Review: Growing Up Muslim by Sumbul Ali-Karamali

Growing Up Muslim by Sumbul Ali-Karamali.

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 2012
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780385740951

Review: What is it like to be Muslim? In Islam, children are raised very differently than in America. In Sumul Ali-Karamali's Growing up Muslim, you can find out what it's like to be Muslim. The book is divided into 3 sections, Muslim Beliefs and Practices (or, what it's like to grow up Muslim in California), When did Islam start and how did it develop, and Modern Muslim Demographics. It is a guide to the Muslim religion called the Qur'an, which is a book that most Muslims follow.

There is an interesting story regarding a poor family that has sewn 40 silver coins into their son's jacket. When the family is traveling on public transportation, some thugs come and rob everyone on the bus. The robbers see the boy and they asked him if he has anything. The boy replies with "Yes," and shows the coins to them. Then the robbers asked why he told them about the coins. The boy responds by saying that if he lied, he would lie to God.

I loved Growing Up Muslim. It was amazing to have a different perspective on life. I did not know about anything about Muslims and their culture until I read this book, I realized after reading it that my mind was filled with misconceptions about the Muslim people. This showed me a whole new life and how some Muslims actually live. Now I have a whole new appreciation for the Muslim culture. The story about truth and honesty caught me by surprise too. This book is great for anyone learning about another culture.

Review written by Alex (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Growing Up Muslim for this review.

Have you read Growing Up Muslim? How would you rate it?