Flying Over Water

Starred review from August 15, 2020
The Alwan family arrives in Tampa, Florida, in 2017 after the war in Syria destroys their lives in Aleppo and forces them into a crowded refugee camp in Turkey. But their arrival coincides with Trump's Muslim ban and a sharp rise in anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim hate crimes across the county, including in Tampa, where a mosque is set on fire soon after the family settles in. Frustrated and afraid yet determined to make the best of it, Noura begins seventh grade in her new American school. But she and her twin brother soon realize not all the students are like Jordyn, Noura's kind, supportive school ambassador who becomes a good friend. Some are like Nick, who calls immigrants terrorists and draws a cartoon of Noura's hijab being ripped off. But Noura insists on being strong and pushing forward by overcoming her worst fears and inspiring those around her to stand up for their values; she believes that hate can only be overcome with unity, conviction, and compassion. The novel seamlessly transitions between the perspectives of Noura and Jordyn, who is a White, upper-middle-class champion swimmer learning to cope with anxiety after her mother's recent miscarriage. The girls quickly realize they share a lot in common and can help one another overcome their fears: Noura's of swimming and Jordyn's of panic attacks. Movingly highlights a generation of youth at the center of progressive change. (Fiction. 8-12)

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December 4, 2020

Gr 4-6-This contemporary fiction novel follows a family immigrating from Syria to the United States and the difficulties they face in their new home. Noura and her family are flying to the U. S. from a Turkish refugee camp the same day that President Trump's Muslim Ban goes into effect. In Tampa, FL, they are welcomed by Jordyn and her family, who are white. Both Noura and Jordyn have suffered trauma, and together they are able to help each other begin to heal. The novel also follows Noura and her brother Ammar's struggle to create a prayer room in their school, and the resistance they face from people in the community. Co-authors Hitchcock and Senzai relay the story in alternating chapters told from Jordyn and Noura's perspective. Several scenes truly leap from the page, such as when Noura and her family visit a mosque and find their place among Tampa's Muslim diaspora, and when Noura, Jordyn, and Ammar go on a boat trip to a nature preserve. The portrayals of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder are incredibly poignant, and the combined narratives weave a portrait of two young people discovering their own resilience while broadening their understanding of the world around them. Unfortunately, there are also several discordant and culturally insensitive inclusions. A singular reference to the Black Lives Matter movement feels out of place given that no context or expansion follows. Later an adult references a myth saying, "Some people say it's a Cherokee legend, but nobody really knows for sure." A cursory search online reveals that the myth originated with American Christian Evangelist Billy Graham, not any Native American tribe. A conversation about immigration and discrimination in America that omits the perspective of Indigenous and Black people is necessarily flawed and incomplete. VERDICT Though powerful at times, this novel is hampered by missteps and an attempt to tackle too many topics at once without due nuance, and thus doesn't reach its full potential.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Lib.

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