Ms Sparkes has just read From Somalia With Love by Na'ima B. Robert.
This book is about a British Somali girl who lives in East London ( around Stratford somewhere). It doesn't have a lot of action, but if you like reading stories that seem true to life I think you'll really enjoy this one. Safia is a typical teenager who lives with her mum and two very different brothers. Her best friend, Hamida, is Bengali. She enjoys a close relationship with her mum, but that changes when her dad, whom she hardly remembers, arrives from Somali. In the confusion she feels she is drawn towards her fast-living cousin, Firdous and the world of boyfriends. As you can imagine she feels torn between the lifestyle she has been brought up with and the 'fun' that Firdous offers.
The book seems to capture, in a very easy-to-read style, the complexities of growing up a muslim girl in East London. It also tells you quite a lot about Somali culture that is really interesting. I liked the way the author used a lot of somali and arabic words that made it seem more authentic : don't worry if you don't understand them; there's a glossary that explains what they mean in the back.
If you are a girl/muslim/somali or two of those things( e.g somali boy/muslim girl) I'd really like to know if you think it seems true -to- life. If, like me, you're none of those things, I still think you'd enjoy reading it and I'd like to know if you found it informative and entertaining too.
