''Huda F Are You?'' is a 2021 young adult graphic novel by American author

Huda Fahmy Huda Fahmy (born ) is an American graphic novelist. Her novel ''Huda F Cares?'' was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Early life Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan and has four sisters. Her father immi ...

. Considered a fictionalized memoir, the novel follows Huda through her first year of high school in a new town, where she must re-examine her identity.

Plot

''Huda F Are You?'', a fictionalized memoir, follows Huda, an Egyptian-American teenager who has recently moved to

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

with her parents and four sisters. In this new environment, she discovers that wearing a

hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

does not make her stand out among her peers, prompting her to navigate the complexities of forming her own identity distinct from her religious beliefs. Along the way, Huda confronts both overt and subtle forms of

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

and

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

from classmates and a teacher, as well as struggles with internalized Islamophobia and self-doubt. The narrative explores her dilemma of whether to speak out against the discrimination she faces or to continue being a people-pleaser.

Reception

''Huda F Are You?'' was well received by critics. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' referred to the graphic novel as "hilarious, charming, and much needed" while Kate Quealy-Gainer, writing for

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne ( University of Chicago Graduate Library School).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. C ...

, called it a "funny, thoughtful story of negotiating school dynamics, cultural identity, and individual agency." Narratively, reviewers focused on Fahmy's ability to mix humor with more complex reflections about identity. ''Kirkus'' highlighted how "Fahmy comedically captures Huda’s embarrassing moments, conflicting desires for validation and acceptance, and the sarcasm she uses as a coping mechanism when facing everyday Islamophobia, xenophobia, bigotry, and microaggressions". Quealy-Gainer similarly noted that "Fahmy portrays the negotiations of identity—be it social, cultural, or personal—in high school with humor and genuine warmth". While calling the novel "entertaining" and "frequently wry", ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' highlighted that "Fahmy is forthright in her dialogues and depictions". Reviewers also discussed Fahmy's illustrations. ''

'' and ''Kirkus Reviews'' made note of the background characters, who have a variety of skin tones, including the female Muslim characters, who wear hijabs of various styles. ''Kirkus'' further highlighted how "the full-color artwork shows stylized, cartoon-style figures whose minimalistic features emphasize the emotions shown by their facial expressions." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' and ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' also reviewed the novel.

Honors

''Huda F Are You?'' is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

book, and it was nominated for the 2022

Goodreads Choice Award The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most books that Good ...

for Graphic Novels & Comics.

References

{{reflist 2021 graphic novels Dial Press books Graphic novels about women Novels set in Michigan Young adult comics Graphic novels about Islam Graphic novels set in the United States

Plot

Reception

Honors

Further reading

References