By: Saadia Faruqi
Libby ebook 35 chapters plus epilogue, note from author, etc.
Published: 2025
Genre: YA realistic fiction
Mohammed is an eighth grader whose dad is schizophrenic and mom is working in Greece at a refugee center. He and his dad have relocated from NYC to Texas to live with his aunt and cousin.
Chapter 1: "Problem is, me and good behavior aren't really on speaking terms."
Mo, as he prefers to be called, resents the move and the fact that his mother is so distant. He is less than cordial when meeting his cousin Rayyan.
Chapter 2: "So now one more thing I know about my cousin is that he things Davy Crockett is a folktale worth reading. He needs to be educated about life outside Texas, is what I'm thinking."
Mo loves folktales from Pakistan, India, etc. The book is peppered with these tales (and the author does a beautiful job of connecting them with what is going on in Mo's life). One of my favorite things about this book was the relationship between Mo and Rayyan - very different kids.
Chapter 4: "There's even one from Ghost, by my favorite author, Jason Reynolds: 'You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be.'"
I love Jason Reynolds' writing, too! It was so fun to see this quotation up on his homeroom teacher's wall. Cool that this author is giving props to another current author.
Chapter 9: "Oh, and he was desi. I should have led with that."
I had not seen that word before. I got the gist of it from the context clues, but had to look it up! Mo is referring to his neighbor in NYC, Patel Uncle. Dictionary.com says:
Amen, Mo. Little kids are exhausting!
Chapter 14: "Stories are powerful. They transport you to fantasyland."
Those of us who love stories can relate to this!
Chapter 14: ". . . someone save me from my own thoughts."
This was heartbreaking. Mo's fear is that he'll become like his dad and have a child who will hate him and continue the cycle. His coping mechanisms have caused him to hold his anger tightly.
Chapter 14: "Sometimes art is ugly and doesn't make sense."
I love that Mo took to painting to express his feelings. It was so much better for him than getting into fights!
Chapter 15: " . . . let me tell you the brief version. You don't take your meds, so you start feeling bad. Really bad. Mentally, that is. All sorts of bad thoughts rush into your mind. You drink to get rid of your bad thoughts. But drinking is bad for you, right? It makes you stop thinking clearly. But schizophrenia also stops you from thinking clearly. So you drink more. And more. And more."
Faruqi did a beautiful job portraying Mo's struggle to understand his father's illness while also clearly depicting his legitimate anger and fear. In the author's note, we get a better understanding that a lot of this comes from her personal experience growing up with a similar father.
Chapter 17: "That's the thing with mental health, you know? It's easy to fake that you're doing well."
Again, she hits some hard truths.
Chapter 18: "I'm always alone. Always happy. Or at least, not unhappy. There's a difference. Think about it."
Later in the chapter, he talks about people wearing masks and his parents not loving him. There's a lot here that I think tween and teen readers could relate to, even without having the Muslim / Pakistani background.
Chapter 20: "When things are daunting, I feel the need to pray."
In the next breath, Mo says that God isn't listening. Interesting approach to prayer . . . and beliefs.
Chapter 20: "I don't want to be alone anymore. I want someone to help me. Being bad is no fun anymore. I'm ready to try something else."
Mo has adopted the persona of a tough "bad" kid. He decides to become Rayyan's protector and helper.
Chapter 23: "Let me tell you, lots of parents test their kids in different ways. Sometimes the tests are so difficult the kids fail."
As a teacher, I've encountered many kinds of parents. The ones who set their kids up for failure (with good intentions) are the most heart breaking.
Chapter 24: ". . . the strongest heart is the one that keeps beating."
I love seeing where the title comes from! The biology class body systems, the heart in Mo, etc. It all came together beautifully.
Chapter 24: "Giving water to kids across the world when her own offspring is thirsty for her affection."
Ouch! Poor Mo! I wonder if my kids felt that I was too busy for them twenty years ago . . . you can't go back in time and have a "do over," but at least I was a daily presence in their lives.
Chapter 25: "Life is too much, sometimes."
Again, sometimes I read a line like this and think it's just coming from the author's adult brain. Then I think about my worries and feelings as an eighth grader. Yes, I was still a kid. But I thought about the meaning of life, my identity, my relationships, etc. Kids do feel this way sometimes.
Chapter 26: "Listen, if I'm sounding miserable and pathetic right now, that's because I am. Nobody gets to judge me until they've walked in my shoes."
I definitely could be more compassionate toward people who are in a struggle. I don't want to be judgmental. But I also don't want to be a doormat or an enabler . . . it can be tricky.
Chapter 27: "there's no action in being sad. Nothing you can do to make it better. With anger, you can fight and punch and box and scream until everything is gone. Until not a drop of feeling is left. Until you're numb."
That's an interesting distinction between sadness and anger. I hadn't thought of it that way before.
Chapter 29: "In seventh grade, our technology teacher, Mrs. Crenshaw, taught us about this thing called media literacy, and how to choose good sources. I make sure I click on medical sites only. Hospitals and mental-health facilities."
I love this! As someone who used to teach media literacy (and sees such a need for it today), I love this mention! As Mo is trying to learn more about his dad's illness, he's using responsible research strategies. I also love the way the school librarian is a vital person in students' lives both Mo's and Frankie's. I also love the way that Mo and Frankie transform from enemies to almost friends.
Chapter 35: "Where there's hope, there's life. A positive attitude, hoping for the best, where there's a will, there's a way . . . all that stuff is real. It makes us reach inside ourselves, past the skin and bones, past the anatomy, to the soul."
What a great way to end the book! Well, the epilogue ends it, but this is good. Reading the author's notes and about the author was good, too. I've seen Faruqi's "Yasmin" series and I'm glad Muslim children have a wonderful author / role model. I can't believe I didn't mention his aunt! I loved her (Naila Phupo?) and her nurturing of Mo.
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