Any Way You Look by Maleeha Siddiqui
Ainy is excited to start her summer because she wants to help out at her mother’s clothing store. She is also thinking about starting to wear the hijab like her big sister. Her mom wants her to concentrate on her studies and not think about working or wearing the hijab. But Ainy really does think she is ready for these new parts of her life.
Random side story: I used to work in a public library, and many of the patrons wore the hijab but were of different ages. I had always assumed it was a coming-of-age type of thing. Once you turn a certain age or get to a particular grade level, you will start to wear it, or so I thought. I was working with a few teens, and they were excellent and kind enough to answer my questions. I was told that it was up to the individual. They chose to wear it when they felt comfortable, but once they started, they had to stick with it; they couldn’t decide to wear it some days but not others. So, it was a big decision for many.
Ainy, her sister and brother, and their mom all live in the basement of a family friend’s home. They are there because their father had to go to Pakistan to care for their grandmother. They couldn’t afford any place to live without their father, so they consider themselves lucky to rent this basement apartment.
Ainy seems to have a bit of a crush on a boy named Izyann, but another boy named Yasir appears to have a crush on her. A little bit of a love triangle. Understandable in middle school. But that is not her primary focus. She gets to work at her mother’s store for the summer! She fully expects to be learning to make dresses and improve her design skills. She is tasked mainly with front desk-type things at first, but as the store gets busy, her mother gives her a chance to design some bridesmaids’ dresses for a wedding. I was impressed that her mother gave her this job; that is a huge deal! Her first design is not great, and it instantly puts Ainy in a bad way. She is questioning her ability, and with all of the other stresses she has going on, she can’t seem to focus on trying again at the design.
I get her stress. I started my career as a music teacher. I loved playing music and thought that it would make the perfect career choice for me. Nope! I loved playing as a way to relax. Being a music teacher made music super stressful. I didn’t want to or could not play if I needed to relax. It can be hard to take something you love and make it your main stressor in life.
With all of this stress, Ainy is trying her best to find ways to calm her life down a bit. The more she stresses about Yasir liking her the more she wants to start to wear the hijab because she thinks that will make him not like her anymore. That doesn’t sound like the best reason to make this decision. She shouldn’t feel pressured to wear the hijab just to keep a boy from liking her.
I know many people talk about books being windows and mirrors. This was a window read for me. It was interesting to read about how big a decision wearing the hijab is for these girls. I knew it was important, but I never really thought about how much thought goes into deciding to wear it, all that goes into literally putting it on (it’s not just a scarf tossed on), and the consideration of what others will see and say when you wear it. It’s a lot!
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 