Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

I loved the protagonist, Maya, and her passion for filming. There were a lot of things to love about Love, Hate, and Other Filters. On top of that, when a suicide bomber sharing Maya’s last name attacks a federal building in Springfield, Maya must come face-to-face with an onslaught of Islamophobia. And navigating love isn’t so easy when you’re in love with a white American boy your parents definitely won’t approve of. Except she’s the only Muslim in her town, which often makes her feel like an outsider. I will be on the lookout for anything else Samira Ahmed publishes.Maya Aziz is a pretty ordinary teenager navigating love and strict parents. The heavy issues aren’t as central as the coming of age and love story, however, and it all comes out so beautifully.

The book reflects an American experience where Brown, Muslim, immigrant and other minority groups are always suspect even when white supremacy is the true culprit. The classmate who attacks Maya because his older brother became an amputee in Iraq was also on point. This is much more in line with actual terrorist incidents in the US, and reminded me of the Oklahoma City bombing which was initially blamed on Muslim terrorists before white supremacist Timothy McVeigh was identified. On a slightly spoiler-y note, I like how the attack is handled. She must also face a classmate with a grudge against all Muslims who becomes radicalized by the attack…

Maya struggles with her parents’ fears for her safety and the aftermath of the event making things weird with her crush. Then a terrorist attack in their state brings harsh scrutiny to Muslims across the US, and to Maya’s family in particular due to their being the only Brown people in the small town, and an unfortunate coincidence that links them to the suspect. Their friendship grows into something more, and it seems everything is going to work out great for her. She’s also trying to manage her crush on the popular football star, who gets brought into her life through a school project. Maya is a high school senior with a passion for film-making, trying to convince her over protective parents to let her go to New York University for film rather than go to college closer to home.

Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed