Culture – The Islamic Library Association

Other Words for Home

Khalisa — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 01:00:19 +0000

A moving novel in verse about a young Syrian girl navigating the pain of leaving home and the challenge of finding belonging in a new country. As Jude and her mother resettle in the United States, Jude grapples with language barriers, cultural differences, and feelings of displacement—while holding onto hope, resilience, and her dreams. Told with sensitivity and emotional clarity, the novel explores themes of immigration, identity, family, and what it truly means to feel at home. Other Words for Home offers readers a compassionate and powerful portrait of a refugee experience shaped by courage and self-discovery.

Hana’s Hundreds of Hijabs

Khalisa — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:53:50 +0000

A joyful picture book that celebrates creativity, confidence, and self-expression. Hana loves her hijabs and enjoys wearing them in many different colors and styles, each reflecting her mood, activities, and personality. Through playful storytelling and vibrant illustrations, the book highlights how clothing can be a form of creativity while affirming pride in faith and identity. Hana’s Hundreds of Hijabs offers young readers a positive, affirming portrayal of a Muslim girl embracing who she is with joy and imagination.

Abdullah Hakeem: Surfing the Socials

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:14:06 +0000

As Abdullah navigates the ups and downs of social media, friendship, and growing up in the digital age. When online interactions turn tricky, he must rely on his wit, integrity, and problem-solving skills to handle misunderstandings, rumors, and peer pressure. With humor, relatable scenarios, and thoughtful lessons about communication and responsibility, this book is an entertaining and meaningful addition to the Abdullah Hakeem series.

A Map for Falasteen

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:00:03 +0000

A beautifully illustrated picture book that follows the journey of a Palestinian child seeking connection, belonging, and a sense of home. Through tender storytelling and vivid visuals, the book explores themes of identity, heritage, displacement, and hope. Odeh’s narrative invites young readers to reflect on the meaning of home and the resilience of communities living in exile. A Map for Falasteen is both a heartfelt story for children and a gentle introduction to the experiences of Palestinian families.

Mariam’s Dream

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:56:05 +0000

An inspiring true story about resilience, generosity, and the power of community. The book follows Mariam Al-Shaar, a Syrian refugee who transforms her love of cooking into a food truck that brings not only meals, but dignity and hope to those in need. Through accessible storytelling, Boukarim highlights Mariam’s journey of displacement, determination, and compassion, showing how one person’s dream can nourish an entire community. Mariam’s Dream is a celebration of courage, kindness, and the belief that food can be a bridge between people.

The Prince of Stars

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:48:06 +0000

A lyrical and heartfelt novel that blends imagination with cultural memory and emotional depth. Centered on a young protagonist navigating identity, loss, and resilience, the story draws on folklore, faith, and the enduring power of hope. Yuksel’s evocative prose creates a world where the ordinary and the magical intersect, illuminating themes of belonging, courage, and the search for light in difficult times. The Prince of Stars is a moving exploration of growing up, holding onto wonder, and finding one’s place in the universe.

A Ramdan Night

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:43:08 +0000

A tender, atmospheric work that captures the quiet intimacy and emotional resonance of a single night during Ramadan. Through lyrical prose and close attention to ritual, memory, and connection, the book explores themes of faith, family, longing, and reflection. Presley invites readers into a moment shaped by stillness and devotion, where everyday gestures carry deep meaning and time feels suspended. A Ramadan Night is a contemplative meditation on belonging, spirituality, and the beauty found in shared traditions.

Far Away From Here

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:39:40 +0000

A quietly powerful novel that explores distance—geographical, emotional, and psychological—and the ways it shapes identity and belonging. Through intimate storytelling and sharply observed moments, the book traces characters navigating displacement, memory, and the pull between where they come from and where they find themselves. Kazi’s prose is restrained yet evocative, capturing the tensions of migration, home, and selfhood with sensitivity and depth. Far Away from Here is a thoughtful meditation on what it means to leave, to arrive, and to exist in between.

DIASPORA-ISH

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:34:48 +0000

A genre-bending nonfiction exploration of what it means to live, think, and belong in the world’s many diasporas. Drawing on her own complex diasporic journey across continents, Sethi weaves personal reflection with cultural inquiry to examine how identities — from names and relationships to citizenship and ethnicity — are shaped, weaponized, and negotiated. The book challenges common assumptions about migration and belonging and invites readers to rethink diasporic experience through lenses of decoloniality, anti-imperialism, and collective solidarity. Far more than a memoir or academic treatise, Diaspora-ish is a thoughtful, urgent call to unlearn exclusionary narratives and embrace a more inclusive, justice-oriented understanding of identity and community.

My Language Is a Garden

Khalisa — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:25:24 +0000

A reflective exploration of language as a living, growing force. Through carefully chosen words and layered imagery, the book examines how language is planted, nurtured, and transformed by memory, identity, and experience. Like a garden, language requires attention and patience—it grows unevenly, surprises us, and reveals meaning over time. This work invites readers to slow down, observe closely, and consider how words shape thought, connection, and self-understanding.