As the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of “Saints and Misfits,” S. K. Ali has authored novels named as the best YA books of the year by various media outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. She has a degree in Creative Writing and lives in Toronto with her family, a very vocal cat named Yeti, and a very quiet cat named Mochi. Her books for younger readers include the widely acclaimed middle grade anthology “Once Upon an Eid,” the upcoming “Grounded,” and the New York Times bestselling picture book, “The Proudest Blue.”
“Love from Mecca to Medina” follows Adam and Zayneb as they find their way back to one another in this surprising and romantic sequel to “Love from A to Z,” the acclaimed and beloved novel that New York Times bestselling author Becky Albertalli called “bighearted” and “wildly charming.” Set to release on Oct. 18, “Love from Mecca to Medina” is available for purchase and can be found here.
Why did you decide to make a sequel?
Basically, I wanted to write Adam and Zayneb Season 2; the ending of [“] Love from A to Z [“] had a wide-sweeping epilogue and in that vastness, there was space for readers to see what life looks like in the “ever-after”. And readers wanted to see more of these two characters, so it all made writerly-sense to me (to continue the story).
Books nowadays are slowly dissolving the dominantly white narrative by having minority authors write about their experience. How do you believe you are effecting change in the industry by writing these narratives? What are some narratives that you want to see represented more often?
I grew up with three realities in terms of Muslim representation: erasure, misrepresentation and what I term “malrepresentation” (which is when negative stereotypes are deliberately used in narratives). It was enormously crushing to see your identity packaged and presented to you in heinous ways. In university, for a thesis course, I dedicated a whole year to studying the representation of Muslim women and then wrote a paper to synthesize what it looks like in the context of its historical and political (and there’s a huge political component!) roots. This was was over twenty-five years ago so this issue has been of long-standing interest to me — why society chooses to perpetuate certain ideas about groups of people — and it was no surprise that I’d participate in taking back the reins on narratives about Muslims. Not for the sake of doing so but for the sake of contributing the truth of our lives so that readers now and in future generations do not have to grapple with continuously feeling disenfranchised from our own societies, like I did. I’d like to see more narratives about Muslim characters that don’t make sense to the publishing industry; i.e. ones that don’t, in any way, ping the stereotypes so familiar to those in creative industries. Because if you take a look at most of popular culture’s offerings featuring Muslims, they still communicate certain “accepted understandings” of what Muslims are like — often negative and/or condescending. An idea: let Muslims who actually want to be Muslim write themselves as they authentically are?
How do you feel focusing on Adam and Zayneb’s stories brings out an authenticity and honesty within your novel?
I think following two such disparate characters forces me as a writer to stay true to their differing idiosyncrasies and thus, reveal them as they truly are, no filter. I hope it also makes readers feel safe to be their authentic selves, when they witness (and connect to) Adam and Zayneb’s vulnerabilities.
Why did you decide to format both novels as journal entries? Why did you think it would be best to tell the story this way?
It was a writerly decision to ensure readers get very close first person narratives; journal entries are a type of epistolary structure and when writers use this novel format, it’s to allow the ultimate innermost access to characters’ motivations and thought processes. I knew I needed to do this to give readers a deep look into two characters grappling with complex emotions and life circumstances.
What are some of your favorite travel memories that you hope to include in your future novels that you didn’t include in “Love from Mecca to Medina”?
I absolutely love writing stories set abroad so I actually have a store of such memories. One is of finding a little public flower garden in the midst of a busy London neighborhood. Another is making shampoo out of legit herbs by a pond we swam in as kids. I have so many more so look for them in some upcoming novel lol.
What song or songs would you choose to describe the relationship between Adam and Zayneb in this book compared to “Love from A to Z”?
So I’m going to cycle back to some of the songs in [“] Love from Mecca to Medina[”] which is a curious blend of old stuff, and then add some newer songs: [“] You Are My Sunshine[”] (yup, the traditional one), [“]Leaving on a Jet Plane[”] cover by Jamie McDell, [“] I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon[”] cover by Shawn Colvin, [“] The Way I Am [”] by Ingrid Michaelson, [“] Bless the Broken Road [”] cover by Travis Atreo, [“] I Like Me Better [”] by Lauv, [“] Call it What You Want[”] by Taylor Swift, [“] Daylight [”] by Taylor Swift and [“] At My Worst[”] by Pink Sweat$ (feat. Kehlani).
You grew up reading books written in Arabic, Farsi and Persian. How do you think reading these novels impacted your perspective of literature?
I grew up surrounded by books written in Arabic, Farsi, and Persian. I did not know how to read them — except for Arabic with very low reading comprehension. It’s my father who knows how to read and understand these languages and who surrounded us with such books. But witnessing their very presence in my life from an early age cemented an understanding that my heritage and identity as a Muslim went beyond the narrowness dictated by the stereotypes I saw in popular culture around me. It gave me a sense of confidence to continue to decolonize my mind and then, later on, contribute my own books to my father’s bookshelves. (Let’s just say he buys a lot of copies of my books!)
What can readers look forward to in this sequel especially for those who have never read any Muslim orientated books?
They can expect the unexpected in YA literature: spirituality adjacent to present-day struggles adjacent to long-distance relationships adjacent to global and political issues adjacent to sexual desire adjacent to a dive into Muslim heritage. And romance. All in the midst of several journeys. Also: a cat who wants you to read the story on her behalf — because she needs to know what becomes of her (and she can’t read of course). It’s multi-layered and I hope those who haven’t read any books featuring Muslim characters read with a heart and mind that dares to break free of culturally-fed stereotypes. I hope they dare to connect with an authentic Muslim narrative.
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Thank you so much Sajidah for answering my questions! I always enjoy seeing the publishing industry change with the multitude of diverse stories being told nowadays. I love the adorable dynamic between Adam and Zayneb, and I can’t wait to continue to read them in “Love from Mecca to Medina.” I’d like to also extend my thanks to Alex Kelleher-Nagorski from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing who gave me this fortuitous chance to interview Ali. I can’t wait to continue to work with you in the future as I see my blog series grow by supporting authors and their works.