by Sabina Khan
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
Sabina Khan’s debut novel, THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI, is an emotional ride about family, identity, and acceptance. Living in Seattle, 17-year-old Rukhsana Ali has worked hard to make her conservative Muslim parents happy, keeping the parts of herself they wouldn’t approve of undercover. With a few more months until she graduates and goes to Caltech, her future is looking bright... until her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana. They are furious and fearful of how the Bangladeshi community will react if word gets out. They trick Rukhsana into going with them to Bangladesh and won’t let her leave until she finds a suitable Bangladeshi boy to marry. Luckily, Rukhsana finds people who accept all of her identity and are willing to help. The book shows Rukhsana’s struggle between the two parts of her life and the importance of finding understanding and acceptance. I really liked THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI. It shows the experience of being queer and from a culture that’s generally not so accepting of it. The book does point out that not everyone raised in a culture like that will be close-minded; you can’t paint them all with one brush. There are some emotionally brutal parts that can be painful to read, so look out. But there are lighter moments that show what Rukhsana loves about being Bangladeshi and feature her happier relationships. I particularly love the relationship between Rukhsana and Shaila, her cousin who lives in Bangladesh. Despite the fact that they don’t get to see each other very often, they’re as close as sisters. If you want a realistic fiction story with a gay protagonist that’s more than just a romance, I highly recommend this book. 
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