All American Muslim Girl
Author: Nadine Jolie Courtney
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Summary: Allie Abraham has it all going for her—she's a straight-A student, with good friends and a close-knit family, and she's dating cute, popular, and sweet Wells Henderson. One problem: Wells's father is Jack Henderson, America's most famous conservative shock jock...and Allie hasn't told Wells that her family is Muslim. It's not like Allie's religion is a secret, exactly. It's just that her parents don't practice and raised her to keep her Islamic heritage to herself. But as Allie witnesses ever-growing Islamophobia in her small town and across the nation, she begins to embrace her faith—studying it, practicing it, and facing hatred and misunderstanding for it. Who is Allie, if she sheds the façade of the "perfect" all-American girl? What does it mean to be a "Good Muslim?" And can a Muslim girl in America ever truly fit in? ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM GIRL is a relevant, relatable story of being caught between two worlds, and the struggles and hard-won joys of finding your place.

Review: All American Muslim Girl, rounded out my year in audiobooks. I originally had this on my list to read, after reading reviews of the title in SLJ. I knew that I would never have enough time to read it, so I decided to request the audiobook. Come to find out, Priya Ayyar is the narrator and she is one of my favorites. It did not disappoint!

This story hit pretty close to home for me, so it was a joy to listen to. We learn about Allie Abraham, coming of age, in a world full of hatred for the Islamic religion. She learns a little more about herself on every page of the book. She battles love, hate, friendship, religion, and family. She grows up in a mixed race family and a non-religious one at that. She was never taught her father’s mother tongue and is struggling with every part of herself when she turns 16. A time to reflect and find out who she truly is and who she wants to be. Allie secretly starts to join in the religion, learn a language that is so close to home for her, stand up for herself and speak out, all while newly dating a classmate who she comes to find out, she should not be dating for multiple reasons.


This book was beautifully written and beautifully read. I would highly recommend the story and would be interested in listening to it again when my daughter is older.