The Henna Wars

Starred review from March 1, 2020
Bangladeshi Irish teen Nishat is obsessed with winning her school's business competition--which entails outperforming the girl she has a crush on. Nishat is tired of hiding the fact that she is lesbian. But when she comes out to her parents, they respond with cold silence. Devastated, Nishat struggles to cope by focusing on winning the entrepreneurial challenge and by trying to ignore her romantic feelings for Fl�via, a biracial (black Brazilian/white Irish) girl Nishat hasn't seen since primary school. Nishat enters with a proposal for a business offering mehndi, or henna tattoos, a traditional Bangladeshi art form Nishat learned from her grandmother. Nishat is thrilled about showcasing her beloved Bengali culture--until Fl�via decides to do a henna business as well, a choice that Nishat feels smacks of cultural appropriation. Worse, now Nishat isn't sure if Fl�via's overtures are signs of genuine romantic interest or a tactic to sabotage Nishat's business. With her ultrasupportive sister by her side, Nishat fights to be her truest, most visible self. Debut author Jaigirdar seamlessly weaves issues of racism and homophobia into a fast-moving plot peopled with richly drawn characters. Each conflict is resolved authentically and naturally, moving the story along at the perfect speed. The scenes between Fl�via and Nishat simmer, and their mesmerizing relationship unfolds with just the right amount of complexity. Most satisfyingly, each character gets the ending she deserves. Impossible to put down. (Romance. 13-18)

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April 1, 2020

Gr 7-10-When Nishat, 16, comes out to her Bengali Muslim parents, the silence is overwhelming. Their tacit agreement to give her time to "change her mind" and their refusal to understand her sexuality adds to her general feelings of alienation as one of the only immigrants and people of color in her secondary school in Ireland. By starting a henna business for a school assignment, Nishat is excited to highlight an aspect of her heritage that she thinks her peers will actually understand. But when her crush, Fl�via, a Brazilian-Irish artist, opens a competing henna stand, Nishat feels deeply violated and channels her anger into bringing Fl�via's business down. Jaigirdar captures Nishat's pain as her friends deny the racism and homophobia in their school, and, ignoring Fl�via's moves as cultural appropriation, dismiss her as jealous. The novel's Dublin setting, with its tight-knit Bengali community, informs all the characters' interactions, creating a nuanced and specific world. However, it is Nishat's heartbreaking clarity about who she is and what she experiences that drives this story forward to its deeply satisfying conclusion. VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of school stories that celebrate intersectional experiences like Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly and Hena Khan's Amina's Voice.-Molly Saunders, Manatee County Public Libraries, Bradenton, FL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Bengali Irish teen Nishat can be anything she wants to be?anything except a lesbian, that is. Her parents think she can simply "choose" to be straight, but Nishat's very real crush on Fl�via, a Brazilian Irish girl she went to primary school with and who has just resurfaced, proves this is indisputable attraction. Things get complicated when both girls enter a school competition as mehndi (henna) artists. Among issues of cultural appropriation, thieving tactics, and potential sabotage, Nishat needs to figure out if her all-consuming feelings are worth defying her parents over. Jaigirdar begins her bold debut with Nishat's taboo confession to her parents, proffering a story of self-exploration by homing in on the rocky trajectory of a forbidden romance. Although instances of homophobia, racism, and bullying are prevalent, the novel is balanced by Nishat's strong sense of self and unrelenting support from her sister Priti. Readers of YA #WeNeedDiverseBooks need this on their shelves?a wholly uncontrived story with lesbians who aren't just brown but diverse in a multitude of ways.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)