Aarzu All Around
A cricket-loving Pakistani girl stifled by patriarchal expectations disguises herself as a boy to get a job to pay her sister’s medical bills in this empowering middle grade novel-in-verse.
By Marzieh Abbas
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Marzieh Abbas's story A DUPATTA IS… shines! Abbas's words are lyrical and invite the reader to keep reading because 'a dupatta is so much more...' The gentle refrain 'because a dupatta is so much more...' weaves the story together beautifully and I didn't want it to end. Ani Chouhan's pictures are dreamy and feel like home. Paired with Abbas's words, the story is a treat. The last page 'a dupatta is identity' felt like a gentle hug and reading this story as a Pakistani-American, I felt seen and celebrated. Dupattas are such a strong part of our culture and this story captures it perfectly. I love how Abbas and Chouhan captured the different designs and fabric styles showcasing the diversity of a dupatta. I can't wait for more books from this talented duo!
Reem Faruqi
Highly recommended! "But a dupatta is so much more..." than a color, a shape, a smell, a fabric. This book made me appreciate the many ways in which a dupatta is woven into the lives of the wearers, how dupattas create threads of connection between people but also within oneself. Readers who wear a dupatta will revel in this lovely ode to how they are part of their heritage and identify. Readers who do not wear them will be able to make connections to the types of things they DO wear that connect them to their cultures and families, and they will learn about the many uses and meanings of dupattas specifically.