You Must Be Layla

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My 10 year old loved it; as a Brit with mixed heritage, she will (and probably has already started) to find friends who struggle to understand why she's different, just as she starts to grapple with the complexities of her own identity. Layla is full of sass, and overwhelming adolescent impulsivity! She gave me anxiety with some of her antics, which just showed me how this character had developed and I'd become invested. Yassmin worked on oil and gas rigs around Australia for almost half a decade before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster. She published her debut memoir, Yassmin’s Story, at age 24, then became the presenter of Australia Wide, a national weekly current-affairs show on the ABC and Motor Mouth, a podcast on becoming an F1 driver. After hosting the documentary, The Truth About Racism, she created Hijabistas for the ABC, a series looking at the modest fashion scene in Australia. Her writing has appeared in publications like T een Vogue, London’s Evening Standard, the Guardian and numerous anthologies. We need to reflect seriously on who we support and love because we will be with them on the Day of Ressurection. "You will be with those whom you love." (Bukhari and Muslim). I am sure you are aware that feminists love and support LGBTQIA+. They believe no one can tell a woman who she should love. Muslim feminists encourage teenage Muslims to accept LGBTQIA+ as normal. Other examples are Malala Yousefzai, and Riz Ahmed, who endorsed the pro-trans movie Joyland and said it should not be banned in Pakistan. Unfortunately, Magied has also joined the queer bandwagon.

The book discusses migrant experience, discrimination and inequality in perfect way for readers who are just starting to read young adult fiction. Inspiring themes and messages are communicated throughout, and these are some of the elements I loved which made me so excited to talk about in this review. The family’s culture and beliefs are portrayed and the language, being Arabic, is also incorporated. I discovered and learnt a lot whilst reading, which I really enjoyed and found to be yet another impressive element in this story. Sudanese-Australian activist Abdel-Magied's first novel is the sparkling tale of 13-year-old Layla, who moves to a new school, where she is the only pupil to wear a headscarf.Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-born, Australian mechanical engineer, writer and social advocate. Yassmin's broadcasting portfolio is diverse: she presented the national TV show Australia Wide, a podcast on becoming an F1 driver and created Hijabistas, a series looking at the modest fashion scene in Australia. Yassmin is a regular contributor to the BBC, Al Jazeera, TRT and Monocle 24, and has co-hosted The Guilty Feminist. Layla’s story also offers an insight into normal Muslim family life and some of the barriers people of colour can face, while the Australian setting will be effortlessly accessible to UK readers. With strong themes of friendship, equality and respect, this story is fresh, funny and empowering read. This reads a bit more of older middle-grade than young adult, and I think the themes and issues explored in this book are more fitting of older MG. Initially, Layla attends the Islamic School of Brisbane (ISB) where there are students from all over the world, includingIndia, Fiji, Nigeria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Malaysia and South Africa. Most of the students are recent migrants so their families also start to spend time together and become friends, creatinga wonderfully diverse and welcoming community. Layla loves the school and her friends there, especially best friend Dina, but starts to want something more.

So how should we react to Muslims who publically promote LGBTQIA+ to Muslims? Firstly do dua that Allah guides them and don't abuse or insult them. Should we promote their books on our bookstagram accounts? Should we give platforms to Muslims who publically promote haram lifestyles because we want to amplify the voices of Muslim women? I know Muslim women want to support other sisters because we know how much Islamophobia we face. If we do that, we will be accountable on the Day of Judgement if people listen to them because we recommended their books or asked them to speak at an event. Instead, promote and support Islamic content creators so you can share in their reward. Lottery Corruption, U.S.A. is very unique as compared to any other book written about the lotteries. There’s more than enough data and information to convince the reader, that our state lotteries are definitely being manipulated and controlled, illegally. This book is informative, enlightening, educational, and entertaining, so enjoy reading it. Visit: https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/846315-lottery-corruption-usa This warm, humorous account of a larger-than-life Sudanese girl navigating a posh Australian school is an engaging read' Guardian If you want to invent something nobody has ever thought of before, you need to read the things that others don't read, look in the spaces other people are not in...'One specific feature I really loved in the telling of Layla’s story was her passion for what she loves. As we continue to read, we discover her interest in creating, whether it be jewellery or other inventions and robots. I was super excited to see more unique hobbies and interests demonstrated in young adult fiction rather than the typical tropes seen in other fiction works. During the book, we see how some students and teachers treat Layla, this was definitely an eye-opener to me, and I felt it conveyed serious ideas of power and influence in certain cases. This novel is aimed at people at least 50 years younger than me (say 10 to 13), but the messages are just as clear to me as they would (or should) be to others. Layla is an engaging character: she and her family are immigrants from Sudan and have experienced both racism and Islamophobia. The real value of this story is in introducing these issues to younger readers in a way which should stimulate discussion. Layla’s determination to succeed is commendable, even if her application sometimes needs a little focus. The story follows Layla, a Muslim Sudanese-Australian kid (in Year 8!) who gets a scholarship to a prestigious school that is predominantly white - which is quite different to her old school where most of the kids were Muslim.

What! Of all creatures, do you approach males and leave the spouses whom your Lord has created for you? Indeed, you are people transgressing (all limits)!' (Ash-Shu'araa: 165-166) Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese Australian writer, recovering mechanical engineer and award-winning social advocate who writes and speaks on politics, society, culture and technology. She has published three books with Penguin Random House, including two middle grade novels ( You Must Be Layla and the award-winning Listen, Layla), which she is now adapting for screen. Yassmin is also developing a slate of projects for the stage and screen.This book reads like a school assignment that the author frantically tried to finish the night before. Layla wins a scholarship to an impressive high school. On her first day, wearing a long skirt and a headscarf, Layla certainly stands out. Some of her fellow students (and teachers) make assumptions. And Layla doesn’t always help herself: speaking before thinking through the consequences can get you into trouble, even if you don’t look different. I think Layla is a great protagonist - a girl who is confident in her own ability, feels vulnerable when faced with conflict and self-doubt, and also explores feelings of anger when faced with injustice. A lot of her emotions were very real.

You Must Be Layla introduces Sudanese-born author, broadcaster, social advocate and mechanical engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied as an exciting new voice in children's writing. About This Edition ISBN: this warm, humorous account of a larger-than-life Sudanese girl navigating a posh Australian school is an engaging read for 12-plus. Imogen Russell Williams, The Guardian An advocate for the empowerment of women, youth and people of colour, Yassmin has been awarded numerous awards for her advocacy, including the 2018 Young Voltaire Award for Free Speech. Yassmin has travelled to over twenty countries speaking to governments, NGOs and multinational companies on a range of topics including unconscious bias, resilience and inclusive leadership. Her TED talk, 'What does my headscarf mean to you?', has been viewed over two million times and was chosen as one of TED's top ten ideas of 2015. Yassmin's critically acclaimed essays have been published in numerous anthologies, including the Griffith Review, the bestselling It's Not About the Burqa and New Daughters of Africa. Her words can also be found in publications like the Guardian, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Independent and Glamour.The pace of the story was just right — although the last chapter felt like an unnecessary sprint race, which I ended up forgiving. It is a perfect “get-me-out-of-my-slump” read.