I really enjoyed Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi. Mariam is Iraqi American and Muslim, and she starts sixth grade at a new school – a local Catholic school. Mariam knows that she may be the first Muslim that her classmates and teachers have ever met, and she feels a pressure to represent her entire religion well. She also struggles with balancing how to respect the Catholic religion, while also staying true to her religion. For instance, by looking at the images of Jesus all over her school, she worries she is disrespecting Islam, which believes prophets are are too holy to be represented. This inner conflict is really tested when Mariam is chosen to portray Mary in the school’s Christmas production.
I really loved reading about Mariam navigating being Muslim in a Catholic School. It was really interesting to learn about where Islam and Christianity diverge and also where they are similar. Mariam’s conversations with her parents about differences within the Islamic faith and how culture and religion intersect were also fascinating. And of course I loved the message that we are all more alike than we are different.
But I also loved reading about Mariam as just your typical student navigating middle school: vying for teacher’s pet, running for class president, making new friends – I loved that the “popular” girls were friendly and took Mariam under their wing, and dealing with a surprise period during mass. Mariam’s home life was also interesting to read about: her strained relationship with her mother, dealing with a sick sibling, and her larger Iraqi-American family.
I thought this book was funny, interesting, and informative. I recommend it for readers ages 8-12.
WHAT I LIKED
- The unique topic of navigating Catholic school as a Muslim
- The theme that we are all more alike than we are different
- The book is under 200 pages, so it’s a quick read, but full of really wonderful themes of religion, identity, family, and coming-of-age.
Have you read Hail Mariam? What did you think?
Birdie's Bookshelf 