Bibliographic Information

Title: This Book Won’t Burn

Author: Samira Ahmed

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Copyright Date: May 6, 2024

ISBN: 978-0316547840

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Format

Book

Print Length

384 pages

Reading Level/Interest Level

Grades 9-12 (per Booklist)

Awards or Honors

None as of the date of this post.

Plot Summary

“Hope is an act, not just a feeling. Hope is a choice. So are hate and cynicism and silence. Every day I have to think about what I’m going to choose. And so do you.” (p. 216, Kindle edition)

Noor has just three months left of senior year when her mother decides to relocate their family from diverse, big-city Chicago to a small, conservative, mostly white town in central Illinois. Still reeling from her father abruptly leaving them, Noor is discouraged to be one of just a few students of color at her school, and even more discouraged to find the local school board has been actively removing “inappropriate” books from her school’s library.

Caught in the whirlwind of trying to make new friends, adjust to family life without her father, and finish high school, Noor can’t ignore the fight to push back against racist actions in her new community and stand up for each student’s right to read.

Author Background

Samira Ahmed was born in Bombay, India and grew up in the Chicago area. She graduated from the University of Chicago and worked for a time in both education and politics before focusing on her writing career. She has published several poems, short stories, and essays, as well as a growing collection of books for middle grade and young adults, including the New York Times best-selling novels Love, Hate, & Other Filters, and Internment (Samira Ahmed, n.d.-a)

Critical Evaluation

This Book Won’t Burn is timely and relevant, as book challenges in school libraries remain headline news nationwide. And since high school students – especially those of color – are directly impacted by these book challenges, I think it’s important that Ahmed chose to tell this story through Noor.

But while the book’s message is full of passion and purpose, the story does suffer a bit from a lack of nuance. Characters become more like caricatures, with over-the-top actions and dialogue that paint them as either Really Good or Really Bad people. I worry this might jeopardize the believability of the story, which is very much rooted in reality. I also worry that the fast pace of the book won’t give some readers time to build the necessary tension to understand just how important – and harmful – book challenges and banning are to high school students today.

Still, I believe many teens will see themselves in this book and it could inspire them to look at what is happening in their schools and find a way to step up and step into the fight. Noor’s struggles with family, fitting in, and finding her voice are relatable and I found myself rooting for her through every page.

Creative Use for a Library Program

In This Book Won’t Burn, students gather and take turns reading passages from different challenged books to each other. A library program could offer youth the opportunity to choose books – either historically challenged or not – that have impacted them and then read passages aloud to each other. This could foster conversation and an opportunity for youth to express themselves and share something important about themselves and their identity.

Speed-Round Talk

After her family life gets turned upside-down, all Noor Khan wants is to keep her head down and finish senior year in a new town. But she soon finds herself confronting racism and book banning in a fight to have students like her represented in the halls and on the page at her new school.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

This might be seen as purely fiction by those who don’t believe book challenges and bans are actually happening, or by those who believe Ahmed is misrepresenting the issue at hand. Some might see this book as creating contention instead of responding to it and might argue the text seeks to radicalize high school students. There might also be opposition to the depiction of nearly all white, middle class, Christian characters in this book as violent and racist. Some redirection away from extremes in the book might be appropriate, with a focus on celebrating themes of student involvement, community conversation, diverse perspectives, and First Amendment access to free speech would be helpful in preparing a defense for This Book Won’t Burn.

Reason for Inclusion

As an author of color writing about issues important to her community, Ahmed has faced some pushback on the inclusion of her own books in some high school libraries (Publisher Spotlight, 2023). Her direct experience with book challenges, and her choice to use a high school student of color to tell this story, made This Book Won’t Burn feel even more relevant and important to include in a collection of contemporary materials for youth.

Other Young Adult Books by Samira Ahmed: