The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali, written by Sabina Khan, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Rukhsana Ali cannot be who she truly is in her own home. At school, she is the fun-loving, crop-top wearing, academically successful girlfriend of six months to Ariana. At home, she is limited by her parents, told that he brother’s academic success is more important than hers, and constantly threatened to behave lest her actions bring shame upon her Muslim Bengali family. When she has to struggle to convince her parents to let her attend college, she knows that they will never understand her coming out to them. She’s ready to let the distance and lack of Bengali friends and family near CalTech do the hard work for her when her mother catches her kissing Ariana. Before she can really discuss the fallout with Ariana and her friends, Rukhsana’s parents whisk her away to India where she cannot escape the intolerance, rigid traditions and family expectations. Fortunately, Rukhsana finds a few unexpected allies and begins the difficult work of finding a way to escape her circumstances and live the life she knows she deserves.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I have been waiting for this book! There are an increasing number of LGBTQ titles for teens, but I had not yet seen one about an LGBTQ Muslim character struggling against religious and family expectations in pursuit of an honest relationship. Rukhsana’s story is difficult to read. The lengths to which her family will go in order to keep her within the bounds of “acceptable” is astounding and rage-inducing. Sabina Khan does not shy away from the intense feelings Rukhsana experiences or the ugly spectacles displayed by homophobic characters. Fortunately, despite having to see Rukhsana endure many difficult people and moments, the novel ultimately has a hopeful tone and a promising, if not slightly sugar-coated outcome. Rukhsana learns that she cannot count on her parents for kindness or acceptance, but she discovers in the process that she has more allies surrounding her than she initially realized. Some of these relationships are better developed than others, but they all serve to remind Rukhsana, and the reader, that not all hope is lost. This is a critical addition to all collections, especially in communities with significant LGBTQ, Muslim or Bengali populations.