Hope Ablaze is a moving story about islamophobia, friendship, and art. It’s an exploration of using our voice, of resistance through survival, and the importance of community. Keep reading this book review of Hope Ablaze for my full thoughts.
Summary
Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece – the poet that will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option.
When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be.
Review
Hope Ablaze is a moving portrayal of the power of our voice. At the same time, it’s about what happens when we feel like our voice, and our story, has been stolen. That we have been silenced and are unable to continue to use our words. For Nida her words are not only her art form, but also her way to put into words her thoughts and feelings. So when her letter goes viral and she loses the ability to create spoken word, her own feelings and thoughts are stolen. Overall, Hope Ablaze reaffirms the importance of community, of being stronger together, of not letting the fear control our words.
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Listening to the spoken word from Farah Kidwai in the audiobook is truly a different experience. With spoken word or poetry, listening to it being read truly changes the experience. You can hear the emotion and all the weight of the pauses. That’s 100% the case with Hope Ablaze. In many ways it’s also a generational story about what happens when we think that staying silent will ensure our safety. When we are convinced we should stop challenging, stop speaking, out of fear. But how much longer do we sit silent until we lose the ability to even express the basics of our feelings, our thoughts.
Find Hope Ablaze on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.