Love, Hate & Other Filters

Written by Samira Ahmed

Narrated by Soneela Nankani

In this unforgettable debut, a Muslim teen copes with Islamophobia, cultural divides among peers and parents, and a reality she can neither explain nor escape. American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There's the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy who's "suitable" to her mother. And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City-and maybe, just maybe, pursuing a boy she's known from afar her entire life who's suddenly falling into her orbit at school. But unbeknownst to Maya, there is a danger looming beyond her control. When a terrorist attack occurs in another Midwestern city, the prime suspect happens to share her last name. In an instant, Maya's community, consumed by fear and hatred, becomes unrecognizable, and her life changes forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501979392

Samira Ahmed

Samira Ahmed is the New York Times bestselling and award winning author of the young adult novels Love, Hate, & Other Filters, Internment, Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know and Hollow Fires. She is also the author of the middle grade fantasy duology Amira & Hamza and the Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit comic series. She was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, IL in a house that smelled like fried onions, garlic, and potpourri. She has lived in New York, Chicago, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango. She invites you to visit her online at www.samiraahmed.com and on Twitter and Instagram @sam_aye_ahm.

Reviews for Love, Hate & Other Filters

[bangerlm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute young-adult novel that touches on some more serious issues.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction (Indian-American Muslim teen protagonist, #ownvoices)
More, please. I liked that this also included a perspective from a less strict Muslim male (some Muslim families do partake in alcohol in moderation), because obviously one point of view is not going to be able to represent everyone from such a vast faith (and for that reason I am sure there are plenty who will feel they have not been accurately represented).

[fred_mouse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although this starts out with a real rom-com feeling, this is a nuanced look at coming of age as a middle-class Muslim Indian-American in modern day America. There are a lot of family and social expectations to navigate, as well as the difficulties of dating and romance.As mentioned in the blurb, this book includes a terrorist attack and its aftermath. This includes multiple Islamophobic incidents.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book hits all the right notes and breathes with genuine energy. Love love love.

10.14.2019 update: Samira Ahmed does an excellent job of balancing a compelling romance with contemporary social justice issues.

[lindsay_w_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maya Aziz is a 17 year-old American-born daughter of Indian immigrants who struggles to figure out how to live her life under her parent’s strict expectations of what a good Indian daughter is and does – or does not do in most cases. That alone would be enough for most teens to deal with, but Maya is Muslim and in post 911 America she also has to deal with Islamophobia, first in subtle ways, later in violent ones. Maya’s attempts to participate in typical grade 12 activities like dating and post secondary planning, are interspersed with references to a domestic terror attack modeled after the 1995 Oklahoma Federal Building bombing. While this did build some tension in the start of the book, in the end I think giving attention to the perpetrator of this 1995 act and his motivations, took us away from Maya’s experience. I’d rather have seen the author further explore the disaffected, anti Muslim, student in Maya’s own school who perpetuated acts of hate against her and her family. Keeping the facts of that 1995 event in an afterward would have made the book feel a little less didactic at times, and helped YA readers separate fact from fiction. Still, representation matters, and Islamophobia is something many of the students in our school deal with. Hopefully they will be inspired by Maya’s story, and find the courage to chart a course in life that represents their own dreams rather than just the ones their parents have for them.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed the story, I didn't find Maya's character to be totally believable. She breaks things off with Kareem because she knows she is more attracted to Phil, but then she doesn't pursue a relationship with him because she feels like she can't. I also felt like the bombing incident was almost a separate story instead of being more intricately tied to Maya's story. Don't get me wrong - I liked the book. I just feel like something wasn't falling into place the way I expected that it would. I know that Maya said "I don't know how to have the life I want and be a good daughter." I guess I felt that if Maya was as strong in her independence and her American ways as she pretended to be - eating marshmallows containing gelatin, wearing her hair loose, semi-dating a white boy... then I don't think she would have forgotten about Phil or quasi given up on him, which is the way it sounds when the book ends.

[carolyndenman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story has some beautifully drawn moments which give really clear insights into Maya's home life. There are darker themes (terrorism) that run in parallel with Maya's story, but they are kept separate enough that I was still able to enjoy the lighter scenes. And a really well thought out twist, that made me realise how easy it is to make assumptions based on the limited view I have.

[yoh-62 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cute, diverse YA contemporary but in the backdrop of some serious current event topics. It has your typical trope of outsider girl with a love interest of the HS popular boy. But also does not shy away from harder topics like Islamophobia/xenophobia, as well as the pressure of parental expectations. Overall, it was a sweet, heartbreaking at times, entertaining read by an own voices author.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maya Aziz is a want-to-be film maker. But her desire to go to NYU goes against her Indian, Muslim family's rules. Her parents want her to study to become a lawyer at school near home in Illinois. Her long time crush Phil suddenly shows interest in her. When a terrorist attack brings out some hateful acts against her family, Maya's parents want to protect her and keep her closer than ever. She balks against this and tries to find way to hold onto her dreams and pursue her future. She's independent, strong willed, determined. The book gives a glimpse into culture and is set in Batavia, Illinois. It's a quick read.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very topical subject, one that the author explains she has experienced first hand. Maya is the only daughter in this Indian-Muslim family and cultural norms have her parents (especially her mother) hoping for a semi arranged agreement with a young man before she heads to college. Maya on the other hand, has other ideas. Even a semi meet cute can't dissuade her from her dreams of NYU, photography and NYC. When there is a domestic terror attack in another part of Illinois, the way Maya and her parents are treated is truly disheartening and hateful. I thought the way Ahmed interspersed the terror incident between chapters was very well done.

[busylizzie2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This YA novel successfully combines teen romance and one teenager’s struggle to follow her dreams with a chilling examination of the effect of Islamophobia on a single, blameless, Muslim family. As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough, Maya is conspicuous as the only Muslim student at her high school, and also has to contend with the demands of her parents who want her to be a dutiful Indian daughter. She often takes refuge behind her camcorder, enjoying the perspective it gives her on the world around her and dreaming of a career in film-making despite the disapproval of her parents.The portrayal of the Islamophobia directed at Maya and her parents following a terrorist incident feels realistic and frightening and a sad blight on the life of a delightful young woman.Helped by her best friend Violet – another lovable and feisty character – and her supportive and pioneering aunt, Maya must seek the courage to choose the life she wants for herself.