Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
Published by Make Me a World on March 2, 2021
ISBN: 0593177053
Pages: 224
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Nima feels lost — she doesn’t feel like her family or her community understands her. She lives in a suburban town, but her family grew up far away in an unnamed Arabic speaking country. Nima is bullied for her religion, for the way she looks and dresses, for her family and their customs. She relies heavily on her best friend, Haitham to get through life in this country, but when Haitham is beaten in a hate crime, he ends up in the hospital, and Nima finds herself even more alone and struggling to find her way. In addition to her “normal” teenage struggles, Nima struggles with the idea of being someone else, someone she was expected to be had she been given a different name—Yasmeen. Through the second part of the book, and in a twist of magical realism, Nima comes face to face with Yasmeen, the idealized version of herself she feels so many people wish she actually embodied.

This is a beautifully written book in verse, and the story is haunting, magical, real, and important. Nima’s life in the US is clearly colored by the events of 9/11, and the hatred directed at her, her family, and her friends is real for so many. This book paints a challenging portrait of a teen struggling to find and accept the real version of herself.

This book is recommended for readers 13 and up and for Cream of the Crop. This is a must-read. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME