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Title details for The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood - Available

The Bad Muslim Discount

A Novel

by Syed M. Masood
Pej Vahdat
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Following two families from Pakistan and Iraq in the 1990s to San Francisco in 2016, The Bad Muslim Discount is an inclusive, comic novel about Muslim immigrants finding their way in modern America.
“Masood’s novel presents a stereoscopic, three-dimensional view of contemporary Muslim America: the way historical conflict in the Middle East lingers in individual lives, the way gossip travels in a close-knit immigrant community.” —The New York Times Book Review

It is 1995, and Anvar Faris is a restless, rebellious, and sharp-tongued boy doing his best to grow up in Karachi, Pakistan. As fundamentalism takes root within the social order and the zealots next door attempt to make Islam great again, his family decides, not quite unanimously, to start life over in California. Ironically, Anvar's deeply devout mother and his model-Muslim brother adjust easily to life in America, while his fun-loving father can't find anyone he relates to. For his part, Anvar fully commits to being a bad Muslim.
At the same time, thousands of miles away, Safwa, a young girl living in war-torn Baghdad with her grief-stricken, conservative father will find a very different and far more dangerous path to America. When Anvar and Safwa's worlds collide as two remarkable, strong-willed adults, their contradictory, intertwined fates will rock their community, and families, to their core.
The Bad Muslim Discount is an irreverent, poignant, and often hysterically funny debut novel by an amazing new voice. With deep insight, warmth, and an irreverent sense of humor, Syed M. Masood examines universal questions of identity, faith (or lack thereof), and belonging through the lens of Muslim Americans.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 2, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593293164
      • File size: 357059 KB
      • Duration: 12:23:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from May 1, 2021

      Masood's clever debut allies two San Franciscans who (ironically) meet at their mosque. Amid personal crises, anti-Islam sentiment in the post-9/11 era, and turmoil preceding the 2016 election, they lean into the certainty that each has proven disappointing as offspring and as Muslims. Their histories could scarcely be more different: Anvar, who emigrated from Pakistan in adolescence, is surrounded--and annoyed--by his stable, prosperous nuclear family. Recent arrival Azza, born in Iraq during the Gulf War, had to commit to an abusive fianc� in order to get passports for herself and her father. Anvar and Azza, two rebellious souls, derive a comfort of sorts from their liaison, but they'd face harsh consequences should it be discovered. Hend Ayoub affectingly narrates Azza's story with careful distinctness evoking Azza's recent transition and her extreme vulnerability. Azza's somber chapters alternate with Anvar's, whose witty, comic assessments of family, religion, romance, and politics are narrated by Pej Vahdat, with the aplomb of a stand-up comedian. Both narrators modulate the novel's notable shifts in tone by inhabiting their characters engagingly. They reminds listeners to consider the vantage points by which Masood's book observes America, as both a destination and an actor on the world stage. VERDICT Insightful, entertaining, and warmly recommended.--Linda Sappenfield, Round Rock P.L., TX

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrators Pej Vahdat and Hend Ayoub work together to create an immersive listening experience of this contemporary love story. Anvar and Safwa are two teenagers from Afghanistan and Iraq brought together by fate when their families immigrate to the United States. Vahdat brings across Anvar's plucky, sarcastic tone through a lively delivery that contrasts with Ayoub's dreamy and determined portrayal of Safwa. As the pair flee religious extremism and war, the narrators dramatize how they wrestle with their pasts and hope for their futures. The result is that listeners will be hooked to the very end of this story. Fans of world literature will appreciate the twists and turns of the plot, as well as the underlying humor laced throughout the otherwise serious themes. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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