Huda Fahmy

This is one of the most hilarious and honest books I've read in recent times.

Huda Fahmy, an American with Egyptian roots, is a popular comic artist with her "Yes, I'm hot in this" series that talks of life as a hijab-wearing Muslim in a light-hearted manner.

"That can be arranged" talks of the universal bane of all girls from traditional families: an arranged marriage. There are so many LOL moments in this book. At the same time, I could relate to most of her personal struggles as the Indian mentality is quite similar towards its daughters. (We're probably a little worse.)

Huda uses her own love story as the basis of this book. The illustrations are cute, and the humour is spot on. She writes about her insecurities before marriage in an endearing and honest way. I also loved her love for my love: Jane Austen.… (plus d'informations)

In a Nutshell: Good but not outstanding. A decent one-time-read graphic novel.

In this collection, Huda Fahmy speaks of her experiences as a Muslim-American woman. The mood across the comics ranges from poignant to funny. That said, only a couple of the comic strips made me laugh out loud. The ‘Muslims in Movies’ series was amusing. But as many of the pages dealt with the non-Muslim American’s response to hijabi Muslims, the experience gets repetitive after a while.

I have wanted to read this graphic novel ever since I read Huda Fahmy’s ‘[b:That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story|51200095|That Can Be Arranged A Muslim Love Story|Huda Fahmy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570370579l/51200095._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72733232]’. But with high expectations comes disappointment too. This book didn’t create the same impact by far. Better you try TCBA as the author’s personal experiences come out much better in that title. You will also get to know the characters better.

The illustrations are in standard Huda Fahmy style – not elaborate but more like doodles. Nothing fancy, but it works for the content.

3 stars.

Here’s my review for TCBA if you are interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3766033236


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Huda and her sisters are actually taking a family vacation this summer - to Disney World! But, it’s not all going to be a walk in the park. First Huda must survive the 24-hour car ride from Michigan to Florida, crammed in the back seat with her sisters. Then, Huda can’t help but notice all the stares her family gets, especially when they’re praying in public - back home in Dearborn, their family blends right in with the large Muslim population, but in Florida, not so much.

This graphic novel is filled with force (but successful??) sisterly bonding, a possible new friendship, and some mixed feelings about exactly why Huda cares so much about what other people thought.

The sibling dynamics are so spot on - especially sisterly ones. So many scenarios where I thought, “Yep, my sisters and I have had a version of this fight ourselves”.

I love how the author was able to mix nostalgia with humor and still be very eye opening. Her family is very blessed back in Dearborn to be surrounded with a large Muslim community, but her parents know that’s not how it will be “out in the real world” and their trip to Disney World is kind of a tester for them. It takes Huda a bit to realize that, but she still comes out of the trip being proud to be Muslim.

Overall, I love Huda’s series and will definitely be recommending her books to loads of people. You don’t necessarily have to read her first graphic novel to understand this one at all. But this one is nice for those with sisters to read a story of a family road trip - cause we’ve all been there, right??… (plus d'informations)