Sorry I haven’t posted this week, I have been very busy with revision as exams get ever closer. I will hopefully be posting as usual, but please bear with me for the next month or so as, understandably, I will be putting my exams first.
Title: I am Thunder
Author: Muhammad Khan
Publication Date: 25th January 2018
Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Muzna Saleem, who dreams of being a writer, struggles with controlling parents who only care about her studying to be a doctor. Forced to move to a new school in South London after her best friend is shamed in a scandal, Muzna realizes that the bullies will follow her wherever she goes. But deciding to stand and face them instead of fighting her instinct to disappear is harder than it looks when there’s prejudice everywhere you turn. Until the gorgeous and confident Arif shows an interest in her, encouraging Muzna to explore her freedom.
But Arif is hiding his own secrets and, along with his brother Jameel, he begins to influence Muzna with their extreme view of the world. As her new freedom starts to disappear, Muzna is forced to question everything around her and make a terrible choice – keep quiet and betray herself, or speak out and betray her heart?
Review
This story is highly realistic. Its portrayal of secondary schools and GCSE life is very accurate, but that is to be expected when the author is a maths teacher. I don’t think that this book has an overly dramatic plot, but it follows the ups and downs of everyday life. I assume that since this is an own voices novel, the representation of muslim life and the hatred that they experience is accurate.
Shopping List of Stay on the Shelf?
While I think that this will be an interesting thing to read about, I don’t think that I am ready to read about GCSE life. I broke up for exam leave yesterday, and am not quite ready yet to delve back into school life, even in fiction. Hopefully I will be able to read this book in a few years when I am ready to go back.
A Full Time Nerd 
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