This Book Won't Burn

By: Samira Ahmed

Narrated by: Kausar Mohammed

★ “[Ahmed] employs high stakes, increasing tensions, romantic near-misses, and adult hypocrisy to powerful effect.” –Publisher's Weekly, starred review

From the New York Times bestselling author of Internment comes a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe.

After her dad abruptly abandons her family and her mom moves them a million miles from their Chicago home, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school, away from everything and everyone she knows and loves.

Reeling from being uprooted and deserted, Noor is certain the key to survival is to keep her head down and make it to graduation.

But things aren’t so simple. At school, Noor discovers hundreds of books have been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic” and are being removed from the library in accordance with a new school board policy. Even worse, virtually all the banned books are by queer and BIPOC authors.

Noor can’t sit back and do nothing, because that goes against everything she believes in, but challenging the status quo just might put a target on her back. Can she effect change by speaking up? Or will small-town politics—and small-town love—be her downfall?

Critic reviews

"With pin-sharp attention to the complexities of grief, anger, and hope, Samira Ahmed gives us a main character who connects us with our own hearts and a story that connects us with our power to change our world."—Anna-Marie McLemore, author of National Book Award nominee Self-Made Boys

Hermoso y Contemporáneo

Las letras de Samira vuelan como aves de libertad a través de las páginas de este libro. aunque la historia se centra en jóvenes adolescentes, no des centraliza la importancia de el mensaje que se encuentra en el libro. Samira, logra atraparnos en su cuento y confrontarnos sobre lo que es correcto y lo que no es a través de los ojos de Noor Kahn quién, a pesar de vivir es una familia fragmentada logra de alguna manera recordarnos que todos somos resilientes y que podemos luchar por nuestros sueños. Sobre todo luchar por aquello qué es lo correcto que no excluye sino que invita a todos hacer quienes son.

petty issue

Overall, good, though the teen angst felt a bit much (could be my age). And I know this is petty, but the mispronunciation of Illini at the end killed me.

Ahmed kills it again!

With her effortless style, Ahmed brings all of us into the heart and mind of her heroines. So poignant. Timeless. Bound to be a classic.

Thank you for providing mirrors, windows, and sliding doors that allow us to experience the characters’ worlds.

Must Read

This is a must read, Samira’s ability to craft a timely story and characters you fall in love with is once again on display. Overall, This Book Won’t Burn is a must-read for those interested in young adult fiction that tackles pressing issues such as book banning, friendship, divorce and xenophobia with depth and sensitivity. It is a call to action for readers to recognize their power to effect change in their communities.

Timely and Fast-Paced

Ahmed's pacing is perfect and the characters are realistic. The narrator was fantastic and I enjoyed my time spent with this book. (It's enraging also but,unfortunately, realistic.)