition.

And in the book, just like life, it’s the topics that are used to justify the removal of literature that Ahmed champions most beautifully in this story. 

Noor is a Muslim-American teenager, and while I don’t think anyone’s race or ethnicity is ever their entire personality, Noor’s internal journey of reclaiming and accepting her heritage in the face of systemic bias is a core part of her character and the choices she makes in her pursuit of justice. 

Another integral theme, and part of the book that made me feel better, is that of community.

Activism alone can be hard. But a truly significant part of Noor’s growth, I felt, was when she realised that she was not alone in her fight. The friends she makes at the school who feel just as out of place as she does, her little sister who steps up to support her, and a community of librarians and teachers across the country, not only provide guidance and logistical help in the campaign but also stand by her emotionally when the backlash becomes infinitely more intense and outright frightening. 

When something is wrong, someone has to stand up. 

But it doesn’t mean they have to stand alone forever.

I loved this book. I loved it when it made me mad, sad, and most of all, those moments where the hope practically bled out of the ink and into my veins.

I suppose that’s who I’d mainly recommend it to as well: people who need a bit of hope in their reading these days. But also those who are holding onto anger, like our girl Noor, and need to know what to do with it. 

What was it that Greta Thunberg said recently?

“I think the world needs a lot more angry young women.”