There have been so many instances in the last 20 years that I can point to and say: When people in different groups, different cultures, and different religions get together and do something, it’s one of the most powerful messages that you can give to the people in your own community that may not want you to flourish. I became really involved in interfaith work and I saw the power of community getting together to stand up against prejudice and hatred. Things have changed and also stayed the same over the last 20 years and a lot of things have happened because of attitudes and misinformation after 9/11. Additionally, the story itself is a culmination of Muslim-American experiences. This book is a culmination of 20 years of interfaith activism for me. How did you feel while writing Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero and what are some parts of the story that spoke to you as an author? I cried several times while reading this book, sometimes out of frustration, and other times from happiness and hope. The title is for all of the readers-to remind ourselves if we see something wrong or see injustice happening, sometimes you do have to be a hero even though that’s the harder choice. Kids often can see when adults are doing things that are wrong or inadvisable or not the way kids think they should be, but they often don’t have the voice or intuition to do something about it. Especially when everyone in the book is saying you’re not a hero, sit down son, you’re going to get hurt. And so at some point, he has to gather the courage to not only stand up for not only himself but for a lot of other people in the community and that is a huge task. It’s easy for him to just bend down like everyone he’s seen (including his parents) and just say, “Well, this is how it is,” but he doesn’t want to. And he’s kind of being weighed down by all of these events. Throughout the book more and more terrible things happen-not only to him but also to his community, his friends, his parents, his family, his town. And he’s an optimist-he likes being happy and making people happy.

The title of the book is Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero, yet he made even me feel brave and strong with his actions! Why did you choose this title? Today we’re pleased to welcome Saadia Faruqi to the WNDB blog to discuss Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero.

Not a hero