You Think You Know Me

Product Information

Although her twin brother Hussein chooses the local comprehensive, Hanan is delighted to be offered a place at Grafton. But on her first day, she realises that her accent, hijab and skin colour marked her as not only different but also as a target for bullying. Crazily good, tense, tense, TENSE and just a brilliant mystery.” Read the full review at Reviewed the Book. Ayaan aims to unite and create much-needed empathy and understanding among young generations of readers. Hanan has always been a ‘good girl’ accepting of her role as the school's perfect Muslim poster girl. She ignores the racist bullies, the comments and the jibes, she lives by her mother’s favourite saying “ A closed mouth is gold - it helps you get home in one piece’. But her friend is murdered and every Muslim is to blame, violence, hatred and blatant racism rear their ugly heads. It’s time for Hannah to make her voice heard and to challenge prejudice and to speak up against hate and fear.

Herb is from a well to do family and could potentially have a successful future, but he is socially inept and let go or fired from jobs. He couldn't keep his dark and morbid commentary to himself on the job. He and his wife eventually do have a very successful chain of thrift stores. He's also a gay man living what appears to others as a straight life which brings on a lot of angst. He frequents gay bars and lures men into his car and drives them to his house. "He wasn't doing it because he liked it. He was doing it because it kept people safe. He was a hero really." I read this blurb and knew the book would hurt, and so it should. Reading this was tense because I came to care for Hanan. Her life had it's tough elements, then the things that happened around her and to her increased that difficulty ten fold. Hanan had a strong family but it was fraying in many ways.

Publisher

When a murder occurs close to her school, something changes. Muslims are becoming a target for hate—even more so than usual, as horrifying as it is—and it gets personal. As one of the few girls at her school that wear a headscarf, she knows all too well what appearances play in hatred. And when she and her twin brother are hurt, something in Hanan changes. She knows what she has to do—raise her voice, gather those close to her that will stand with her against the hate, and make a difference that no one will be able to ignore.

This is a story of finding your courage and voice to speak up for yourself to find your authentic self and live life for yourself and not have to make yourself palatable to the white gaze. There is also Somali rep which was so wonderful to see. From the language to food to family dynamics. We follow Hanan who dreams of following in her late father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor so is determined to work hard towards the entrance exam that is looming around the corner. However, when a local incident gives rise to heightened Islamophobia in the community and a potential change in school policies Hanan must decide whether she is going to keep her head down and be the token Muslim student she is expected to be or if she is going to use her voice to speak for what is right. The author is very good at writing in the victims voices, getting across what their thought process probably was when first crossing the path of Baumeister. This part is speculation however, given the victims and Baumeister could never confirm exact conversations.Regarding the plot, I think it was depicted well. I also think that despite it has hate crime and racism scenes, those scenes are kinda 'light' imo. I believe a crueler, much harsher thing already happened or still happening in the real world towards muslims or refugees. However, I am satisfied with the plot, the writing, and the representation inside this book. It was... truly brilliant for a debut novel. Those racist and islamophobic scenes made me so mad and angry beyond me. I cant believe that this thing might happened to people. This book can be the voice that represents those who are discriminated by the world. Truly refreshing, gripping and mind-opening. I personally think more people should read this book at least once, so that they would know how someone who is being discriminated feels like. This is one of those books that breaks your soul apart and leaves it bleeding for the characters (and real world individuals) that suffer from the relentless harassment and hate crimes just because they look different and pray to a different god than those that are around them. I spent most of my time reading this book so incredibly angry at the bullying that was happening in this book, because nobody in this universe, even a fictional character, should be subjected to what Hanan and her community go through.

My one qualm really was with the 'town hall' style meeting at the end. I'm unconvinced that school policies are changed in an open forum and vote like this when not every parent may be present. It made a wonderful set-piece, but as a governor myself I'm not certain this is actually how decisions are made in British schools. On a personal note, it's incredibly irritating when adults in an educational setting burden minority students with the responsibility of educating the ignorant and providing solutions to issues that shouldn’t be there in the first place. How her suffering is minimised and not seen as important and that white people will always be given the benefit of the doubt but Muslims are instantly guilty and labelled as terrorists.Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud. This was such a profound read. Thank you to the publisher and @zekrazaina for the ARC :) release date: 2nd Feb. For once, the book is exactly what the blurb says. It is stunning, the key points are there, and the events unfold.