Love, Hate, and Other Filters

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: Love, Hate, and Other Filters  
• Author: Samira Ahmed  
• Publisher: Soho Teen  
• Copyright Date: 2018   

Genre: Teen, romance, drama 

Awards or Honors: None   

Reading Level: Teenager  

Plot Summary: The book follows the life of Maya Aziz in the city of Batavia, Illinois. Her parents make decisions for her, and she has a large group of family with who she has commitments. She is going to the University of Chicago as her parents want, but she wants to go to NYU, her dream school. She is in love with a boy at her high school named Paul. When a terrorist attack happens in Springfield, Illinois, the alleged attacker has the last name as her family, leading to hate crimes against her and her family. However, it turns out there was a mistaken identity, and it was a white supremacist who attacked. Maya and her family feel terrified, increasing tensions. A student at school named Brian makes threats against her and eventually attacks her. She is saved when Paul steps in and saves her. After the attack, her parents tell her she can’t go to college and will stay home. Maya realizes she must choose to follow her dreams to NYU or follow the path her parents want for her.   

Author Background: Samira Ahmed was born in Bombay, India, and raised outside of Chicago. As a child, she enjoyed reading, writing, and going to her local library. She received degrees from the University of Chicago and taught English in Chicago and New York City. She has also worked for educational non-profits to help create better opportunities for public schools. She now lives in Chicago (Ahmed, 2020).    

Critical Evaluation: The writing is told from Maya’s perspective, and we get a sense of what life is like for a Muslim teenager living in America. The writer is writing for teenagers who may be discriminated against or hated because they are perceived as different or not American. The book also includes passages at the start of each chapter detailing the terrorist attack in Springfield. It is usually only a page or a few paragraphs. It details the terrorist’s life, what led him to commit the crime, and how society judges people who commit these crimes. Many societal issues going on today are shown in the book. The book provides a good look at the lives of people discriminated against and how they deal with bigotry and hate. Many of the experiences described in the book have happened in real life and should be taken seriously.   

Creative Use Library Program: I would try to include this book in a school library and have it be part of a program addressing discrimination and bigotry in our country. Many of these issues described in the book happen every day in America, reported and unreported. Having a story detailing the perspective of someone living through these experiences might help others dealing with the same things. It might encourage others to be more aware of these issues and recognize what they can do to help.    

Book Talk: Maya is a normal American teenager living in a small town, dreaming of life in New York City and dealing with overbearing parents. Some see her as a threat because she is a brown Muslim. When a terrorist attack in the state capital happens, her family is blamed because the suspect has the same last name as her family. Tensions rise in her town against her family. She must deal with hatred and bigotry while deciding if she should chase her dreams in New York City or listen to her parents and stay safe attending a local college at home.   

Potential Challenge Issue: There are no challenge issues currently. Potential challenge issues might take place for the issue of white supremacy talked about in the book. There might also be concerns about how the main character’s Muslim parents are portrayed as overbearing, which might anger some Muslims. I would argue this is a critical perspective. Libraries have included this book on many other different reading lists.   

Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because it touches on current issues of hate, discrimination, and bigotry that have risen in our country over the last few years. Many Muslim Americans face discrimination because of their religion, and Americans should not run away from their flaws. The book also has themes of romance and independence teens care about.   

Ahmed, S. (2018). Love, Hate & Other Filters. [eBook edition]. Soho Teen. https://dalycity.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2614044076  

Home. (2020). Samira Ahmed. Retrieved on December 2, 2020, from https://samiraahmed.com/