Huda Fahmy

In a Nutshell: A OwnVoices graphic novel about the experiences of a hijabi American (of Arab-Muslim background) as a high-schooler in America. Excellent combination of humour and meaningful themes and social discrimination. Much recommended!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I first discovered Huda Fahmy’s work when I stumbled upon the delightful “That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story”, a graphic novel about how she met her husband. Her wit and her intelligence both are on ample display in show more her books and her Instagram page. So when I got the ARC of her upcoming work – the third book of the Huda series, I finally decided to catch up on the first two.

I adore the name of this series! Using her own name in this twisty pun is such a creative idea, especially when it represents the way her name is mangled by many USians.

This first book of the Huda series deals with Huda’s experiences as a Hijabi student in Dearborn, Michigan. Huda’s dad had immigrated to the USA from Egypt when he was a teen and after marriage, brought his wife to the country, intending for a short-term stay until he completed his education. However, the family ended up staying in the USA with their five daughters.

Despite being a Born-American, Huda was still looked upon as an outsider, mainly due to her hijab. This graphic novel details some semi-fictionalised experiences of her high-school years, when she was trying to understand her true identity, not just as a Muslim girl but also as a teenager.

The story ends each stage of Huda’s identity crisis with a full-page graphic of her as a sort of statuette on a pedestal, with a caption indicating her latest self-loathing label such as “Huda F is a Coward” or “Huda F is a Fake”. I loved how well this idea worked not just to incorporate the titular pun into the plot but also to show us where Huda stood with respect to herself at that stage of the narrative.

The book depicts the genuine confusion of the troublesome teen years, when one is torn between staying true to oneself and accepting whatever others say just to fit in. The tremendous racism faced by Muslims in America even at the school level also comes out clearly through the narrative. (I can't begin to imagine how much worse it might be now under the present administration’s anti-DEI policy.)

I loved seeing Huda’s mom again, just as spunky as she was in “That Can Be Arranged”. Huda’s other family members also get a little page space. I’d love to know them better in subsequent books.
The story ends at a good point, so this book can be considered a standalone read with no cliffhanger ending.

The illustrations are in standard Huda Fahmy style. If you follow her page on Instagram, you will know the kind of graphics you can expect. Though simplistic in colouring and character expressions, the art style really works for the story. It’s always an advantage when the author is also the illustrator.

All in all, I absolutely loved this novel with its amalgamation of fun serious. Though it has a lighthearted approach on the whole, it details several important themes and topics affecting minority Muslim teens in the USA.

Much recommended to all graphic novels readers looking for a meaningful semi-fictional OwnVoices work that’s rooted in reality.

4.5 stars. *Huda F* can stop me from rounding this up?

This was a library read. Looking forward to Book Two: ‘Huda F Cares?’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook || show less

I’m really glad this book exists.

Huda F Are You? is your quintessential tale of a teenager searching for her identity, but it’s not like any story you’ve read before. This graphic novel is told from the perspective of a hijabi-wearing Muslim girl, and if it’s not the first of its kind, it’s certainly one of the first. Fahmy tells her coming of age story with adequate helpings of humor and relatability, but woven into this narrative are bittersweet experiences, scores of show more microaggressions, and the realities of growing up Muslim in the United States.

If this already sounds like a lot to pack into one graphic novel, you would be right. Part of my white privileges that I never had to experience the sort of hate that Fahmy grew up with. Although she makes clear that the story is just inspired by her childhood, not fact, the nuances she has included are a painful reminder of how fear and racism create hateful divisions in our world. It’s a bigotry that nobody should have to deal with, and yet here we are. While I thought Fahmy did an excellent job balancing humor, awkwardness, and hard truth, it is these hard truths I keep coming back to. It was subtle, she didn’t dwell on it, and I think that rhythm of normality is what is sticking with me. It shouldn’t be normal.

Although it’s a simple story, written in a graphic format, Huda F Are You? would be excellent reading to add to a high school curriculum. If nothing else, this book belongs in school libraries where students who are experiencing the same sort of story, and those who want to make sure the same sort of story stops repeating have access to it. On top of learning about growing up Muslim in the United States, this is a story about friendships, mother daughter relationships, and being honest with ourselves. It’s a good read. I learned a little more about Muslim culture, but moreover, I found myself rooting for Huda and hoping that she would be okay.

Huda F Are You? is an easy one sitting read, and I highly recommend picking it up and supporting a Muslim American author. There’s a lot we can learn, but more importantly, Muslim women are so infrequently visible in literature. By supporting for me and picking up this book, we are showing the world that not only do they belong here, but their stories are valued. It’s not enough, but it’s a start. This is such a unique little book, from its subject matter to the format choice, and I really enjoyed it. I think you will too. show less

Huda has her junior year all planned out—and then her parents’ news shatters her world.

Egyptian American Huda and best friend Nabz have packed schedules to help propel them into college (Huda is only slightly distracted by a crush). While attending the masjid’s weekly halaqa for teen girls, she meets guest speaker Dr. Haifa, Nabz’s therapist, who discusses mental health, an issue that goes unaddressed in Huda’s family. After her parents announce their divorce, a distraught Huda is show more sent into a downward spiral, ultimately lashing out at her family and Nabz before recognizing that she needs help navigating feelings of pain, guilt, anger, grief, and fear of change. Fahmy’s newest addition to her series about Huda addresses healing generational trauma through the power of acknowledging and validating feelings; Huda’s mother clearly perceives her five daughters’ different coping mechanisms. With nuance, context, and cultural and religious texture, Fahmy calls out toxic religious positivity and the stigmas surrounding both divorce and addressing mental health in Muslim communities and families. The backmatter includes an author’s note highlighting her own experiences facing mental health challenges as a Muslim teen of color and child of immigrants whose issues of identity and experiences of racism compounded to affect her overall well-being. The book lists mental health resources, including general ones and those specifically supporting Muslims and people of color. Fahmy’s trademark lively cartoon-style art and humorous asides add lightness to the serious topics she discusses.

An uplifting, insightful model for positive change. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

-Kirkus Review show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

In the third installment of "Huda," Huda F. is about to start junior year after a less-than-stellar stint as a sophomore. This year, she's determined to do things right: Get As in all of her classes. Join all the clubs and extracurriculars. Ace her ACTs. And land a full scholarship to university, making her parents proud. To this end, she and her bestie Nabz have everything mapped out on their handy day planner. And show more their calendar is booked.

Huda's resolve is unyielding ... that is, until she starts crushing on Nabz's locker neighbor, Hassan, a dreamy senior. And then things go from bad to worse when Huda's parents announce that they're getting a divorce. This sends Huda and her sisters - Dena, Neda, Lola, and Amani - into a tailspin, though all deal with the impending split in different ways. Huda gets distracted, angry, and mean: her grades tank, she talks back to her mom, and she even picks a fight with Nabz. All this while she schemes to get her parents back together before the end of their three-month trial separation.

The women and girls in the family end up taking trip to MuslimCon (minus dad, much to Huda's disappointment), where she reconnects with Dr. Haifa, a therapist who did a presentation on mental health at her halaqa. Dr. Haifa's panel on grief might just change Huda's life - and Huda's mom has a surprise of her own.

I've been devouring Huda Fahmy's comics since YES, I'M HOT IN THIS: THE HILARIOUS TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN A HIJAB, and they never fail to disappoint (though her first book is by far my favorite). HUDA F WANTS TO KNOW? is a bittersweet coming of age story, wherein Huda navigates junior year - not just an as angsty teenage girl, bedeviled by both hormones and unfair parental demands, but as an angsty brown Muslim teenage girl, and the additional expectations that come along with this. I especially appreciated the emphasis on mental health - both with the introduction of Dr. Haifa, as well as a special section at the end of the book. I think we can all relate to Dr. Haifa's panel on grief, and I hope she becomes a permanent fixture in the Huda-verse. show less